DraftKings Preview

AustYn

Kansas Speedway is the next stop on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. Believe it or not…this is only the 2nd1.5-mile race of the season. The NASCAR Cup Series schedule used to be consumed with the cookie-cutter style tracks, but no more! It really makes DFS more difficult for sure, but here we are. Darlington produced an “exciting” finish with Joey Logano coming away with the victory. It was not met without controversy though, as he drove through William Byron to get the win. There definitely will be a rivalry coming because of this, and I see Byron coming away with that victory. With 2 wins already this season, Byron and his Hendrick counterparts are far and beyond the competition at this point. Do not expect anything serious to happen this weekend but keep an eye on these two drivers when the playoffs start. Chase Elliott came away with another top-5 and increase his points lead to 65 points.

In my DFS career, 1.5-mile tracks have been my strong suit. I love finding value where others simply do not see it. I made a mistake in the Truck race by not going with Zane Smith, who I felt strongly about, so my gut will be a big factor in determining who I think will win. You can determine whether you like the strategy or not. Christopher Bell won his 3rd pole of the year this weekend. Track position is an item to consider as there have only been 3 winners from the 20th and beyond starting position at Kansas. Kyle Larson dominated this place last season, but the car is so different now that I do not think that will play a factor. There will be 267 laps in this event and teams will have 9 sets of tires. I do not think tire wear will be a factor either. I will be looking at pure value and fading drivers who I feel will be selected at too high of a rate.

Top Pick: Tyler Reddick ($8,900) Starting 2nd

You are not reading this incorrectly, my choice to win this race is #8 Tyler Reddick. I remember when he made his debut here in 2019 and finished 9th. This track fits his driving style perfectly. You can drive the high line and slide around in different lanes. Everyone knows that it is only a matter of time until Reddick gets his first victory, and I really liked the way this car looked in qualifying and practice. According to CBS Sports, Reddick is at 16/1 to win.

Supporting Cast: Chris Buescher ($6,700) Starting 35th & Bubba Wallace ($6,400) Starting 24th

I am going to go with a fairly obvious first choice here, Chris Buescher wrecked in practice and was unable to qualify, which is why he is starting 35th. At this price, you get a driver who is plenty capable of getting a top-15 and one that has an average finish of 18th here. He has had a few top-10’s here so it seemed too hard to pass up. My next selection is hopefully a low ownership selection. I was down to Michael McDowell starting in 25that $5,300 or Bubba Wallace Starting 24th at $6,400…I went with the Toyota driver. His teammate Kurt Busch looked crazy fast, and I know that this car is plenty fast as well. Bubba got a top-15 here last season and I think the same could happen this week. I am hoping the ownership is around 10% and it this selection will get me a tourney win.

FanDuel Preview

Yacs

This will be the third 1.5-mile track of the season and I personally really enjoy watching Kansas. Kansas is one of those tracks that casual fans tend to choose to skip, but I think it is a fun race. We had some high tensions last week at Darlington with Joey Logano and William Byron and it’ll be interesting to see how that feud develops in the coming weeks/months. They could add some more fuel to the fire today. I guess we’ll see. Also, talking about last week, if you guys didn’t listen to my picks, you made a big mistake. We had a great week in FanDuel. Incredible week. Hopefully that momentum carries into Kansas.

Our strategy this week will be a little different considering this is a 1.5-mile track. Normally you want drivers that are closer to the front and will potentially lead a lot of laps. I don’t think you have to follow that rule anymore. Basing my judgements from the previous 1.5-milers this season, it is definitely possible for multiple drivers to start outside of the Top 20 and finish within the Top 10. You really don’t need to even consider top tier if you don’t want to. The drivers that I pick today are more than capable of picking up the win despite not being consider “top tier” as far as pricing is concerned. Let’s see who I have for this week.

The Start of a Great Rivalry: William Byron ($11,500) Starting 13th; Joey Logano ($10,000) Starting 34th

It is definitely possible that the flames of this feud grow stronger today at Kansas, but I don’t think it will harm any DFS potential. At this point in the season, it is meaningless to wreck the other driver because both drivers have wins and if they really wanted to hurt the other driver, they would do it in the playoffs. Strong feuds put eyes on the product and this is great for NASCAR, not to mention the fact that this feud could potentially last for many, many years. I like both of their chances to finish well today and they are both more than capable of being in a similar situation as last week where they’re racing for the lead. Byron has a win at a 1.5-miler already this season and finished Top 5 at the other one also. Logano has been as good, but not quite as good as Byron at those tracks, but he has a great history here at Kansas, winning 3 times.

Climbers/Value Picks: Kevin Harvick ($9,000) Starting 23rd; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($5,500) Starting 36th

Kevin Harvick gives you the 2nd best Fantasy points per race this season, so it goes without saying that he is an absolute steal at $9,000. Also, it’s worth noting that Kevin Harvick has the best track record here at Kansas. Starting 23rd with the best career history here, it’s a no-brainer. As for Stenhouse, he’s starting at the back of the pack. He has nowhere to go but up. Stenhouse is capable of a boom-or-bust performance, but if he’s still on the lead lap, he’s definitely capable of finishing in the Top 10. Plus, he’s on somewhat of a good streak. He finished 2nd at Dover and 8th at Darlington. And while his finishes at 1.5-milers this season haven’t been great, he has been fast at those tracks.

Final Pick: Ross Chastain ($11,000) Starting 11th

It could be argued that Ross Chastain has been the best driver all season long. Also, he’s been arguably the best 1.5-mile driver so far this season. He doesn’t have a win at either of the previous tracks, but he’s finished in the Top 5 in both races. He is fast, yet again and this TrackHouse team is clicking on all cylinders. At a similar price point, I think the majority of people will go with Chase Elliott, and rightfully so, but I think this will work into our advantage. If Chastain can stay out of trouble, I think a Top 5 is a given and that’s crazy to think that this team would be at this point already. His previous history at Kansas shouldn’t even be considered really. This is a new car and he is on a tear.

NASCAR AdventHealth 400 DFS Preview