NASCAR Fantasy 2015: Crown Royal 400 Top Drivers and Sleeper Picks
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Speedway, Indiana, this week for the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a 2.5-mile oval track with very flat corners. It was not made for stock cars, so teams must constantly work on their cars to ensure they get the most speed down the front and backstretches. Teams will showcase their best cars this week. Winning the trophy at the Brickyard is important to every car owner.
NASCAR will debut a new rules package this week. The series had a lot of success with the changes made to the cars at Kentucky and will try to do the same this week. The cars will have more downforce with a larger spoiler. Speeds for the race Sunday are expected to be 10 mph slower than last season. The goal is to have the slower speeds create more passing in a race that has been boring in the past.
The two teams to watch this week are Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. They are the two top teams in the sport, and a win at the Brickyard usually translates into success in the Chase. After Hendrick Motorsports dominated the first half of the season, Joe Gibbs Racing has caught up. Any of the drivers from these two teams will be excellent picks for your DraftKings contest.
The best strategy for the Brickyard will be to select drivers who start the race in the middle of the pack with a good chance to make their way to the front. DraftKings awards one point for every position a driver improves from their starting spot and one point for every four cars a driver passes in the race. It will be important to get these bonus points to put your team in the money in your contest Sunday.
Top Drivers
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy ($11,000)
This is the week to consider Gordon for your DraftKings contest. Gordon does not only have the best stats in the field this week; his stats at the Brickyard are comparable to any driver who has ever competed at the historic track.
Gordon has a series-best driver rating and the second-best average finish at Indianapolis. He has five wins and 17 finishes in the top 10 in his 21 career starts. Last year, he started on the front row and led 40 laps on his way to Victory Lane. The stats suggest Gordon should be a popular pick this week in DraftKings contest.
Spending $11,000 for Gordon would not be bad. There are nine drivers with a higher price than Gordon, and he is as close as it comes to a lock for a top-10 finish Sunday.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 5 | 12 | 17 | 11.8 | 8.4 |
If Hendrick Motorsports has a stallion in its stable, you have to think Gordon will be riding it this week. He needs a win to help him make the Chase, and his team should do everything possible to ensure it happens at Gordon’s best track. This is his final race at the Brickyard, and you would think Gordon would be motivated to add a sixth Indianapolis trophy to his collection.
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy ($12,400)
Johnson is either very good or very bad in the races at the Brickyard. He has five finishes in the top two and four finishes outside the top 20 at the track.
Johnson has not been running very well recently, but don't worry about it. He already has four wins, and his place in the Chase is secure. This is a big race for the series, and Johnson will be motivated to add a fifth win at the Brickyard to his already legendary resume.
The only problem with Johnson this week is his price. He is the second-highest priced driver in the field, and it is hard to build a solid team when you spend so much for one driver. Check the practice speeds Friday and see where Johnson qualifies Saturday. If he has a fast car, make sure he is one of the drivers for your contest.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 12.5 | 15.5 |
In order to gauge how a driver will perform at Indianapolis, the stats from Pocono can be used. Johnson ran well earlier this season at Pocono. He had a flat tire and dropped to the back of the field. Johnson overcame the problem and rallied to a third-place finish.
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($11,800)
There is no driver in the field that is hotter than Busch right now. He has won three of the last four races and is one of the only elite drivers who is still racing for points. Busch is the best choice in the field this week.
Busch is very good at Indianapolis. He has finished five races in a row in the top 10. Last season, Busch qualified 12th and finished second. It was his second runner-up finish in the last three races. As well as he has been running lately, Busch should be able to turn those second-place finishes into a trip to Victory Lane on Sunday.
The price for Busch keeps increasing each week for DraftKings contests. Busch will be a bargain at $11,800 as long as he keeps winning races. He is the perfect pick for your top driver to build your team around this week.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 3 | 8 | 20.0 | 10.6 |
Busch is one of the safest picks Sunday. He has finished eight of his 10 races at the track in the top 10. He needs the points to make the Chase, so the No. 18 team will do everything it can to ensure Busch scores another top finish in the race.
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Racing ($11,300)
The Brickyard was never one of Kenseth's best tracks until he joined Joe Gibbs Racing. His average finish while driving for Roush-Fenway Racing was 15.8. In his two starts with his current team, his average finish position is 4.5. He will be a front-runner this week.
