DraftKings NASCAR Fantasy Preview for Pocono

DraftKings NASCAR Fantasy Preview for Pocono
NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview at Pocono Raceway
By Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com

The Sprint Cup Series will tackle the Tricky Triangle this week with the running of the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway. As we prepare for an exciting race at Pocono, we take this time to examine the Tricky Triangle from a fantasy racing perspective. Two weeks ago DraftKings introduced new NASCAR weekly fantasy contests with cash purses ranging from anywhere from 4,000 to as much as 60,000 dollars. The past couple weeks have been chaos with a gas mileage race in Charlotte and then a wrecked filled race at Dover. However this Sunday’s Axalta 400 should be a great race for handicappers like ourselves to shine and overcome the “luck” factor that has been evident in recent weeks. If you have not joined, consider jumping on board with DraftKings for this week’s fantasy racing leagues. Click the banner below and get a free entry to the $60,000 guaranteed contest! Take a look at our DraftKings NASCAR fantasy preview for Pocono.

Last week at Dover several drivers got either wrecked or ran into trouble especially late in the race. I am sure several fantasy racing rosters were ruined in the final 25 laps with the likes of Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, and others getting caught up in wrecks. Unfortunately it was not even that surprising to see so many good cars get torn up last week. Dover is one of those tracks where it is hard to stay out of trouble because the racing surface is very narrow and cars are traveling at high speeds. Pocono on the other hand is one of the bigger and wider tracks on the circuit. While it is certainly not guaranteed that your driver may not get caught up in a wreck, you have better odds of avoiding a roster breaking accident like we saw at Dover. Therefore, let’s take the time to highlight a few drivers that may be worth consideration for fantasy rosters when the green flag waves on Sunday. Remember fantasy rosters are all about getting the best “value” for your salary cap. Therefore we will make sure to focus on the guys that have good “value” from a salary perspective.

Dale Earnhardt Jr ($12,200)

Most people like to stack their roster with one big favorite each week. Normally that is a battle between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson. However, this week consider Dale Earnhardt Jr at an even cheaper price. Junior swept both races at Pocono in 2014 and will be looking to become just the 3rd driver to ever win 3 straight Pocono races. While the odds of a 3-peat are against the #88, there is no denying that Junior should run strong. The #88 has been good with speed this year at the horsepower tracks and more importantly he has become one of the better drivers on the Tricky Triangle. Junior has posted 4 straight top 5 finishes and has finished inside the top 10 in 6 of the last 7 races. If you are wanting to put a favorite on your roster this week, Earnhardt should be at the top of the list.

Ryan Newman ($9,500)

Believe it or not, Pocono has been one of Ryan Newman’s best tracks throughout his career. Newman has the 4th best average finishing position among all active drivers and has posted 9 top 5 finishes in 26 career starts. Newman has finished 8th or better in his last 5 starts at Pocono and has not finished outside the top 15 in his last 13 starts. The #31 team has been struggling a bit in recent weeks and I believe that will cause Newman to fly under the radar for most fantasy owners this week. At a salary of just $9,500, Newman is one of the better values on the board as he always finds a way to run well on Pocono’s 2.5 mile surface.

Greg Biffle ($9,000)

Despite Roush-Fenway Racing’s struggles with horsepower over the last year or more, Greg Biffle has been rock solid at Pocono Raceway. The “Biff” has posted 3 top 10’s including two top 5 finishes in his last 4 starts. Biffle posted a runner-up finish at Pocono as recent as 2013 and the #16 team has been running better in recent weeks. I would not expect a win from the #16 team this weekend, but he may be worth some consideration for a solid run if you are looking for a lower tier driver to get you a solid finish.