We’re back at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for one of the most prestigious races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the year, and it is held in backyard of where the sport was born. This is a race that drivers circle on their calendars, and while they focus on conquering the 400-lap marathon, we will focus on cashing in at DraftKings.
Charlotte will be the fifth mile-and-a-half track to host a race this season, and in general, I like to use a couple of proven dominators to anchor a majority of my lineups at this type of track. Typically, one or two drivers tend to monopolize a lot of the dominator points at the 1.5-mile ovals, and in recent years, we have seen some overwhelming performances by drivers in the Coca-Cola 600.
You can never afford to miss out on the top dominators at DraftKings, and with 400 laps on tap Sunday night, you definitely can’t swing and miss in this race. With a couple of strong options starting up near the front, there are some prime candidates to build around. The question becomes who to pair these dominators with.
In cash lineups, I like leaning towards the place differential category a bit. With drivers like Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson all starting 20th or worse, you have some high floor options to lean on.
In the GPP contests, I am going to try to be a little more creative. There are quite a few mid-priced drivers starting around the 15th spot who have Top 5 upside but can be a little inconsistent. You can afford a couple of dominators and a couple of these upside midrange guys, and if you hit on all four, you will have the makings of a big-money lineup.
Check out all of my top DFS plays for DraftKings, and don’t forget to lock in all of your lineups for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
PLAY AGAINST THE BEST WITH FULLTIME FANTASY! | Odds
Must-Own Drivers
Kyle Busch ($11,200)
Busch delivered an epic DFS performance in last year’s Coca-Cola 600, leading 377 of the 400 laps and recording 139 fastest laps on his way to the win. He has also led more than 20 laps in each of the last three races at Charlotte, recording more than 20 fastest laps in four straight starts here. After qualifying third, Busch could be out front early and often again this weekend on his way to the top score at DraftKings.
Kevin Harvick ($10,800)
Harvick has led at least 100 laps in three of his nine starts at Charlotte with Stewart-Haas Racing, leading double-digit laps six times and finishing third or better five times. He has also led more laps at mile-and-a-half tracks this year than any other driver, leading at least 45 laps and recording at least 38 fastest laps in three of those four races. Following a Top 5 qualifying effort, he’s positioned to pile up plenty of dominator points once again.
Martin Truex Jr. ($10,600)
Truex has made Charlotte is his personal playground lately, especially the Coca-Cola 600. He has six Top 5s in the last six races here, winning twice and leading 90-plus laps four times. Truex has recorded double-digit fastest laps in all seven of those starts, and he has led more than 130 laps in the Coca-Cola 600 three times. He has a little place differential upside after qualifying 14th, but it is his history of piling up dominator points at Charlotte that should have your full attention.
Brad Keselowski ($10,100)
He has seven Top 10s in the last 10 races at Charlotte, but I’m more interested with what he’s been doing at the 1.5-mile tracks with this year’s rules package. He has a mechanical failure at Texas, but he won at Atlanta and Kansas and was the runner-up at Las Vegas. Keselowski also led double-digit laps in all three of those races, and he gained 15-plus spots in two of them. Starting 21st, he should be able to exploit all of the scoring categories on his way to a big point total.
Cash Plays
Kyle Larson ($9,600)
Larson struggled in qualifying and will start back in 25th, but it’s not like he hasn’t shown he can come from the back to the front at Charlotte. He started 18th out of 19 cars in last weekend’s All-Star Race and ended up in victory lane, and he has three Top 10s in the last four races here in points paying races. When you can roster a Top 5-caliber driver with this much place differential upside, you don’t hesitate in cash games.
Denny Hamlin ($9,200)
He qualified back in 20th, but I don’t expect Hamlin to stay back there for long. He has cracked the Top 10 in 14 of the last 16 races at Charlotte, cracking the Top 5 in five of the last six races. Hamlin has also led laps in each of the last four Charlotte races, leading more than 40 laps twice and topping 20 fastest laps three times. Throw in the place differential points he has available, and he’s a no-brainer option for cash lineups.
Chris Buescher ($7,100)
Buescher has been an excellent low-priced cash play at the 1.5-mile tracks all year, finishing inside the Top 20 in all four races while posting a 14.2 average finish. He has also gained an average of 9.2 spots per race, logging two Top 10s and gaining at least eight spots three times. Buescher qualified in 22nd, so some more place differential points and another solid point total for a great price should be on tap.
