FedEx 400 Fantasy Picks for DraftKings NASCAR Contests

2015 FedEx 400 Fantasy Picks for DraftKings NASCAR Contests

Welcome back to FantasyCPR’s coverage of the 2015 FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International 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 initial practice & qualifying sessions that will include the starting grid; and 4) Our expert driver picks released after the final practice sessions.

If you haven’t already, check out our DraftKings FedEx 400 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 has resources to help fantasy players familiarize themselves with the new DraftKings Daily NASCAR contests and scoring.

Sep 28, 2014; Dover, DE, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin (11) leads NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

Race Snapshot

What: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks.

Where: Dover International Speedway, 1-mile oval in Dover, DE

When: Sunday, May 31; 1 pm ET

TV/Radio: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 400 miles

Pit road speed: 35 mph

Fuel window: 81 laps

Live Feed

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Here are my picks for the FedEx 400, broken down in four salary ranges to aid you in getting under the $50,000 salary cap:

High $11,500 and up

Jimmie Johnson, #48 Chevrolet for $13,000 (Qualified 14th): Johnson is the Vegas co-favorite (along with Kevin Harvick) at 7:2 odds. Jimmie has dominated at Dover in his career and is looking for his 10th Sprint Cup win at the Monster Mile. The reigning FedEx 400 champ (who led 272 of the 400 in that race) was fastest in Friday’s practice and 5th quickest in both Saturday sessions. The 14th starting position will actually help him in the DraftKings scoring system as he has a car that can win or finish very high and thus can earn more place differential and pass differential points.

Honorable Mention: Kurt Busch #41 Chevrolet for $12,500 (Qualified 13th): Busch won at Dover in 2011 and was extremely consistent on Friday and Saturday with no worse than 15th in any of the sessions. His 54.3 FPPG is 2nd in DraftKings in 2015. Dover is a track that rewards aggressive drivers and Kurt is definitely that. The 13th starting position should help his point total as well. He could have a dominant car on Sunday like he did at Charlotte.

Stay Away: Jeff Gordon #24 Chevrolet for $11,700 (Qualified 22nd): Gordon struggled to get the car right in practice and admitted he didn’t have a particularly strong machine. Gordon has had success here but in this salary range you need a surer thing than what Gordon can offer.

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Medium-High $9,800 to $11,200

Denny Hamlin, #11 Toyota for $10,800 (Qualified 1st): Hamlin was very strong in practice (no worse than 5th in any of the sessions) and won the pole. Hamlin has a driving style that fits the track and he finished 5th in this race last year. He was the strongest of the very fast group of Joe Gibbs’ Toyotas this weekend. It appears that the changes that Toyota made to their engine packages earlier in the season is paying dividends. Poll winners have won 31% of this race. At a decent price, with any luck you can count on at least 50 FP if not more from Hamlin.

Honorable Mention: Martin Truex Jr. #78 Chevrolet for $10,200 (Qualified 2nd): This is Truex’ favorite track and he is eager for a win. Running second in the Cup standings this year, he has pretty much been a guarantee to finish in the Top 10 all season regardless of the track. If he could finish 6th and 7th last year at Dover with the mediocre car he had in 2014, he should be able to do the same if not better this year. Interestingly enough, the second starting position has produced more winners in this race than any other starting position. Expect Truex to continue his fine season tomorrow.

Stay Away: Ryan Newman, #31 Chevrolet for $9,800 (Qualified 17th): Newman was not able to finish any of the weekend sessions in the Top 10. He hasn’t finished better than 8th in his last 16 Sprint Cup races at Dover and 6 of his last 8 he finished 20th or worse. You can do better with $9,800 than Newman here.

Medium-Low $8,000 to $9,500

Kyle Larson, #42 Chevrolet for $9,500 (Qualified 3rd): Larson is looking to resurrect a season in which he’s suffering a sophomore slump. He has 6th and 11th place finishes in two career Cup starts at Dover. Plus, he has the benefit of being one of four drivers who ran Goodyear Tire tests at Dover earlier this year. The #42 has looked strong this weekend. Larson ran some impressive multi-lap times in practice and Dover rewards drivers that can sustain long runs. Larson has the car, skill, aggressiveness, and desire to get a Top 5 in this race.

Honorable Mention: Austin Dillon, #3 Chevrolet for $9,300 (Qualified 12th): Dillon looked decent and has a Top 20 car at a minimum. He and his team did a good job making adjustments over the practice runs, peaking with the 3rd fastest lap in the final practice. Dillon can handle the track as he finished 4th in the Xfinity race here on Saturday. Dillon got his only Top 10 this year on concrete at Bristol. Count on a good race from Dillon and another Top 10 finish in the #3 Chevrolet.

Stay Away: Tony Stewart, #14 Chevrolet for $9,200 (Qualified 26th): He was slow again this weekend so Stewart makes it into my “Stay Away” spot for the second week in a row. He is an all-time great and got his last Cup win here in 2013, but Smoke and the #14 simply doesn’t have the speed this year as his negative 6.8 FFPG proves. Despite historical success and style to win here, he will be lucky to finish in the Top 20. Buyer beware!

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Low $7800 and below

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Ford for $7,800 (Qualified 28^rd): The Twisted Tea Ford looked at times over the weekend like a solid Top 20 car. Hornish Jr. has had decent success here at Dover with a 4th in 2013 in the Xfinity series and finishing 18th and 13th in Sprint Cup races (in 2008 and 2009 respectively) for Team Penske. Marcus Ambrose finished a respectable 16th (and on the lead lap) in the 2014 FedEx 400 in same car. 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 than the talented Hornish Jr. at $7,800.

Honorable Mention: Jeb Burton #26 Ford for $7,300 (Qualified 35th): The young and skilled Burton worked very hard to qualify on Friday, getting a 35th where due to the point system a minimum of the 36th best time was needed for him to make the field. The #26 Toyota had a 27th finish in this race in this race in 2014. At a minimum, look for Burton to get a mid-pack finish along with extra fantasy points that the 35th starting position gives him a chance to pick up. Burton is definitely the best option of the drivers at the bottom of the salary scale.

If you haven’t joined DraftKings yet and want to play in these exciting contests, use this link to sign up and you will earn a 4 free entries ($25 value) for any sport (one $12 ticket, two $5 tickets, and one $3 ticket).

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.

Next: DraftKings NASCAR 2015 FedEx 400 Fantasy Analysis