Fantasy NASCAR Games now on DraftKings!

Feb 22, 2015; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) and Joey Logano (22) lead the field during a restart during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR recently announced a new partnership with DraftKings, granting the daily fantasy giant with exclusive rights for three years to develop NASCAR-branded games in daily fantasy sports. This news is an exciting development for the daily fantasy sports industry as well as racing fans and is sure to spread the popularity of NASCAR. The inaugural NASCAR contests on DraftKings started on the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday May 24^th, 2015.

“We’re thrilled to partner with NASCAR to bring auto racing enthusiasts across the country an unmatched fan experience,” – Jason Robins, CEO and co-founder of DraftKings

The DraftKings NASCAR Daily contests are very similar to DraftKings contests in other sports in regard to offering free to high-priced games as well as a variety of formats such as head-to-head, 50/50, leagues, and tournaments. However, the rules and scoring used is very different from traditional season-long fantasy NASCAR leagues. In simplest terms, DraftKings owners draft a team of 5 drivers with a $50,000 Salary Cap. Scoring is based on several factors including a driver’s Finishing Position, Place Differential, Fastest Laps, Laps Led, and Pass Differential. Please refer to the Daily Fantasy NASCAR Strategy Guide by DraftKings that breaks down the specific rules and point calculations that govern these contests.

The inaugural DraftKings contests for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24th were very exciting, with over 30, 000 entries in the NAS Slingshot ($100,000 guaranteed in payouts ) which only costs $3 an entry and has cash prizes going to the top 7,850. Now heading to its 6th NASCAR race, DraftKings has grown its contests to offer more games to fantasy players.

If you haven’t joined DraftKings yet and want to play in their exciting contests, use this direct DraftKings Link to sign up with a minimum deposit of just $5. DraftKings will even match your initial deposit up to $600 – just click “Sign Up”!

Next: Tips to Be Successful at DraftKings NASCAR

Jul 6, 2014; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola celebrates in victory lane after winning the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

General DraftKings Strategy: The next thing to consider while filling out your teams is the DraftKings scoring system. DraftKings owners will draft a team of 5 drivers with a $50,000 Salary Cap. Scoring will be based on several factors including a driver’s Finishing Position, Place Differential, Fastest Laps, Laps Led, and Pass Differential. Please refer to the Daily Fantasy NASCAR Strategy Guide by DraftKings that breaks down the specific rules and point calculations that govern these contests.

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The salaries used are set weekly for each contest before qualifying and practice and are based on the overall strength of each driver/team/car for that particular race. The calculations that DraftKings use to determine drivers’ salaries are based on a driver’s ability to score fantasy points and as such consider all the five aforementioned factors. Since NASCAR is a new Daily Fantasy game, DraftKings has made it easier for players to understand the scoring system by listing a driver’s Fantasy Points Per Race (FPPR) next to a driver’s salary that shows a driver’s performance to date (including 2015 races that did not have DK contests). The following are some factors that determine a driver’s salary and are something that you should consider:

A Driver and/or Team’s current level of speed and performance this season.
A Driver and/or Team’s history at that specific track and race.
A Driver and/or Team’s history at similar tracks and races.

Next: Why You Should Wait Until after Qualifying and Practice to Draft

Jul 6, 2014; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Landon Cassill (40) leads a group of cars during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Because the DraftKings salaries are set prior to qualifying and practice, there are many things that can change a driver’s relative fantasy value before the race starts. Some things to consider:

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Qualifying and practice speed are a good (but not the only) indicator of a driver’s projected performance and factor largely in a driver’s potential to maximize points in the Finish Position, Fastest Laps, and Laps Led categories.
The DraftKings points system is unique and emphasizes both in-race performance as well as finishing position. So it is paramount to target at least some drivers that start further back in the field yet can compete as a top-performing car. This will get you points in the Place Differential and Pass Differential categories.
Considering a Driver’s Pit Crew proficiency is also important as drivers with fast cars can earn more points in the Pass Differential category during green flag racing due to lost track position during pit stops.

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.

Good luck!

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