David Ragan ($6,000)
When you dip into the drivers from smaller teams, Ragan is easily the most dependable. He has a 24.0 average finish in the four races at 1.5-mile ovals this year, and he has three Top 25s in the last four races at Charlotte. Starting back in 31st, he should be safe bet for around 20 points Sunday night.
GPP Plays
Chase Elliott ($10,300)
He’s become a steady source of dominator points in recent weeks, leading at least 35 laps in six of the last seven races and notching three straight Top 5s. He’s already had a couple of strong runs at Charlotte in his career, finishing second in the fall race in 2017 and leading more than 100 laps here in 2016. Starting 11th and running as well as he ever has, Elliott could be a great contrarian dominator this weekend.
Ryan Blaney ($9,000)
His price tag is down a bit this weekend, and his horrible results at Charlotte and at the 1.5-mile ovals this year undoubtedly played a role. However, his final results don’t necessarily tell the whole story. Blaney has led the fourth-most laps in the four races at mile-and-a-half tracks, and he had a shot at the win at Atlanta and Texas. Starting 19th, he could end up posting a monster point total if the bad luck stays away.
Erik Jones ($8,700)
Jones has been at his best at the mile-and-a-half ovals since joining Joe Gibbs Racing, and through the first four races this year, he has a 6.8 average finish and a pair of Top 5 runs. His 16th-place qualifying run allow him to slide under the radar a bit, but Jones could still finish in the 50-point range if he challenges for another Top 5. This is exactly the type of mid-priced, high-upside driver you want to target in GPP contests.
Jimmie Johnson ($8,300)
Johnson won’t have much place differential upside after qualifying 15th, but he has remained a strong performer at Charlotte. He has four Top 10s in the last five races here, including three Top 5 finishes. With Hendrick Motorsports building momentum the last few weeks, Johnson could be an overlooked gem at one of his best tracks.
Alex Bowman ($8,100)
His 13th-place effort in qualifying limits his place differential upside, but as well as he has been running, I’m not sure it matters. Bowman has three straight runner-up finishes heading into Charlotte, and he led 62 laps at Kansas a couple of weeks ago. He delivered a ninth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 last year, and a Top 5 finish and some dominator points aren’t out of the question this weekend. He has a lot of upside for a midrange price.
William Byron ($7,400)
Hendrick Motorsports has found some speed in recent weeks, and Byron powered his way to the pole for Sunday’s race. The starting spot makes him a risky pick, and if he has trouble, he’s going to ruin your lineups. On the flip side, it also gives him a decent chance to pile up some early dominator points and end up with a solid finish. At this price, Byron is well worth the gamble in a few lineups.
Corey LaJoie ($5,200)
If I am throwing a dart on a punt play this weekend, it is probably going to be LaJoie. He starts 30th, but he has finished inside the Top 30 in all four races at mile-and-a-half tracks this year, posting a 26.5 average finish and notching a 22nd-place finish at Kansas a couple of weeks ago. He’s got an outside shot of providing 20-plus points.
Starting Lineup for the 2019 Coca-Cola 600
1. William Byron
2. Aric Almirola
3. Kyle Busch
4. Austin Dillon
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Daniel Suarez
7. Joey Logano
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10. Daniel Hemric
11. Kurt Busch
12. Chase Elliott
13. Alex Bowman
14. Martin Truex Jr.
15. Jimmie Johnson
16. Erik Jones
17. Paul Menard
18. Ryan Newman
19. Ryan Blaney
20. Denny Hamlin
21. Brad Keselowski
22. Chris Buescher
23. Michael McDowell
24. Ryan Preece
25. Kyle Larson
26. Matt Tifft
27. Matt DiBenedetto
28. Ty Dillon
29. Bubba Wallace
30. Corey LaJoie
31. David Ragan
32. Landon Cassill
33. Bayley Currey
34. Parker Kligerman
35. Ross Chastain
36. BJ McLeod
37. Reed Sorenson
38. Cody Ware
39. Quin Houff
40. Joey Gase
Join the Full Time Network and DOMINATE your competition with rankings, advice, and daily content from top high-stakes winners Dr. Roto, Adam Ronis, and Shawn Childs!
