We try to help you separate the gems from the duds as the NASCAR Cup Series drivers go night racing at Kansas Speedway for the KC Masterpiece 400.
It’s time to fire up those engines again for some DraftKings fantasy NASCAR action. We don’t even have to wait until Sunday this week, as the KC Masterpiece 400 is ready to take over Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.
There’s two things that make this race a little tricky for picking drivers. The first is that this race hasn’t existed all that long: It dates back to only 2011, and it’s only been run at night since 2014. The inaugural nighttime winner was Jeff Gordon, now retired, but the last three winners — Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. — are in the field this weekend. Alas, only two of them figure to be potentially fighting for a win.
It’s also been a little bit since the Cup Series was at an intermediate track, as the last one was in early April at Texas. Kyle Busch won that race, the first of three straight victories.
Of course, a certain No. 4 Ford driver has reclaimed his spot as the king since then, and he’s starting on the pole tonight, so a big part of your job is going to be deciding if you’re going to build around him or try to counter him. Let’s find out!
Important note: Taking the lead from other FanSided.com DFS writers, we’re not going to give you a copy/paste lineup, though we will give you a sample lineup with picks that we feel good about that fits under the price cap.
Premium drivers (salary above $9,000)
Kevin Harvick ($11,700) – If you’re looking for reasons to avoid him, other than his premium price tag, it’s going to be a search. Harvick won Dover and has four wins on the season. He’s starting on the pole for the KC Masterpiece 400, and his last four finishes in this race are dynamite: 2, 2, 2, 3. Barring mechanical issues or pit road penalties or something, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t contend for the victory.
Kyle Busch ($11,200) – You probably can’t afford Happy and Rowdy, but an anti-Harvick lineup probably starts here. Busch came in fifth and first here the last two years, and was injured the year before that. More importantly, he’s been the one guy who looks like he can out-run Harvick on intermediate tracks this season.
Brad Keselowski ($9,700) – Brad K.’s performance at Kansas hasn’t been super exciting over the years, but if you can afford two guys from this tier, he’s not a bad option as he’s never finished worse than 13th and he was runner-up in 2017.
Jimmie Johnson ($9,300) – How much do you feel like gambling? Seven-time’s average finish here the last two years was worse than 20th, and that was while he was still Jimmie Johnson. But he does have a win here, and his starting position (23rd) figures to give him plenty of upside potential. You’re definitely taking a risk, though, considering how he’s run this season.