Daily Fantasy 2015 NASCAR: Drivers Who Lead the Most Laps

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Daily fantasy is quickly becoming very popular with NASCAR fans, as DraftKings included the sport in their list of contests. The days of playing Fox Fantasy Racing, Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing or Fantasy Live on nascar.com for fun may soon becoming memories for some NASCAR fans. DraftKings allows fantasy players to compete for real money, and the beauty of it all is that it is perfectly legal. 

Know the Rules

The secret to winning your NASCAR contest in DraftKings is to understand the rules. Fantasy teams are awarded points for the position each driver finishes the race. The higher the driver finishes, the more points they will score. Drivers who win the race are awarded 46 points, and drivers who finish last earn one point.

Bonus points are awarded for place differential (how much higher the driver finishes, from where he or she started); pass differential (how many cars the driver passes in the race), fastest laps in the race and number of laps led.

This article explains the importance of selecting drivers who lead laps in each race. While a driver could earn points for gaining positions throughout the race, the most bonus points will be earned by the driver who leads the most laps.

DraftKings awards one point for every four laps led. The shorter tracks have more laps, so it will be important to try to find the drivers who lead the most laps in these races. This strategy will earn your team maximum points and the ability to win your contest.

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There are four types of tacks on the NASCAR schedule: superspeedways, road courses, intermediate tracks and short tracks. The races on the superspeedways and the road courses do not have many laps due to the size of the tracks. Selecting drivers who lead laps will not be as important on these types of tracks.  Finding the drivers who lead laps on the intermediate- and short-track races will help you win your contest. These races usually have 200 or more laps and more bonus points available for your fantasy team.

Intermediate Tracks

There are 11 intermediate tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule: Atlanta, Auto Club, Charlotte, Chicago, Darlington, Homestead, Kansas, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Michigan and Texas. It will be important to know which drivers run up front at these tracks to maximize bonus points for leading laps.  

Five drivers have consistently led laps in the seven races on the intermediate track this season. Kevin Harvick leads all drivers with 530 laps led. Martin Truex Jr. has led the most laps in the last three races on these tracks (Kansas, Charlotte and Michigan). Kurt Busch has not competed in every race, but he has the second-most laps led on this type of track. Jimmie Johnson has won the most races on the intermediate tracks and led 275 laps. Joey Logano has qualified up front and led many laps early in many of the races. These five drivers are the best selections for your team on the intermediate tracks.

There are four other drivers who have the ability to lead many laps in the races on intermediate tracks. Denny Hamlin led 56 laps at Auto Club and 53 laps at Charlotte. Matt Kenseth led 43 laps at Auto Club and 26 at Charlotte. Brad Keselowski led 43 laps at Kansas. Carl Edwards led 41 laps at Michigan. It would be a good strategy to incorporate one or two of these drivers in your lineup when the series competes on the intermediate tracks.

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Short Tracks

There are six short tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule: Bristol, Dover, Martinsville, New Hampshire and Phoenix. These tracks are where your drivers can earn the most points for leading laps. These tracks usually have 400 or more laps in the race, so fantasy teams will be able to score many bonus points for leading laps.

Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch have dominated the races on the short tracks this season. Harvick has a series-best 564 laps led, while Busch has 410 laps led. The two Stewart-Haas Racing drivers should be considered for your team each time the series competes at the short tracks.

Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin have also had success at the short tracks. Logano led 108 laps at Martinsville and 94 laps at Richmond and Hamlin led 91 laps at Martinsville. Both of these drivers would be great selections for your DraftKings contest when the series competes on the short tracks.

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Strategy

Selecting drivers who may lead the most laps is not the best strategy when the series races on the superspeedways and the road courses, but knowing who to select for the intermediate and short tracks will win you your contest.

Bonus points for leading laps add up quickly on the shorter tracks. Make sure you use the drivers listed above, and it could be money in your pocket.

Advanced stats courtesy Racing-Reference.Info

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