Coca-Cola 600 Fantasy Picks for DraftKings NASCAR Contests
By Rich Pelesky
2015 Coca-Cola 600 Fantasy Picks for DraftKings NASCAR Contests
Welcome back to FantasyCPR’s coverage of the 2015 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Whether you are a fantasy racing player or just a NASCAR fan, let us be your one stop shop for all the information you need to prepare you for NASCAR races in the 2015 season. Go to our Fantasy NASCAR Hub at https://fansided.com/category/nascar-fantasy/ and bookmark it!
Our weekly coverage will typically consist of 4 articles a week: 1) A fantasy recap from the previous race; 2) A race preview mid-week prior to the race; 3) A comprehensive fantasy analysis after the first practice & qualifying that will include the starting grid; and 4) Our expert driver picks released after the final practice.
If you haven’t already, check out our DraftKings Coco-Cola 600 Fantasy Analysis. This will give you insight in how you should make your selections for the race which is based on track and race history as well as the initial practice and qualifying. Also, it contains resources to help fantasy players familiarize themselves with the new DraftKings Daily NASCAR contests and scoring.
May 23, 2015; Concord, NC, USA; General view before practice for the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Race Snapshot
What: 56th Annual Coca-Cola 600
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, May 23, 2015
TV/Radio: FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
Distance: 400 laps (600 miles)
Green Flag: 6:18 p.m. EST
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Caution Car Speed: 55 mph
Live Feed
Beyond the Flag
There were two main surprises from Thursday: 1) Not a single Hendricks Chevy driver making the final round (Top 12) at qualifying; and 2) Toyota’s domination (4 of the Top 7 qualifiers) highlighted by Matt Kenseth winning the pole by a large margin.
Fantasy Picks: Here are my picks for the Coca-Cola 600, broken into four salary ranges to help you get under the $50000 salary cap:
High: $11,700 and up
Brad Keselowski, #2 Ford for $12,300 (Qualified 6th): Keslowski is having another fine year, currently 5th in the standings and averaging 25 FPPG, which is the 6th highest mark. He is one of the race favorites at 7:1 odds. Keslowski has looked very comfortable all weekend with his car fast and handling smooth as evident in him finishing no less than 8th in any of the sessions. The #2 was also strong at All-star race, winning 2 of the segments. Keslowski is tough at intermediate tracks being one of only four drivers to have finished in the Top 10 at the four races on mile and a half tracks this year.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Harvick #4 Chevrolet for $14,200 (Qualified 8th): The reigning champ and series leader Harvick has been so strong, he is hard to ignore even at this price. His 75.5 FPPG is a whopping 26.2 more that the driver next to him, Kurt Busch. His car has been so good this weekend that they were able to reduce the car’s laps to ensure better reliability for the race. In his last six Coca-Cola 600s, Harvick has won twice and his worst finish was an 11th in 2010.
Stay Away: Dale Earnhardt Jr #88 Chevrolet for $11,800 (Qualified 15th): Dale Jr. used a lot of laps in Saturday’s practices making adjustments and was real loose in the final practice. This again raises concern about his team’s reliability – remember, he blew an engine in the 2013 Coca-Cola 600. He is a great driver and is always a threat to win but for this money, you can do a lot better.
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Medium-High: $10,100 to $11,300
Matt Kenseth, #20 Toyota for $11,300 (Qualified 1st): Kenseth dominated qualifying with a spectacular lap to win the pole. He continued to run strong on Saturday. The #1 Pit stall is especially important in a long race like this and his strong Gibbs crew should take advantage. He finished in the top 5 in the last two All-Star races and the 600 last year. He was the strongest of the fast group of entrants for Toyota, which has been good lately after making some changes to their engine packages.
Honorable Mention: Carl Edwards, #19 Toyota for $10,700 (Qualified 3rd): Edwards and the #19 was strong all weekend and also conserved laps. He is one of only four drivers with Top 10 finishes in both regular Charlotte Races in 2014. Sitting at 18th in the standings, Carl needs a win and this is a week he could do it.
Stay Away: Kyle Busch, #18 Toyota for $10,300 (Qualified 17th): Busch is still sore coming off an extended injury absence and Erik Jones could be used in a driver change mid-race. Although the #18 has looked decent this weekend, this is a grueling race (both physically and mentally) and one that even a seasoned pro like Kyle may not be ready to perform at peak level.
Medium-Low: $9000 to $10100
Kasey Kahne, #5 Chevrolet for $10,100 (Qualified 33rd): Kahne was fast in the first practice (3rd) but a flat tire in qualifying put him 33rd. This could serve as an advantage to him in the place differential and pass differential categories. Kahne is very good at Charlotte, with the 3rd best driver rating average (100.8) in the last 20 races there, and has won this race three times. Kahne also took 3rd in Saturday’s XFinity race.
Honorable Mention: Jamie McMurray, #1 Chevrolet for $9,300 (Qualified 22nd): McMurray has won the 500 and the All-Star race here and would love to complete the trifecta. His car was stronger on Saturday and he could pick up some spots on the field from the 22nd position. He is having a decent year (10th place, 4 Top 10s) and is good here, with Top 5s in all three Charlotte races in 2014.
Stay Away: Tony Stewart, #14 Chevrolet for $9,200 (Qualified 12th): Although picking up a good qualifying time (partly a result of spending a lot of laps in qualifying trim on Thursday), his car was a lot slower on Saturday. Stewart is an all-time great, but Smoke and the #14 simply hasn’t had enough speed this year (negative 8.2 FFPG) to be a serious contender. Despite the decent starting position, I would be shocked if he finished in the Top 20. Buyer beware!
Low $8900: and below
Paul Menard, #27 Chevrolet for $8,400 (Qualified 23rd): Menard has had success at Charlotte, Atlanta, and Texas (all 1.5 mile tracks with races that are 500 miles or longer), most notably an 8th place finish in the 2014 Coca-Cola 600. He is having a good year so far for RCR, currently 12th in the standings. Menard finished the last Saturday session strong with the 3rd fastest lap. His starting position could put him in a position to pick up extra fantasy points. If you go with one of the drivers in the top range of salaries you then have to get someone in this range, and you could do a lot worse that Menard at $8400.
Honorable Mention: Greg Biffle #16 Ford for $8,700 (Qualified 4th): Biffle has a good, fast car this weekend, joining the Penske Fords in the first three rows. In addition to his impressive qualifying run, he was extremely consistent with no worse than 12th in any of the sessions. Like Edwards, Biffle is on the outside looking in for the Chase (currently 22nd), so he going to pull all the stops here while he has a car that could get a Top 5 with some luck.
Good Luck!
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Need help with your daily or season-long fantasy NASCAR contests? Contact me on Twitter @Rich_Pelesky and I will give you the guidance you need to make the best fantasy decisions.