NASCAR Fantasy 2015: Bojangles' Southern 500 Top Drivers and Sleeper Picks
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Darlington, South Carolina, this week for the Bojangles’ Southern 500.
NASCAR will try to bring back an old-school feel to the race Sunday night at this historical track. Many retro paint schemes will be displayed, and the rules package used at Kentucky will be used again this week. The Labor Day weekend race is setting up to be one of the season's best races.
The Sunday night race theme will be tires. Goodyear is bringing a tire that wears out quickly, so teams will have to pit every chance they get. The driver who can manage their tires will be the favorite to win the race. Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon should benefit from this style of racing.
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Kevin Harvick dominated the race at Darlington in 2014. He won the pole and led 238 of the 374 laps on his way to Victory Lane. His 144 points in the DraftKings contest were 66.5 more than Jimmie Johnson, who scored 77.5 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle also scored well in the DraftKings contest in 2014.
Here are the top 10 drivers with the highest point totals from the last Darlington race from ifantasyrace.com.
| Pos. | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 144 |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 77.5 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 76.75 |
| 4 | Matt Kenseth | 69 |
| 5 | Greg Biffle | 59.25 |
| 6 | Tony Stewart | 49 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 47.5 |
| 8 | Austin Dillon | 44.5 |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 43 |
| 10 | Casey Mears | 39.5 |
The best strategy for your DraftKings contest this week is to select two drivers who start the race upfront with a good chance to lead many laps and fill the rest of your team with drivers who can move through the field. This strategy will give your team the best chance to score bonus points for leading laps and position differential in the race.
Top Drivers
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($10,200)
Kenseth has been one of the best drivers at Darlington since he joined Joe Gibbs Racing. In his two races at the track he has finished first and fourth and had the third-best driver rating. Kenseth is one of the best drivers at managing his tires. He will have one of the cars to beat Sunday night.
It is unusual to call a driver priced at over $10,000 a great value, but that is the case for Kenseth this week. He is the fourth-highest-priced driver in the contest, but he will have a great chance to win the race. He has been the best driver in the series the last month, and he should be the highest-priced driver in the DraftKings contest.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 1 | 30 | 10 | 21.0 | 16.0 |
Joe Gibbs Racing has been the team to beat this summer, and Kenseth has been their hottest driver lately. He won two of the last four races in the series, and another win Sunday night would tie him for the most bonus points heading into the Chase.
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($10,600)
There has not been a better driver than Busch at Darlington in the last three races. He has finished all three races in the top six and led 309 laps. Busch is a good pick to lead laps since he has led laps in six of the track's last seven races. Expect the field to be chasing the No. 18 car around the track Sunday night.
If fantasy teams want to use Busch this week, they will have to pay for him. Busch is the highest-priced driver in the game. If he is able to lead the majority of the laps, he will be well worth the money. Using Busch will be risky this week, but he scored the most points in the DraftKings contest the last time the series used this rules package at Kentucky.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 1 | 2 | 6 | 16.0 | 13.6 |
Busch won the race at Darlington in 2008, and he would love to add another Southern 500 trophy to his collection. It is hard to believe after missing 11 races that a win would guarantee him the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs.
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevy ($10,500)
Harvick will be the safest pick in the field this week. He has consistently run upfront all season, and he dominated this race last year. Harvick has finished 15 of the 24 races this season in the top three. He should easily finish in the top three Sunday night.
Usually Harvick is the highest-priced driver in the DraftKings contest, but that is not the case this week. He only fell to No. 2 on the price list, but he will be a steal if he can duplicate his 144 points scored in the contest at Darlington last season. Harvick is well worth the investment this week.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 1 | 4 | 7 | 16.3 | 17.0 |
Harvick's only downfall in 2015 is that he has had a hard time turning the races he dominates into wins. In Daily Fantasy Sports it does not matter if a driver wins or not. If Harvick can lead the most laps and finish in the top three, he will be the best investment in this week's contest.
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy ($9,300)
It is hard to tell which team will show up this week for Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 car. When Johnson is on his game, he is unbeatable at Darlington. The team has struggled to keep up with the Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske drivers this summer. The extra week to prepare should provide Johnson the time he needs to get prepared for the Chase.
It is not often fantasy teams are able to select Johnson for under $9,500. He has the second-most wins at Darlington, but he is the ninth-highest-priced driver in the field. Johnson is a great value pick this week, and his ownership should be high in Sunday night’s contest.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 3 | 9 | 12 | 12.7 | 8.4 |
Johnson has three wins and finished 12 of his 16 races at Darlington in the top 10. Make sure to use Johnson for your contest if he runs fast laps in Happy Hour practice Friday. If he does, he could be the driver who dominates the race Sunday night.
Sleepers
Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford ($7,400)
Biffle is an old-school driver, and Darlington is an old-school type of track. He is one of the best in the business at managing his tires. Biffle could have the best race of his 2015 season Sunday night.
Biffle has two wins and nine finishes in the top 13 at Darlington. Last year he started 19th and finished fifth. I expect the same type of race from Biffle this week.
When fantasy teams can get a driver who has the third-most wins at the track for only $7,400, they have to take him. Biffle is not a good pick at many tracks, but Darlington is an exception to the rule. Last year he scored the fifth-most points in the DraftKings contest, and I would not be surprised to see him do it again in this race.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 2 | 3 | 6 | 10.1 | 13.2 |
What makes Biffle such a good selection for your DraftKings contest this week is his inability to qualify upfront. Biffle usually makes his way through the field at the end of the race. By qualifying in the back and finishing upfront, Biffle will earn fantasy teams the maximum amount of bonus points in the race.
Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy ($7,500)
Dillon has finally started to figure out how to compete with the best in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has finished four of the last six races in the top 13. He is also pretty good at Darlington. Last year he started 20th and finished 11th. Dillon should finish in the top 15 Sunday night.
There are 19 drivers in the DraftKings contest this week with a higher price than Dillon. He should be able to outscore at least five of them. Dillon is worth his price this week as a fourth or fifth driver for your contest.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 11.0 |
Dillon is too far back in the points standings to make the Chase without a win. His crew chief, Slugger Labbe, knows what it takes to gamble to get his driver a win. The No. 3 team will be swinging for the fences this week to get to Victory Lane.
Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy ($7,800)
Newman has been a model of consistency at Darlington. He has finished eight of the last 10 races at the track in the top 10. Although he has never won at "The Track too Tough to Tame," he has seven top-five finishes. He is a safe pick for your contest this week.
DraftKings continue to undervalue Newman in its contest. He is averaging the 11th-most points per race (23.0), but he is the 18th-highest-priced driver. Newman should be on every team at the price of $7,800.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 7 | 11 | 8.7 | 12.1 |
Newman should be safe at making his way into the Chase on points, but a win never hurts. He is one of the best drivers for the DraftKings contest because he has been qualifying near the top 20 and finishing inside the top 10. Newman will earn many points for your DraftKings contest this week.
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy ($6,600)
Elliott will be in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 25 car this week. Although he has never competed in the Sprint Cup Series, his one start in the Xfinity Series was almost perfect. Elliott started on the front row and led 52 laps on his way to Victory Lane. He has the talent to finish in the top 20 this week.
Elliott is a great choice for your contest if fantasy teams want to save money to select the higher-priced drivers. He is the 30th-highest-priced driver in the contest, and he will have a good shot at a top-20 finish. It would be wise to save some money and select Elliott for this race.
| Wins | Top Five's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A |
Darlington is one of the hardest tracks on rookies, but Elliott is not your average rookie. His father was one of the track's best drivers, and I am sure he will receive many tips from his dad and Jeff Gordon before the race. I am expecting a good run from the No. 25 team Sunday night.
DraftKings' Picks for Darlington
Driver 1: Kevin Harvick ($10,500)
Driver 2: Kyle Busch ($10,600)
Driver 3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (($8,300)
Driver 4: Ryan Newman ($7,800)
Driver 5: Greg Biffle ($7,400)
Driver 6: Landon Cassill ($5,300)
Advanced stats courtesy Racing-Reference.Info.
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