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Fantasy NASCAR Picks for the 2015 Bojangles’ Southern 500

By Rich Pelesky

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Fantasy NASCAR Picks for the 2015 Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

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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MUST SEE: Fantasy NASCAR Scoring Changes on DraftKings effective 8/2!

If you haven’t already, check out our 2015 Bojangles’ Southern 500 Fantasy Preview and 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 practices. Also, it has resources to help fantasy players familiarize themselves with the new DraftKings Daily NASCAR contests and scoring.

Before we get to my picks, let’s take a look at the field!

Next: The Field: Qualifying Order with DraftKings Salaries

Race Entrants in Qualifying Order w/ DraftKings Salaries

NOTE: Due to DraftKings recently changing the number to entrants from 5 to 6 but keeping the salary cap at $50,000, the salaries will be relatively lower than in some previous contests.

  1.  #2 Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite Ford for $10,000
  2. #41 Kurt Busch, Haas Automation Chevrolet for $10,100
  3. #4 Kevin Harvick, Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet for $10,500
  4. #22 Joey Logano, Shell Pennzoil Ford for $10,300
  5. #24 Jeff Gordon, 3M Chevrolet for $8,400
  6. #11 Denny Hamlin, Sports Clips Toyota for $9,500
  7.  #78 Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Chevrolet for $9,000
  8. #17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Cargill Ford Fusion for $6,900
  9. #21 Ryan Blaney, Snap-On Tools Ford for $7,200
  10. #18 Kyle Busch, M&M’s Crispy Toyota for $10,600
  11. #43 Aric Almirola, STP Ford for $7,400
  12. #27 Paul Menard, Moen/Menards Chevrolet for $7,700
  13. #19 Carl Edwards, Arris Toyota for $9,700
  14. #20 Matt Kenseth, Dollar General Toyota for $10,200
  15. #5 Kasey Kahne, HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet for $8,000
  16. #42 Kyle Larson, Mello Yello Chevrolet for $8,500
  17. #14 Tony Stewart, Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for $8,000
  18. #6 Trevor Bayne, AdvoCare Ford Fusion for $7,000
  19. #48 Jimmie Johnson, Lowe’s Chevrolet for $9,300
  20. #1 Jamie McMurray, McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet for $7,900
  21. #55 David Ragan, Ol’ Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for $7,200
  22. #25 Chase Elliot, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for $6,600
  23. #31 Ryan Newman, Caterpillar Chevrolet for $7,800
  24. #16 Greg Biffle, Ortho Ford Fusion for $7,400
  25. #83 Matt DiBenedetto, Cosmo Motors Toyota for $5,200
  26. #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Valvoline Chevrolet for $8,300
  27. #51 Justin Allgaier, Brandt Chevrolet for $6,400
  28. #15 Clint Bowyer, Buddy Baker Tribute Toyota Camry for $8,200
  29. #3 Austin Dillon, American Ethanol Chevrolet for $7,500
  30. #10 Danica Patrick, GoDaddy Chevrolet  for $7,100
  31. #40 Landon Cassill, #Snap Honor Chevrolet for $5,300
  32. #13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet SS for $7,300
  33. #9 Sam Hornish Jr., Winn Dixie Ford for $6,500
  34. #47 A.J. Allendinger, Kroger/House-Autry Chevrolet for $7,300
  35. #7 Alex Bowman, Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet for $5,300
  36. #26 J.J. Yeley, Beds For Kids Toyota for $5,200
  37. #35 Cole Whitt, Speed Stick Ford for $5,800
  38. #38 David Gilliland, Love’s Travel Stops Ford for $5,600
  39. #46 Michael Annett, Pilot Flying J Chevrolet for $5,500
  40. #34 Brett Moffitt, Dockside Ford for $5,400
  41. #23 Jeb Burton, Estes Toyota for $5,200
  42. #33 Mike Bliss, Little Joe’s Auto Chevrolet for $6,000
  43. #98 T.J. Bell, Premium Motorsports Ford for $5,200

