We have arrived at the first elimination race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Only 12 of the 16 Chase drivers will move on to the Contender Round. Going into the race on Sunday, only Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have their spots locked up leaving the other 14 drivers to fight it out on the track. Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have left themselves in a position where they need a win to to advance to the next round so look for some aggressive moves and pit strategies throughout the race. Four drivers, from 11th to 14th, in the standings sit within two points of each other which will make every pit stop, every restart, every pass, and every strategy decision magnified. Drivers sitting from 3rd to 10th have a bit of a cushion but by no means can play it safe this weekend. When NASCAR overhauled the Chase format last season they wanted to create something that keeps the excitement level up throughout the entire 10 race playoff. Hats off to them because the new format keeps drivers pushing hard for every tenth of a second every lap, it keeps teams constantly updating strategies, and it most importantly it keeps fans on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

This week NASCAR will travel to Dover International Speedway for the AAA 400 and the first elimination race. The track is a one mile oval short track with 24° banking in the corners. This will be the second race at Dover this season and it was Jimmie Johnson who grabbed the win back in the May race. Jimmie Johnson along with Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr. all had good days at Dover back in May, as all of them ran inside the top 15 over 97% of the race. It has been Hendrick Motorsports who have historically had the most success at Dover International Speedway.

Rain has moved in over Dover causing first practice and qualifying to be rained out. The lineup for the race will now be determined by standings which will put Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards at the from of the field on Sunday. Two practice sessions are still scheduled for Saturday so but could be cancelled at any time so be sure to check all outlets to get up to date news going into tomorrow morning. If practice is a go for tomorrow we will want to pay close attention as it will be the only on track data we will have before raceday on Sunday. There will be a pre race update posted tomorrow so be sure to check back. Also, if you are looking for help building lineups or have any questions there will be a live NASCAR chat starting tomorrow at 12:30 PM et during Final Practice.

Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS  Lineup Picks

Jimmie Johnson- $11,200  

He has dominated Dover in his career with 10 wins and has not let up in recent years. In his previous five races here he has three wins, four top 5's and a 4.6 average finish. He and Hendrick Motorsports were created for the Chase and have thrived in whatever format NASCAR presents them. He has gone from an 11th at Chicagoland to a 6th last weekend at New Hampshire and will be looking for his 11th career win here and a spot in the Contender Round starting next week. Lock the #48 in your lineups and feel good about it this week.

Kyle Busch - $10,200

After coming into the Chase with momentum, Kyle Busch is now faced with yet another obstacle this season. He currently sits one point outside the bubble and will need a solid finish this week to move on to the Contender Round. He ran into right side issues during the race last week and met the wall which ultimately netted him a 37th place finish. He now comes back to Dover where he has won twice in his career. Look for Busch to be 100%  ready to conquer Dover and continue his run for the Sprint Cup Championship.

Brad Keselowski - $9,900

He was black flagged last weekend during a restart and ended up finishing in 12th after having a car capable of winning the race. He was ticked! He will now be extra motivated to going into the elimination race here at Dover, a place where he has had success in the past. He has one career win and in his previous five races here has three top 5's and a 11.6 average finish to go along with 109 laps led. Look for the #2 team to be fast again and contend for the win at the end of the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $8,500

He finished last weekends race in 25th place and sits right on the bubble in standings. The #88 team cannot afford any mistakes this week at Dover if they wanna advance to the Contender Round. This shouldn't be a problem as Dale Jr. has a nice track record at Dover. He has one career win here and has put up three top 10's and one top 5 here in his previous five races at at this track. He is a safe play in any format this week.

Jeff Gordon - $8,400

He is in his final year and will be looking to cap it off with a strong run and a possible championship. It has been a great start to his final Chase as he has finished 14th and 7th in the first two races. He now sits in 10th in the standings with a little bit of cushion going into this weekend. He is probably feeling more comfortable than others around the bubble as he has been great at Dover over his career. He has four wins here, one of which has come in the previous five races where he has put up a 6.6 average finish. He doesn't seem to have lost his touch at the tracks he has historically dominated so we should expect a top 10 at worst this weekend.

Tony Stewart - $6,700

He announced he will be stepping away from NASCAR after the 2016 season and will be looking to cap the announcement off with a strong finish in this weekends race. He has a win, two top 10 finishes, and a 9.5 average finish here at Dover in the previous five races run here. He makes a cheap GPP option for this race.

Post Practice & Qualifying Update

Qualifying Top 10

1. #20 Matt Kenseth
2. #11 Denny Hamlin
3. #19 Carl Edwards
4. #22 Joey Logano
5. #48 Jimmie Johnson
6. #31 Ryan Newman
7. #41 Kurt Busch
8. #2 Brad Keselowski
9. #78 Martin Truex Jr.
10. #24 Jeff Gordon

The first practice and qualifying were rained out on Friday leaving the field to be set by standings. This will put Joe Gibbs Racing in the top three positions on Sunday. Kasey Kahne led the second practice Saturday am and got the more laps in(33) than any other driver. The final practice was cut short due to rain and NASCAR wanting to get the track dry for the Xfinity race this afternoon. Carl Edwards was out early in practice and was able to get the most laps(18) in the final practice. It was Kevin Harvick who lead the practice followed by Carl Edwards,  Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, and Dale Jr. in the top five.

Targeting Hendrick drivers is a good strategy in DFS this week as they have had the best run at this track. This experience will be crucial with the lack of practice time this weekend. It would also be wise to get exposure to Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske this weekend as well. On the low end Ricky Stenhouse Jr. looks to present some value starting back in 27th place. He was 14 and 11th fastest in Saturdays practices.

DFS & Fantasy NASCAR Chat Room

[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.