The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are here, kicking off at Darlington Raceway. Let’s get your daily fantasy NASCAR DraftKings lineups ready for the Cook Out Southern 500, airing Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Last time out, tempers flared and mayhem ensued (which could be said for much of this season). Joey Logano led the most laps, but he had to chase down William Byron in the final moments. The No. 22 gave a bump to the No. 24, which wiggled out of the groove and into the wall with nearly one lap to go. Needless to say, Byron was a bit miffed about the way he was raced.
The race in May also saw several contenders get knocked out of the race, including Ross Chastain (who lost it on his own in a single-car incident) and Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch.
This week, we might see many playoff drivers be aggressive early as they try to rack up stage points. Others will likely charge late in the race to try to win their way into the next round. This all makes things a bit tricky for daily fantasy, but as long as you stick with certain trends (like who’s done well at Darlington and throughout this year), you should be able to make some money Sunday night.
As usual, check out drivers’ practice times, especially if they run 10 or more laps, as this can help show which ones might take care of their tires better than others. Just keep in mind that the weather and track temperature will be a bit different than the race itself. Practice starts Saturday, Sept. 3 at 12:05 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports App. It switches to USA Network at 12:30, with qualifying set to run around 12:50.
Before I move on to this week’s picks, here are the results from my colleague’s picks for Daytona International Speedway:
| Salary | Driver | DraftKings Score |
| $10,500.00 | Chase Elliott | -4.9 |
| $10,000.00 | Ryan Blaney | 29 |
| $8,500.00 | Austin Cindric | 56.15 |
| $7,800.00 | Bubba Wallace | 54.65 |
| $7,200.00 | Brad Keselowski | -5 |
| $5,100.00 | David Ragan | 62.25 |
| $49,100.00 | Total | 192.15 |
You know it’s bad when your best scoring driver was the cheapest in the group. David Ragan survived the carnage and earned a top 10. Unfortunately, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott were caught up in crashes, earning negative DraftKings scores.
As far as DraftKings scoring, the rules are the same as last season: 0.45 points for each fastest lap and 0.25 for each lap led. Additionally, drivers can earn a point for each position they gain on the track (relative to where they start)….
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…