Daily Fantasy NASCAR Hot-Starts: Can-Am 500

DraftKings’ daily fantasy NASCAR heads to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for the Can-Am 500. This is the final event in the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy Series playoffs. The green flag flies Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

While Phoenix is unlike any other track on the circuit, the DraftKings strategy will play similar to an intermediate track. It will be important to find a dominator who will lead laps and run up front on a consistent basis.

Alternatively, you must find a driver that will start further back and has the ability to move up throughout the race, thus gaining those coveted positive position differential points.
Here are two must-start drivers on DraftKings for Sunday’s race.

Kyle Busch ($11,100)
Starting Position: Eighth

Busch was on his way to a win at Phoenix back in the spring until a late race caution. The team elected to pit and give up track position under yellow. Busch was unable to race his way back to the front and finished the race in third. That finish was his fourth top five in a row at Phoenix. Busch led 114 laps, and recorded 55 fastest laps.

Kyle locked his way into the championship race with a win at Martinsville to open the round. He is now only racing for a win with nothing to lose.

The 2015 series champion was second fastest in final practice in both single lap speed and best consecutive 10-lap average. Busch is starting eighth, but showed in Saturday’s practice sessions that he has a car capable of winning. He is a top dominator contender this weekend, and can also add a few position differential points with a win on Sunday.

Kasey Kahne ($7,400)
Starting Position: 17th

Kahne was third in both practice sessions in single lap speed. In Saturday’s first session, he was only .049 seconds slower than leader Kevin Harvick. In final practice, Kasey ranked eighth in consecutive 10-lap average speed.

He finished 20th at Phoenix earlier this season, but had an average running position inside the top 15. Kahne was another driver who was shuffled back in the final restart of the race.

Kahne qualified mid-pack for Sunday and will start the race from 17th. With the way he ran on Saturday, it is clear he will be capable of finishing within the top-10. Kasey is entering his next to last race with the Hendrick Motorsports organization and is looking to go out with a bang.