Kenseth has the third-best average finish position and the sixth-best driver rating in the last two races at the Brickyard. He also has four consecutive top-six finishes in the downforce races this season.
Kenseth is priced just about right this week at $11,300. There are better bargains in the contest, but it will be hard to find a driver as consistent as Kenseth. Fantasy teams can feel confident that paying a high price for him will translate into a good finish Sunday.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 7 | 9 | 18.8 | 14.3 |
Joe Gibbs Racing is the team to beat right now. All of its drivers have run well the last two weeks, and it should not change at Indianapolis. Kenseth should be able to add another top-five finish to his Brickyard resume.
Sleepers
Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy ($9,300)
Newman has been very good at his home track. He has the fourth-best driver rating and the fourth-best average finish position in the last two seasons at the Brickyard. Newman has finished two of the last three races at the track in second place. He knows how to get around the tricky track at Indianapolis.
Newman is a steal this week at $9,300. Rarely can you find a driver with his success at a track for under $10,000. Newman will be a great pick to build your team around. His consistency makes him a very safe pick for your DraftKings contest.
| Win | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 7.1 | 17.2 |
The only problem with Newman is that he does not win races. Winning your fantasy contest this week is not about having six drivers who have a chance to win the race. It is important to have six drivers with a good chance to finish in the top 10. Newman is one of those drivers this week.
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy ($10,100)
Kahne is one of the best choices in the DraftKings contest this week. He has a series-best driver ranking and the second-best average finish in the last two races at the Brickyard. Last year, Kahne qualified 10th and led the most laps in the race on his way to a sixth-place finish.
Kahne is underpriced at $10,100. Hendrick Motorsports will bring four fast cars to the track this week, and each of its drivers should be able to finish in the top 10. There are 12 drivers with a higher price than Kahne, but only a few of them will finish the race better than the No. 5 car.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 3 | 6 | 8.6 | 13.5 |
This could be the week Kahne finds his way to Victory Lane and secures his spot in the Chase. He has a habit of waiting until the summer to score his first win of the season. Do not be surprised to see him kissing the bricks after the race Sunday.
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevy ($9,000)
This is going to be a very controversial pick. Stewart has looked awful this season, and there are no signs the No. 14 team will turn its season around anytime soon. But looks can be deceiving.
It is hard to find a driver with as good of stats at the Brickyard as Stewart. He has two wins and finished 11 of his 16 races in the top 10. Stewart knows how to get around this track, and the new rules package should help him get back to being Smoke.
DraftKings must agree that Stewart is a good sleeper pick this week because he is overpriced at $9,000. He is currently 26th in the point standings and should be priced in the $8,900 to $8,000 range. If Stewart looks fast in Happy Hour practice, it will be worth gambling with him for your contest. Very few teams will own him.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 2 | 7 | 11 | 15.3 | 8.5 |
Stewart is an Indiana native and usually runs well at his home track. He is off to his worst start of his career, but a trip back home may be what he needs to get back on track.
Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevy ($9,600)
McMurray has won this race before and usually runs well in the big races on the NASCAR schedule. He probably will not win the race, but he will have a good chance for a top-10 finish. McMurray has completed five of his 12 starts at the track in the top 10.
The secret to winning your DraftKings contest is to find value from the mid-priced drivers. McMurray is that driver this week. He has enough upside where his price makes him a sleeper pick. McMurray also has the consistency at the Brickyard to know you are getting a quality driver. He is the type of driver you want for your contest Sunday.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 16.3 | 14.6 |
McMurray currently has the most points of any driver without a win. Although he could probably make the Chase on points, a win would go a long way in giving the No. 1 team momentum for the Chase. Do not be surprised to see the No. 1 team gamble in the pits to get to the front this week.
DraftKings Picks for Indianapolis
Driver 1: Kyle Busch ($11,800)
Driver 2: Jeff Gordon ($11,000)
Driver 3: Kasey Kahne (($10,100)
Driver 4: Ryan Newman ($9,300)
Driver 5: Aric Almirola ($7,800)
Advanced stats courtesy Racing-Reference.Info.
If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR
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