Crown Royal presents Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard: Fantasy NASCAR Picks & Analysis

Welcome our Fantasy NASCAR Picks & Analysis for the next Sprint Cup race, the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard, to be held on Sunday, July 26th, 2015 at Indianapolis 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!

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SEE ALSO: Jeff Kyle 400 Preview

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Our weekly coverage will typically consist of 4 articles a week: 1) A fantasy recap from the previous race that includes driver scores and our prediction results; 2) A race preview mid-week prior to the race; 3) A comprehensive fantasy analysis and preliminary picks; and 4) Our final driver picks released after qualifying. To stay updated and get the posts as they are published, bookmark our site as well as follow us on Twitter!

Our fantasy coverage and predictions are unique compared to other outlets as it takes in the cars’ and drivers’ current performance over the weekend instead of just their historical statistics coming in. For DraftKings, this is crucial as starting position and in-race performance are important factors in fantasy scoring. This approach (instead of releasing driver picks early in the week like most sources do) leads to more accurate and successful predictions as you can see in our weekly Fantasy Recaps.

Next: The Field: Race Entrants with DraftKings Salaries

Jul 24, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during practice for the Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Race Entrants

#4 Kevin Harvick, Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet for $13,900
#48 Jimmie Johnson, Kobalt Tools Chevrolet $12,400
#78 Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Chevrolet $12,100
#18 Kyle Busch, Skittles Toyota for $11,800
#41 Kurt Busch, Haas Automation Chevrolet for $11,600
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Nationwide Chevrolet for $11,400
#20 Matt Kenseth, Dollar General Toyota for $11,300
#2 Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite Ford for $11,200
#22 Joey Logano, Shell Pennzoil Ford for $11,200
#24 Jeff Gordon, 3M Chevrolet for $11,000
#19 Carl Edwards, Stanley Toyota for $10,300
#11 Denny Hamlin, FedEx Express Toyota for $10,200
#5 Kasey Kahne, FARMERS Chevrolet for $10,100
#42 Kyle Larson, Target Chevrolet for $10,000
#1 Jamie McMurray, McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet For $9,600
#31 Ryan Newman, Grainger Chevrolet for $9,300
#14 Tony Stewart, Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops for $9,000
#27 Paul Menard, Duracell/Menards Chevrolet for $8,700
#16 Greg Biffle, Lilly/ADA Ford Fusion for $8,600
#15 Clint Bowyer, 5-Hour Energy Toyota for $8,500
#21 Ryan Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford for $8,500
#3 Austin Dillon, Dow- Mycogen Chevrolet for $8,400
#6 Trevor Bayne, AdvoCare Ford Fusion for $8,300
#8 Chase Elliott, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for $8,300
#17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., NOS Energy Drink Ford Fusion for $8,200
#9 Sam Hornish Jr., Medallion Bank Ford for $8,200
#55 David Ragan, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for $8,100
#47 A.J. Allendinger, Kroger/Kingsford Charcoal Chevrolet for $7,900
#43 Aric Almirola, Eckrich Ford for $7,800
#13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet SS for $7,700
#10 Danica Patrick, GoDaddy Chevrolet for $7,600
#33 Brian Scott, Shore Lodge Chevrolet for $7,600
#95 Michael McDowell, Thrivent Financial Ford for $7,500
#51 Justin Allgaier, Brandt Chevrolet for $7,400
#40 Landon Cassill, TBA Chevrolet for $7,400
#32 Josh Wise, Brandels Machinery Ford for $7,300
#98 Timmy Hill, Rettig’s Ford for $7,300
#38 David Gilliland, FFA Ford for $7,200
#62 Reed Sorenson, TBA Chevrolet for $7,200
#7 Alex Bowman, Marsh Supermarkets Chevrolet for $7,000
#23 J.J. Yeley, Dr. Pepper Toyota for $6,900
#83 Matt DiBenedetto, VooDoo BBQ & Grill Toyota for $6,900
#46 Michael Annett, Switch Hitch Chevrolet for $6,800
#34 Brett Moffitt, CSX Play It Safe Ford for $6,800
#35 Cole Whitt, Speed Stick Ford for $6,700
#26 Jeb Burton, Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota for $6,600

Next: Brickyard 400/Indianapolis Fantasy Strategy

dJul 24, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Spring Cup driver Danica Patrick leads Matt DiBenedetto out of the pits onto the warm up lane during practice for the Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Brickyard 400/Indianapolis Fantasy Strategy: My race picks will not be released until after the Qualifying session on Saturday, but let’s look at the race in general.

