NASCAR

NASCAR Daily Fantasy Helper: Camping World 400

The Monster Energy Cup Series is back to an intermediate track after seeing Martin Truex Jr. win at Sonoma. We can again factor in variables such as laps led after not having to care for it much at a road course with only 90 laps last week.

If there is an ideal comparable track to Chicago, it would be Kansas. Of course, there are some differences (night race versus a day race, for example), but for the most part, these tracks run very similarly. With that being the case, this could be a fun race to watch, which Kansas certainly was. Maybe it'll be as exciting as the ending of last year's Chicago race.

More importantly, let's dive into this race from a fantasy perspective.

Here at numberFire, we've always got you covered for everything NASCAR DFS. Our track preview gives you more information about Richmond, our driver preview helps bring you up to speed on recent driver history, and our Heat Check Podcast with Jim Sannes gives you insight to how he is approaching this weekend's slate.

High-Priced Drivers

Kyle Busch ($15,000) - This should not shock anyone, but Kyle Busch is a very strong play this week, even with a high price tag. Starting in 17th, he is a good bet for place differential, as Busch is a driver who could very well win this race. He ran the fourth-fastest practice speed overall in the 40 laps that he ran. He is also -- by far -- the hottest driver in the field, with a driver rating of 113.9 over his last five races. Busch won this race last season, and he is certainly capable of doing so again. Busch is one of the safer plays you can rely on this week.

Kevin Harvick ($14,500) - Starting in second, Harvick will need to lead laps in order to make it into the optimal lineup. However, he could do just that by at least the middle of the first stage. It's possible for Austin Dillon (starting on the pole) to lead a decent number of laps in the beginning simply due to the lack of passing in this package. If Harvick is able to make the pass in a reasonable amount of time, he has shown that he has the long-run speed to gain time over the field. Maybe, just maybe, we can see Harvick finally win a race this season.

Mid-Priced Drivers

Kyle Larson ($11,500) - Last year's runner-up comes into this race showing some serious speed. In second practice, Larson averaged the fastest speeds among all of the drivers over all laps run. The fact that it will be very hot at the track Sunday plays to Larson's advantage. Because of the heat, a second racing groove up top can open up, and we all know how much Larson loves driving the high line at these 1.5 mile tracks. Larson nearly won here last year, getting edged out by Busch, and he's endured a lot of back luck this season. Look for Larson to be a solid place-differential play today with the potential to even lead laps.

Erik Jones ($10,000) - Starting in 21st, Jones is ripe for place-differential points. Even though he practiced where he qualified this weekend, I find it difficult for him not to put himself in a position to drive up the field. Whether it be through pure speed or from pit cycling, Jones should find himself in the top 15. Also, Jones finished sixth here last year.

Daniel Suarez ($9,700) - Speaking of place-differential plays, Suarez is in another ideal fantasy situation. He is 14th in this field at intermediate tracks this season while having 12th- and 11th-place finishes in two races in Chicago. A top-15 finish Sunday would make Suarez a valuable DFS play. Barring anything crazy happening in inspection or the race itself, Suarez makes for a strong play.

Other Drivers I like (there is so much to like here): Alex Bowman ($10,500), William Byron ($9,000), Ricky Stenhouse Jr ($8,700)

Low-Priced Drivers

Chris Buescher ($7,600) - In what seems like a weekly tradition, Buescher is in the back once again at a cheap price with the ability to move up. I'm not expecting a ton here in terms of massive upside. However, a top-20 finish is not out of the realm of possibility. He ran 23rd in practice over the course of all laps run, and he has the 24th-best driver rating at intermediate tracks this season. He is going to be chalky, but he is cheap value who can help you fit in the other drivers you want.

Daniel Hemric ($7,200) - If this were 2018, this play would not work one bit. But in 2019, there is reason to believe that Hemric can be part of a winning lineup. Passing is hard in this package, and it becomes even more difficult if you cannot pass guys on pit road. We have seen the number-8 team this season run slow in practice but qualify well and stay up there throughout the race. This is a week when we can see this happen again. I'm not saying he'll finish as well as third, but a top-10 finish for a guy at $7,200 would be very nice. Hemric is a tournament-only play, of course, and he may fly under the radar a bit.


Evan Cheney is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Evan Cheney also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username theman90210. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.