DraftKings and FanDuel NASCAR Picks: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

LOUDON, NH – JULY 20: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 20, 2018 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Welcome to our weekly NASCAR series that previews our top targets on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Each article will focus on analyzing the current races potential dominators and place differential drivers. The beauty of NASCAR is that unlike any other fantasy sport there are multiple ways and methods to construct a winning lineup.

With that being said there are two main ways to accumulate points in your DraftKings or FanDuel NASCAR picks besides picking straight winners. First there are dominators, these are drivers who are expected to rack up points by leading laps. Secondly, there are place differential plays where drivers receive a +/- of points based on their finishing place compared to their qualifying position. DraftKings offers additional scoring for fast laps and FanDuel offers additional scoring for laps finished. The New Hampshire Motor Speedway has shown that a good balance of both of these plays is best when constructing a winning lineup. Some things to look out for before race time is past history at the racetrack. With this particular race we have 2017 results from the Summer and Fall to analyze. You also want to monitor practice times and check for any drivers who have to move to the rear for post-qualification failures. Follow and reach out to me on Twitter @SteveZimkouski or @GhostDFSpicks for the most up to date NASCAR and DFS news, now without further ado let’s get to the picks.

Dominator Plays

Kyle Busch – DraftKings $11,600/FanDuel $12,500

Qualifying Position: 3rd

2017 Summer Finish: 12th

2017 Fall Finish: 1st

Kyle Busch led 95 laps at this race last summer and 187 laps in the fall. As always Rowdy is a prime dominator to target at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch also posted the fastest speed in Fridays practice so the speed this weekend should not be an issue. Feel free to lock Busch in both cash and GPP lineups on both platforms.

Martin Truex Jr – DraftKings $11,300/FanDuel $12,700

Qualifying Position: 2nd

2017 Summer Finish: 3rd

2017 Fall Finish: 5th

Yes, I know that Martin Truex Jr didn’t win a race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway last year but he did lead a whopping 249 laps between the two races. Last week he led 174 laps at the Kentucky Speedway so the early season doubts about his speed can be put to rest. If you fade Busch then Truex is your guy as a top dominator in lineups this weekend.

Denny Hamlin – DraftKings $10,000/FanDuel $11,500

Qualifying Position: 4th

2017 Summer Finish: 1st

2017 Fall Finish: 12th

Denny Hamlin led 54 laps in this race last summer en route to celebrating in victory lane. He showed some good speed at practice on Friday and it’s worth monitoring his practice times on Saturday as well. If Hamlin can show top 5 speed he has a chance to shock people and end up in victory lane this summer in New Hampshire again.

LOUDON, NH – JULY 20: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #6 Constantine Sealing Service Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 20, 2018 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

Place Differential Plays

Kevin Harvick – DraftKings $11,000/FanDuel $12,300

Qualifying Position: 14th

2017 Summer Finish: 5th

2017 Fall Finish: 36th

Kevin Harvick is a somewhat untraditional recommendation as a place differential play. Mostly because he’s one of the most expensive drivers and not starting in the rear of the field. The thing with Harvick is if you’ve followed NASCAR at all this year than you know that he’s had far and above the best car. Barring a wreck he seems poised for a top 5 finish and could easily win this race while also giving you dominator points.

Kyle Larson – DraftKings $9,900/FanDuel $11,000

Qualifying Position: 20th

2017 Summer Finish: 2nd

2017 Fall Finish: 2nd

Kyle Larson finished runner up in both the summer and fall races at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2017. Larson qualified 18th last week but had to start from the rear because of missing driver introductions and still managed to finish 9th. There probably isn’t a better driver at running from the back to the front. Larson makes for a safe cash play as he should find his way towards the front by the last lap.

Joey Logano – DraftKings $9,400/FanDuel $10,200

Qualifying Position: 19th

2017 Summer Finish: 37th

2017 Fall Finish: 10th

Joey Logano will return to his home track where he had mixed results last year. Look at Logano as a pivot off the other drivers in this price tier. Logano while he hasn’t shown the speed this year to be a consistent top 5 car, a top 10 finish wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to pull off. Just don’t expect many laps led if you do decide to fire him up.

Matt Kenseth – DraftKings $6,800/FanDuel $8,600

Qualifying Position: 31st

2017 Summer Finish: 4th

2017 Fall Finish: 3rd

Matt Kenseth finished in the top 5 twice last season at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Yes, I get this isn’t 2017 and the situation and car is a lot different this go around. With that being said one of the most underrated aspects of NASCAR is experience. Kenseth knows how to finish up front in New Hampshire. Will he finish top 10? Probably not, but don’t be shocked if Kenseth is on the lead lap when the checkered flag goes up.

LOUDON, NH – JULY 20: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, poses with the Busch Pole Award after posting the fastest lap during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 20, 2018 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

Value Plays

Michael McDowell – DraftKings $5,200/FanDuel $6,400

Qualifying Position: 29th

2017 Summer Finish: 26th

2017 Fall Finish: 23rd

Michael McDowell has become one of the most consistent NASCAR value plays this season especially when he has an underwhelming qualifying position. To put this into perspective the last time McDowell finished worst than 29th was at the Geico 500 on April 29th. Ride the consistency as he should provide positive place differential points.

More from FanSided

David Ragan – DraftKings $5,400/FanDuel $6,000

Qualifying Position: 30th

2017 Summer Finish: 29th

2017 Fall Finish: 29th

David Ragan fits a similar mold as McDowell as when he has qualified poorly he usually provides some nice salary relief and can hit 5x value. With that being said it is a little alarming that he finished 29th in both of the New Hampshire races last year. Ragan is coming off a 15th and 18th place finish in his past 2 races, he is just too good of a bargain at this price to pass up even with his recent bad track history here.

Fades

Kurt Busch – DraftKings $8,500/FanDuel $9,600

Qualifying Position: 1st

2017 Summer Finish: 8th

2017 Fall Finish: 37th

Kurt Busch is tempting as a pole sitter at a pretty reasonable price on both platforms. I just think theres too much speed directly behind him in Truex and his brother Kyle Busch. It’s hard to imagine Kurt leading a lot of laps and at his price you really need him to lead some laps to hit value. It is reasonable to expect a top 10 for Kurt but this is the type of week I think you want to load up on 2 of the big 3 drivers.

Jimmie Johnson – DraftKings $8,700/FanDuel $9,200

Qualifying Position: 21st

2017 Summer Finish: 10th

2017 Fall Finish: 14th

Jimmie Johnson may seem tempting with two top 15 finishes in New Hampshire last year and a qualifying position of 21st, but the reality is Jimmie hasn’t been very good this year. Especially on DraftKings where he is averaging just 37 fantasy points per race. Unless Jimmie qualifies in the back of the pack moving forward he is not worth considering in cash games until he can show some speed again.

Paul Menard – DraftKings $6,600/FanDuel $7,700

Qualifying Position: 12th

2017 Summer Finish: 22nd

2017 Fall Finish: 20th

Paul Menard seems almost too cheap to fade and that’s why you have to fade him. He will most likely run in the 20s and return a negative place differential. Outside of deep GPPs he is worth a full fade as a guy who is projected as one of the lowest per dollar values of the weekend.

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