Next: High Priced Drivers - $9,400 and up

High: $9,500 and up

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    • #41 Kurt Busch, Haas Automation Chevrolet for $10,100 (Qualed 2nd): I don’t usually like to recommend high qualifying races in DK fantasy formats but this is a good situation for an exception. Kurt is 3rd in 2015 with 43.7 FP and along with a 10.6 Average finish mark shows he can rack up the FP no matter where he starts. Most importantly, the #41 has been wicked fast in all the session, finishing no worse than 3rd in any of them. Lastly, SHR has dominated here recently and could very well do so again.

    #19 Carl Edwards, Arris Toyota for $9,700 (Qualed 13th): Although without a win here at Darlington, this is a very good track historically for Carl in 11 career races:  Two 2nd place finishes, three top 5s, seven Top 10s along with good peripherals: Average finish of 13.1  (9th); Average Running Position of 13.7 (11th); and a Driver Rating of 91.0 (12th). With a starting spot in the 7th row, its hard to no go with at least one JGR driver until their recent dominance slows down.

    Medium-High: $8,300 to $9,300

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    #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Valvoline Chevrolet for $8,300 (Qualed 26th): Junior finished 2nd here last year and owns a 11.4 average running position at Darlington which is 7th best among today’s drivers. His practice speeds (12th and 15th best) show the #88 has a competitive car. Frankly, the 26th starting position to too good to pass up on any power team, especially a Chevy at this race track.

    Honorable Mention: #48 Jimmie Johnson, Lowe’s Chevrolet for $9,300 (Qualed 19th): This is one of Johnson’s better tracks, owning three wins, nine Top 5s, and 12 Top 10s. The #48 has been quick, albeit not spectacular, this weekend as shown by finishing in the teens in each of the sessions. The 19th spot is advantageous fantasy-wise and with JJ already locked into the Chase look for him and his crew chief to possibly gamble to get another valuable win that will help in Chase elimination rounds.

    Next: Medium-Low Priced Drivers - $7,500 to $8,200

    Medium-Low: $7,500 to $8,200

    #3 Austin Dillon, American Ethanol Chevrolet for $7,500 (Qualed 29th): The talented Austin Dillon has a respectable 20.0 average finish in his rookie Cup season. He also finished an excellent 11th in his Darlington Cup debut in the 2014 Southern 500. Plus, the #3 showed speed in Friday’s practices, highlighted by a 5th in the second session.

    Honorable Mention: #14 Tony Stewart, Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for $8,000 (Qualed 17th): Stewart has had impressive finishes in his last 4 races here: 9th, 15th, 3rd, and 7th and his 10.9 average finish is 5th best. Stewart demonstrated speed most of the weekend with a 3rd in the first practice and a decent qualifying run. He has been racing better lately and could rekindle some of his old magic and make a run at the checkered flag and the Chase.

    Next: Low Priced Drivers - $7,400 and below

    Low: $7,400 and below

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    • #16 Greg Biffle, Ortho Ford Fusion for $7,400 (Qualed 24th): Biffle has 2 wins here and needs a win to get into the Chase. His 12.8 average finish here is 8th among active drivers and includes a 5th at Darlington last year. His 24th starting spot gives him a good fantasy advantage plus his 1st and 2nd times in the first two practice sessions demonstrates his speed and ability to move up in the field today.

    #35 Cole Whitt, Speed Stick Ford for $5,800 (Qualed 37th): Whitt has a 27.4 average finish in 2015 which makes his 37th qualifying position look lucrative. A consistent driver, his 18.4 DK FPPG this year is well above the rest of the low-priced racers. At a decent value of $5,800, you can reasonable expect 30+ FP or more if he runs a clean race.

    Not just a Fantasy NASCAR Player? SEE OUR Fantasy Football Coverage: 12-Team PPR Mock Draft

    Please participate in my poll question and make your comments below!

    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: Bogangles' Southern 500 Fantasy Analysis and Early Picks