NOTE: NASCAR has following new rules changes in effect for the race meant to increase drag and facilitate passing:

1) Increase spoiler height from 6 to 9 inches (1 inch wicker bill)

2) Rear fascia extension

3) 43 inch splitter extension panel

Here is a sneak peek at some of the trends that will factor into my selections. This also gives fantasy players some foundations to base their own fantasy research on.

More from FanSided

1. This race is on 4-turn, Rectangular Oval track (160 laps, 400 miles) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

2. Strongly consider drivers that have a good history on super speedways as well as flat tracks. Pocono is a good comparison track since it is large and flat like Indy.

3. NASCAR has a Cup race once a year at Indianapolis. Take special note of how drivers and teams did last year in the Brickyard 400 and in past years here.

4. 6 drivers have raced in both the Brickyard 400 & Indianapolis 500: #47, #41, #9, #10, #14, and #13.

5. Leaders in Driver Rating among active drivers: Jimmy Johnson (108.1), Jeff Gordon (105.6), Kyle Larson (104.4), Tony Stewart (101.9), and Kasey Kahne (100.1).

7. Joe Gibbs Racing, who has dominated in the last 2 Cup races, also did very well here last year with their 3 cars finishing 2nd through 4th. On the other side of the coin, Ford has only one Top 10 in the each of the last two races, both 8th place finishes by Joey Logano.

8. Seven active drivers have wins at Indianapolis: Gordon (5), Johnson (4), Stewart (2), Newman (1), Menard (1), McMurray (1), and Harvick (1).

9. This is a complex, technical track that requires a high level of skill that favors aggressive drivers and a high risk/high reward strategy to win.

10. Qualifying speed and track position has proven worthwhile here as 8 of the 9 drivers with more than 10 Laps Led in the last 2 races qualified in the Top 8.

Next: Preliminary Fantasy Picks prior to Qualifying

dJul 24, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Spring Cup driver Paul Menard drives through turn one during practice for the Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

My Pre-Qualifying Favorites: As we know, qualify order is extremely important in DraftKings scoring, but here are my favorites based solely on historical data.

#20 Matt Kenseth, Dollar General Toyota for $11,300: JGR has been great lately; Nine Top 10s in 15 races here; Avg. Running position at Indy of 12.194 (6th).

#24 Jeff Gordon, 3M Chevrolet for $11,000: most dominant driver at Indy: Five wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s including a win last year; 3rd highest average finish (7.9) and 2nd Driver Rating (105.6) among entrants.

#11 Denny Hamlin, FedEx Express Toyota for $10,200: 3rd here last year, 6th in 2012; 54 Fastest Laps Run (series-best); JGR factor.

#14 Tony Stewart, Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops for $9,000: Two wins here (2005, 2007); Average finish of 7.8 (2nd) & average Running Position of 11.6 (4th). Showed speed in Friday’s practices.

#16 Greg Biffle, Lilly/ADA Ford Fusion for $8,600: 6th among entrants with a 13.2 average Indy finish; Finished 13th here last year and 12th at Pocono this year.

I will release my final DraftKings Picks on Saturday after Qualifying.

Next: General NASCAR Strategy for DraftKings Contests

Jul 24, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during practice for the Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor 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 calculations that govern these contests.

More from DraftKings

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 of the factors that determine a driver’s salary and something that a fantasy player should look at:

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 Wait Until After Practice/Qualifying to Make Picks?

Jul 24, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Spring Cup driver Tony Stewart drives through turn one during practice for the Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-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:

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.

SEE FANSIDED NASCAR COVERAGE: Crown Royal 400 Preview and Prediction

We will be back on Saturday evening with our Jeff Kyle 400 Fantasy Picks!

Next: My FINAL Fantasy Picks for the Crown Royal Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard