NASCAR Fantasy 2015: Bank of America 500 Top Drivers and Sleeper Picks
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Concord, North Carolina, this week for the Bank of America 500.
The best way to assemble a dominating DraftKings lineup is to select the perfect combination of top drivers and sleeper picks. A sleeper pick is any driver priced at or less than $8,000 who has a legitimate chance of finishing in the top 10. The favorites are the drivers who are in the Chase. Fantasy teams that can find the perfect sleeper pick will take home the cash.
The first round of the Chase is in the books, and as always there was a major upset. Jimmie Johnson had a mechanical issue at Dover and as a result failed to advance to the contender round of the Chase. What does this mean for your fantasy team? The No. 48 team will probably show up at Charlotte looking to prove it can still a dominate Johnson has seven wins at the track.
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Fantasy teams must consider which drivers have something to race for this week and which do not. The 12 drivers competing in the Chase (Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman) will be the best selections for your contest this week.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competed at Charlotte last May. Truex Jr. (led 131 laps) and Kurt Busch (led 118 laps) dominated, but both drivers came up short on fuel. Edwards was able to save fuel and make his way to Victory Lane in the 600-mile marathon.
Here are the top 10 drivers with the highest point totals from the last race at Charlotte from IFantasyRace.com.
| Pos. | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 107.75 |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | 98 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 65.25 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 64 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 59 |
| 6 | Kasey Kahne | 57.5 |
| 7 | Carl Edwards | 56.75 |
| 8 | Matt Kenseth | 53.5 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | 51 |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 47.2 |
The strategy for your DraftKings contest this week is to select two drivers who start up front with a good chance to lead many laps and three drivers who can score bonus points for place differential. There are 334 laps and 83.5 bonus points available in the DraftKings contest on Saturday. Fantasy teams that can select the drivers who lead laps and three drivers who can improve their position in the race will win the money.
Top Drivers
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevy ($11,400)
Harvick will have a lot of momentum going into the race. He put on one of the most dominating performances of the season at Dover. The No. 4 team was in a must-win situation and was not going to be denied. It would not be a surprise to see Harvick put the same effort into the race this week so the team is not in a similar situation heading into the last race of the contender round at Talladega.
Harvick has the best stats at Charlotte in the recent races. He has a series-best average finishing position and a series-best driver rating in the last five races at the track. Harvick has finished 13 of the 19 races on intermediate tracks in the top five. The No. 4 will be the car to beat Saturday night.
He is the highest-priced driver in DraftKings this week and rightfully so. Last week Harvick scored more than 200 points in the DraftKings contest, and it was almost impossible to cash in without him in your lineup. He is always one of the highest-priced drivers and continues to return value for your contest. It may be hard to cash in this week without the No. 4 car in your lineup.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 3 | 5 | 15 | 17.1 | 15.5 |
It has been a long time since fans have seen a driver dominate the intermediate tracks the way Harvick has this season. He has finished seven of the races in the top two. The only thing that will stop him from finishing in the top five this week would be a mechanical issue or running out of fuel, but the team has learned from its mistakes earlier in the season.
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($10,300)
Kenseth is the hottest driver in the sport right now. He has won three races so far this season on the intermediate tracks. He has also finished eight of the 19 races on similar tracks in the top five. He is one of the safest picks for your contest this week.
Kenseth won the pole for the last race at Charlotte. He led the first 26 laps and finished in the top five. It was his third top-five finish in his last four races at the track. The No. 20 team is running better now than it was in May. I expect Kenseth to be one of the drivers racing for the win Saturday night.
Kenseth is the third-highest-priced driver, but he is significantly cheaper than Harvick. If you do not plan on using Harvick in your contest, Kenseth would be a great driver to build your team around. He may not lead as many laps, but he is a sure bet to finish up front.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 2 | 10 | 17 | 16.8 | 13.3 |
This race has a history of coming down to who can save the most fuel. If that is the case, Kenseth will be one of the drivers to beat. He did an excellent job of saving fuel in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and beat Harvick at New Hampshire on a fuel-mileage race. Kenseth is cool under pressure and knows how to get the job done when a victory is in his sights.
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($10,600)
The last race at Charlotte was the first race for Busch after suffering a leg injury at Daytona. It was also the longest and most grueling race of the season. He did an awesome job of keeping his car up front but finished 11th because his car ran out of fuel.
Busch is one of the best drivers at Charlotte. He has the fifth-best driver rating and led 110 laps in the last five races at the track. Last year he won the pole and finished fifth at Charlotte. His performances in the No. 18 car this season are much better than they were in 2014. Expect Busch to finish in the top five Saturday night.
Busch is the second-highest priced driver in the DraftKings contest this week. While some drivers may have more value than him, if he qualifies up front and runs fast laps in Happy Hour, he will be a must-have driver for your contest.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 10 | 14 | 13.6 | 14.9 |
Busch has cooled off some since he won four out of five races during the summer, but that does not mean he is a bad selection for your contest. He had a second-place finish at Richmond last month and a second-place finish last week at Dover. I would not be surprised to see him back in Victory Lane at Charlotte.
Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($9,300)
Edwards won the last race at Charlotte by saving fuel and could do it again Saturday night. He has a history of running well at this track. He has the second-best average finish position and has finished four consecutive races in the top 10 at the track. Edwards should easily add another top-10 finish to his Charlotte resume Saturday night.
Edwards has shown a lot of speed on the intermediate tracks this season. He has won three poles and finished 14 of the 19 races in the top 10. He usually starts up front, leads 20-40 laps and then fades to just outside the top five. If that is how he performs this week, he will be worth a selection for your contest.
Whenever you can get the defending race winner who is driving for the hottest team in the sport for only $9,300, you have to take him. Edwards is the 10th-highest-priced driver this week, and I doubt there are nine drivers who will finish ahead of him Saturday night. He is a great value pick for your contest.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 1 | 7 | 14 | 16.9 | 10.7 |
Edwards is one of the drivers left in the Chase who is looking to win his first championship. He lost the championship to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker in 2011. Edwards looks as motivated as I have seen him since that season to lift the championship trophy at Homestead Speedway.
Sleepers
Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy ($7,000)
Newman is always a popular pick in DraftKings because of his cheap price. He continues to run up front and advance in each round of the Chase. It would not surprise me to see him collect top-10 finishes and make his way back to the Championship Round in Miami.
Newman has run well this season on the intermediate tracks. He has finished nine of the 19 races in the top 10 and has an average finishing position of 12.8. Newman usually qualifies in the top 20 and makes his way to the front at the end of the race. That is what I expect him to do Saturday night.
He is always underpriced in DraftKings. Maybe it is because he is not one of the most popular drivers in the sport, but whatever the reason, fantasy players need to take advantage and add him to their lineup.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 4 | 12 | 8.6 | 18.1 |
Newman is not the type of driver who will help you win your contest this week. He will not score many points for leading laps and will only score a handful of bonus points for place differential. What makes Newman such a good pick is his ability to keep his car in one piece and finish the race. He is one of the safest picks for your contest this week.
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy ($8,000)
Charlotte Motor Speedway is the best track for Kahne. He has the second-best driver rating and the third-best average finish position in the last five races at the track. Four of his 17 career wins have come at Charlotte. He finished 12th in the May race and should be able to add a top-10 finish to his Charlotte resume Saturday night.
Kahne has had his best performances on the intermediate tracks this season. He has eight finishes in the top 10, and five of them have come at tracks similar to Charlotte. If you select your drivers based on their stats at a track, Kahne is your driver this week.
It is hard to believe that a driver with four wins and 1,106 laps led at a track is only $8,000. Kahne should be selected for every contest at this price. It has been a while since I have seen a driver with more value than what Kahne has this week for your DraftKings contest.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 4 | 9 | 13 | 11.1 | 11.4 |
Kahne has been a hard driver to trust this season, though. He has not run well at many of the tracks where he was previously successful, but that should change Saturday night. He enters this race after finishing back-to-back races in the top 10 (ninth at New Hampshire and sixth at Dover). He is a great pick for your contest this week.
Aric Almirola, Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford ($6,500)
Almirola has not had a great season, but he has started to turn it around over the last month. In the last five races, he has finished 11th at Darlington, fourth at Richmond, 10th at Chicago and fifth last week at Dover. His only poor finish came at New Hampshire, where he got a flat tire while running in the top 10.
Almirola has been hit or miss at Charlotte in his career. He usually finishes near the top 15 or outside the top 30 because of an accident. Since he is running so well right now, he should capable of a top-15 finish Saturday night.
Almirola is a bargain at $6,500. Twenty drivers have a higher price than Almirola this week. This means DraftKings does not believe he will finish in the top 20. I disagree. He has been racing as well as he has ever raced in the last month, and I do not see him slowing down any time soon.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.7 | 19.1 |
Having drivers who have a lot to race for is important. Just because the No. 43 team is not in the Chase does not mean the team has nothing to race for. The team has not been to Victory Lane in more than a year. The season would be a success if Almirola were able to win the race Saturday night.
Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy ($6,700)
Dillon is one of the drivers who have improved the most this season. He started the season struggling on the intermediate tracks but has shown speed over the summer. His best finish of the season was at Michigan last month. He qualified fourth and finished fourth in the race.
Dillon has been solid in his three races at Charlotte in the Sprint Cup Series. He finished all of the races in the top 20. He should easily finish inside the top 20 again Saturday night.
Dillon is a good value at $6,700 this week. He is the 19th-highest-priced driver and should have top-15 value Saturday night. He's a better value in a tournament contest than he will be for cash games this week because of his boom-or-bust potential.
| Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Avg Start | Avg Finish |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 | 15.0 |
Before you decide to use Dillon for your contest, make sure you check his qualifying position. If he qualifies in the top five, he may not be worth using. He has a history of qualifying up front and losing positions in the race. Dillon may still finish in the top 20, but he will lose points for place differential.
DraftKings Picks for Charlotte
Driver 1: Kevin Harvick ($11,400)
Driver 2: Matt Kenseth ($10,300)
Driver 3: Kasey Kahne ($8,000)
Driver 4: Ryan Newman ($7,000)
Driver 5: Austin Dillon ($6,700)
Driver 6: Aric Almirola ($6,500)
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Advanced stats courtesy Racing-Reference.info and Yahoo NASCAR Stats.
If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR.
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