The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway on July 31st for the Pennsylvania 400. Kurt Busch made his way to victory lane at the “Tricky Triangle” back in June and will look to complete the sweep on Sunday.
Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have combined to win 14 out of the 20 races so far this season. At Pocono it is a different story. In the past 10 races at the track the two teams have only combined for three wins. At the “Tricky Triangle” Chevrolet is king. Chevy has won seven of the last 10 races. That bodes well for a struggling Hendrick Motorsports team who hasn’t seen victory lane since Fontana back in March.
Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when constructing your Pocono DraftKings lineup for Sunday.
ELITE TIER: $10,000 and up
Kyle Busch ($10,600) FPPR: 50.4 – Career at Pocono: 23 starts, 4 top-5s, 8 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 19
When the Sprint Cup Series was last at Pocono, Kyle Busch was going through his rough spell. Now, after dominating at Indianapolis, it looks as though Kyle is back in the groove. Busch has four wins on the season, but is looking for his first career win at Pocono.
Kevin Harvick ($10,400) FPPR: 62.8 – Career at Pocono: 31 starts, 7 top-5s, 12 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 14
Kevin Harvick is the most profitable driver at this point of the season in daily fantasy. Harvick will be without Crew Chief Rodney Childers after the #4 crew violated the lug-nut policy. Kevin Harvick has two second place finishes in his last four races at Pocono.
Martin Truex, Jr. ($10,200) FPPR: 51.3 – Career at Pocono: 21 starts, 1 win, 3 top-5s, 7 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 15.5
Martin Truex Jr will be starting on the pole this Sunday. Truex has been successful at Pocono in the past, including a win last season. Truex will be running the same car that he won with at Charlotte earlier in the year, so we could see a similar performance this weekend.
ALL-STAR TIER: $8,500 – $9,999
Brad Keselowski ($9,300) FPPR: 44.7 – Career at Pocono: 13 starts, 1 win, 5 top-5s, 6 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 12
Brad Keselowski has two top-3 finishes in the past two contests at Pocono. He started on the pole and finished third in the first Pocono race this season. Brad Keselowski has been one of the most consistent point scorers in daily fantasy in 2016.
Kurt Busch ($8,900) FPPR: 41.2 – Career at Pocono: 30 starts, 3 wins, 13 top-5s, 17 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 14.7
Kurt Busch’s only win on the season came at Pocono just a month ago. That win was Busch’s third career win at the track. In five races since making the move to Stewart-Haas, Kurt Busch has three top-5 finishes at Pocono with an average finish of 11.8.
Chase Elliott ($8,700) FPPR: 33.4 – Career at Pocono: 1 start, 1 top-5
Average finish at Pocono: 4
Chase Elliott led the most laps in his one and only race at Pocono last month. Elliott has the most points for a non-winning driver on the season, and has a comfortable cushion in the chase grid. The rookie is looking for his first career win, and if this race goes anything like the first one, he could have a shot to pick it up.
MID TIER: $7,500 – $8,499
Kyle Larson: ($8,300) FPPR: 34 – Career at Pocono: 5 starts, 1 top-5, 2 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 9.4
In only five races, Larson has the best average finish of any active driver at Pocono. In those five races, Larson has a pole and two top-10s. Larson continued his success at the track with an 11th place finish last month. Larson is on the verge of making the chase on points and will need solid finishes over the next few races.
Kasey Kahne: ($8,100) FPPR: 16.9 – Career at Pocono: 25 starts, 2 wins, 5 top-5s, 9 top-10s
Average at Pocono: 18.2
Kasey Kahne is another driver right on the brink of making the chase. Kahne’s last win at the track came in 2013, but a sixth place finish in June was a step in the right direction. Kahne does have four DNF’s in his career at Pocono, which has skewed his average finish number.
Ryan Newman: ($7,700) FPPR: 28 – Career at Pocono: 29 starts, 1 win, 9 top-5s, 14 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 12.8
It always seems as though Ryan Newman heats up during the second half of the season. Before wrecking at Indianapolis last weekend, Newman had a streak of seven straight top-20 finishes, including two top-10s leading up to Indy. Newman is a low priced, high upside play to run in the top half of the field.
BARGAIN TIER: $4,500 – $7,499
Ryan Blaney: ($7,400) FPPR: 25.5 – Career at Pocono: 1 start, 1 top-10
Average finish at Pocono: 10
Ryan Blaney picked up a tenth place finish in his first career start at Pocono in June. Blaney, yet another driver knocking on the door to the chase, has six top-10 finishes on the season. The rookie is priced at great value this week and deserves strong consideration for a spot in your lineup.
AJ Allmendinger: ($7,000) FPPR 25.9 – Career at Pocono: 17 starts, 2 top-10s
Average finish at Pocono: 24
Allmendinger has been struggling as of late, finishing outside the top-20 in three straight races. He was involved in a hard wreck three weeks ago, and then had engine trouble last week before the halfway point. Allmendinger showed speed in practice and through qualifying and will be starting from the 13th position. AJ finished 16th at Pocono in June.
Trevor Bayne: ($6,400) FPPR 26.8 – Career at Pocono: 3 starts, 1 top-15
Average Finish: 25.7
Trevor Bayne is priced extremely low for this race. Bayne finished 13th here in June and has four top-15 place finishes in the last seven races, including third place at Daytona. Trevor Bayne did not qualify well and will be starting 31st when the green flag flies on Sunday.
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