Welcome back race fans. This week the Monster Energy Cup Series heads to Chicagoland Speedway for the Overton's 400 on Sunday afternoon. After seven straight years as the first race of the playoffs, the Chicago race weekend returns to a July date as NASCAR shifted the schedule this season. The combination of hot temperatures in the forecast plus a worn asphalt track will most definitely produce some exciting racing as cars should be sliding around the track all race.
From a fantasy perspective, track position has been very important here at Chicago as there was only one driver to record double-digit place differential in last years race and five or less in three straight races. There are only 267 laps in the race which has left just three drivers to lead 100 or more laps in the last six races but multiple drivers to lead 50 or more laps in two straight and five of the last six so targeting multiple dominators is likely the way to go. With that, let's jump into the picks for this week.
Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks - Overton's 400
Martin Truex Jr.(DK-$10,900 FD-$12,800)
All signs point to the 2017 Series Champion as the top pick this week. He is coming off his third win of the season of the season last week at Sonoma and now comes to Chicago where he has won two straight races. On top of that, he failed post-qualifying inspection and will start 36th this week giving him elite place differential upside. He is the most expensive driver on FanDuel but only the third most expensive on DraftKings and is the top play in all formats this week.
Brad Keselowski(DK-$10,000 FD-$11,100)
Picking out a dominator is a bit tougher this week with how things ended up shaking out but Brad Keselowski is one I am targeting. He starts seventh and despite ranking 13th in first practice, he posted the fastest 10-lap average and then ended up first in one lap speed in final practice. He has also been very consistent here at Chicago with seven straight Top 10 finishes including two wins.
Chase Elliott(DK-$8,500 FD-$10,600)
Another who has a good chance at getting up front and leading some laps this week is Chase Elliott. He showed Top 5 speed in practice #1 before ranking 23rd in final practice but then went out in qualifying and showed Top 5 speed once again and will be starting on the second row(3rd). He has also been terrific in his first two career races here at Chicago with a 3rd and 2nd place finish the last two years. The Chevy camp has struggled overall this season but this could very well be the site of Elliott's first career win.
Chris Buescher(DK-$6,300 FD-$6,100)
He is going to be the chalk play in this lower tier as he is another driver who failed post-qualifying inspection resulting in a 39th starting position. He posted the 20th and 11th fastest speeds in the two practices and appears to have a car that can top his 28th and 27th place finishes in his first two career races here at Chicago. The low price price combined with the place differential upside make him a top play in all formats this week.
NASCAR DFS Cheat Sheet
Don't have the time to search multiple sites looking for NASCAR stats and data?
Check out my DFS NASCAR cheatsheet which includes Track History(2-Year Trend & Career), Track Type History(2-Year Trend), Current Form, Practice/Qualifying Data, and a weighted system to get an overall rank for each driver each race. Check out it now while it's still in BETA mode and FREE to everyone. Also, be sure to check out the Race by Race Trends Sheet.
DFS & Fantasy NASCAR Chat Room
If you have any questions leading up to the race hit me up in the chat below!
[iflychat_embed id="c-59" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
The Keys to Weekly NASCAR DFS Success
NASCAR is back, and it's time for you to win more with RotoBaller! Our DFS NASCAR Premium Package features several heavy hitters and proven winners.
Jordan McAbee anchors the team with his exclusive NASCAR picks, DFS projections and algorithm-predicted finishing order! In 2022 DFS contests, Jordan had a +33.92% profit margin good for +$10,467.06 profit and qualified for the Fantasy Racing World Championship.
Four-time NASCAR Racing Writer of the Year finalist and fantasy industry legend Scott "The King" Engel is also in the crew, bringing you his weekly strategies and lineup picks. Set your winning DFS lineups with our award-winning team.