Strategy is going to be the name of the game this weekend, both in DraftKings as well as the actual race–the 58th annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is a typical 1.5-mile race track, but because of the increased distance (600 miles), it’s a grueling event for these teams. Additionally, NASCAR added a fourth stage on Sunday night, so that opens the door for even more games to be played by these crew chiefs and teams. DraftKings has an $8 Beast contest going on this weekend with $50,000 going to 1st place, and the winner of that is going to have to use some strategy too. Remember, teams practiced in the morning here on Saturday and we will be racing from the late afternoon into the night on Sunday. Drivers that are fast early in the race may not be fast later on–it’s all up to their race teams to keep up with the adjustments as this event goes on.
With 400 laps scheduled, that means there will probably be close to 185 FPTS for fastest laps and 100 FPTS for laps led up for grabs on Sunday night, the first number obviously depending on the number of caution laps.
Also check out: DraftKings Drivers to Fade at Charlotte
High-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Charlotte (over $9,500)
Jimmie Johnson ($10,200) – After that late race disappointment at Kansas, Jimmie Johnson and this #48 team will be looking for some redemption here at Charlotte on Sunday, and it really shouldn’t be too hard for them to get it. Johnson is an eight-time winner at this race track and has finished inside the top 5 in a little under half of his 31 career starts here. And when you add in the fact that this #48 Chevrolet has been super fast (and getting faster) on the intermediate tracks as of late, you have to consider JJ as one of the favorites to take the victory here on Sunday night. The best news (for DraftKings owners anyway) is that Johnson qualified 14th, so there’s room for place differential FPTS. He was 8th-fastest in Happy Hour on Saturday and ranked 5th in ten-lap average. This car is at least top 5 good heading into Sunday, and there isn’t a better crew chief in the Cup Series garage at keeping up with track changes than Chad Knaus.
Kyle Busch ($9,800) – It’s hard to go against Martin Truex, Jr. ($10,700) on Sunday, but his high price tag makes it a bit easier. The good news for Truex is that he has some room for place differential (he qualified 8th) while still having major dominator potential. However, in an effort to save some cap room, don’t be afraid to go with the other super fast Toyota: the #18 of Kyle Busch. Rowdy put his car on the front row this weekend, and with how good he is on restarts, don’t be surprised if Busch doesn’t even let Harvick lead a lap when this thing goes green. Kyle has never won here at Charlotte but his record here is incredible. Add in the fact that this #18 Toyota has been leading quite a few laps over the last few weeks, and it’s turning into a great time to capitalize on him. Busch had good long run speed in both practice sessions on Saturday and is a definite threat to (finally) win here on Sunday.
Mid-Range DraftKings Drivers to Target at Charlotte (between $7,500 and $9,500)
Chase Elliott ($9,300) – There’s quite a bit of risk in going heavy on Chase Elliott this weekend, but the potential payoff could be quite large. Don’t forget that this #24 Chevrolet led over 100 laps here the last time we raced at Charlotte, and Chase was definitely a contender for the win before he got caught up in a wreck. Also, in his first Coca-Cola 600 starts last season, Elliott finished 8th. This weekend, Chase will roll off the grid from 3rd when the race goes green, and while that means he’s going to have to pick up quite a few dominator FPTS to make it worth it, he’s more than capable of doing so. Elliott was solidly fast in both practice sessions here on Saturday and wound up 3rd in ten-lap average during that final session. He’s a great contrarian pick depending on how the rest of your lineup shakes out. Another guy that starts up front and has a fast car that can lead is Matt Kenseth ($8,700), and he costs a little less than Chase.
Kasey Kahne ($8,000) – Over the last two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, Kasey Kahne has averaged 50 FPTS in DraftKings, and if he’s able to pull off a top 10 finish here in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, he’ll probably hit the mark once again. This #5 Chevrolet has had plenty of speed in it over the last few weeks, but Kasey Kahne has yet to have one great race. Yes, he finished 5th at Talladega, but I don’t really count that. Anyway, this could be the week that the #5 team breaks through, as Kahne is a four-time winner here at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has finished inside the top 5 in five of the last eleven races here. The good news is that the most recent top 5 finish here came last October, and the bad news is that the one before that was back in 2013. Still, Kahne has potential this weekend, and his 24th-place starting spot opens up the door for quite a few place differential FPTS as well. Kasey was 15th-fastest in Happy Hour on Saturday and had the 11th-best ten-lap average during that practice session.
Low-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Charlotte (under $7,500)
Ty Dillon ($6,900) – Don’t be surprised if Ty Dillon is the highest-scoring DraftKings driver in this price range on Sunday night. This Rookie of the Year candidate has a driving style that should pay dividends in a long race like the Coca-Cola 600, and that style is simple: stay out of trouble and be there at the end. Ty has used that to average a finish of 18.8 this season, which includes finishes of 15th, 21st, 17th, and 14th at the four 1.5-mile tracks we’ve visited so far. The best thing about the younger Dillon brother this weekend is that he qualified back in 27th, so just a 17th-place finish is going to net DraftKings owners 37 FPTS. Ty struggled a bit during the practice sessions this weekend, but as I said in the opener, you have to take those speeds with a grain of salt.
Regan Smith ($5,600) – Regan Smith is in the #43 Ford this weekend and qualified 25th for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, which is usually a bit too high for someone in this price range, but with Smith I’m taking a bit of a different approach. Typically, drivers under $6,000 don’t have very good equipment, but this #43 Ford from Richard Petty Motorsports has actually been pretty good on intermediate race tracks this season; with Aric Almirola wheeling it around, this #43 Ford wound up 18th at Texas, 19th at Fontana, and 14th at Las Vegas. Pretty solid if you ask me. This weekend, Regan Smith’s main goal is to get the car home in one piece, and if he can do that, I think he’ll be good for a top 20 finish with a shot at a top 15. As far as his career statistics go, Regan has made eleven starts here at Charlotte and has wound up inside the top 20 in six of those events, including 28th- and 21st-place finishes in the two races here last season while driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing. For the record, Landon Cassill ($5,100) is another solid choice down in this price range, and he has a bit more place differential upside because he qualified 31st. Michael McDowell ($4,900) qualified too high (21st) to be worth much exposure.
