Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2024 Great Amercian Getaway 400

After a wild weekend in the Windy City, the NASCAR Cup Series touches back down in the Pocono Mountains this weekend to take on the “Tricky Triangle.” 

Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile oval located in the back country of Long Pond, Pa. It’s three distinct turns provide a unique challenge for drivers and teams to navigate. It’s all about balance, balance and more balance. Horsepower will be important too, though. 

The turns are flanked by two long straightaways that resemble airport runways. Only the cars with the most speed will be able to take advantage of these to get a run into those turns.

Before we get into this weeks bets and lineup selections, let’s see just how we fared last week. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t great but it was kind of solid nonetheless. 

Right on the Money	Lick Your Wounds
Tyler Reddick (finished 2nd)	Shane van Gisbergen (finished 40th)
Zane Smith (finished 17th)	Chase Briscoe (finished 32nd)
	AJ Allmendinger (+1400) to win

Now, here’s the rules for scoring on DraftKings if you’re new: 

Points will be awarded in their games for finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 points and 31st gets 10 points.

However many spots they lose or gain on the track are added to or subtracted from their score. Then, if the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 points for each fastest lap.

1. Denny Hamlin ($11,000)

It doesn’t matter who else you think can get it done this week, Hamlin is a must-have.

Since the summer of 2006, no one has been as dominant here as driver No. 11. He’s not had a great couple of months since his win at Dover Motor Speedway, but you can bet he’ll be the man to beat this week. 

Even if he somehow doesn’t win this race, he’s a lock for a podium finish, and that my friends will give you plenty of points. 

2. Brad Keselowski ($8,800)

This season has proven that RFK Racing can win anytime, anywhere. That much was proven last week in Chicago as Keselowski picked up another solid road course finish. 

This ability to make his weaknesses into strengths is why you should take him here. He may not qualify well, but crew chief Matt McCall has made some brilliant strategy moves this season to negate the need for good starting position. 

It also doesn’t hurt that Keselowski himself has won here before. 

3. Kyle Busch ($8,200)

Busch finally had something to smile about after finishing in the top-ten for the first time in a long time last week.

I’m making this pick with an abundance of caution this week, even though he’s a former winner here. 

When it comes to tracks that he’s expected to run well at this season, he’s almost always ended up with a lackluster result. 

4. Alex Bowman ($7,800)

Last week’s winner is also a former winner here at Pocono, though it did take Kyle Larson’s flat tire to get him there. 

Regardless, Bowman’s performance has been solid and consistent all season, and the momentum from a big win is huge. 

I don’t look for him to go back-to-back, but  he can stay out of self inflicted trouble most weeks. That alone almost guarantees he’ll pour some points into your bucket this week.

5. Josh Berry ($7,100)

This pick is all about crew chief Rodney Childers. He’s found success here with each driver he’s been crew chief for. 

That list includes Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers and even David Reutimann. It’s only logical that Berry also be a benefactor of his expertise.

At the very least, I expect a solid top-15 run for this group.

6. Todd Gilliland ($6,800)

My favorite value pick of the season has been driver No. 38 this season. 

He’s really come into his own this season, and even sits 20th in points, better than teammate Michael McDowell. I truly believe he’s on the cusp of taking the next step and being a top-ten threat week in and week out.

I think he proves that again this week, and grabs some points along the way. 

Prop Bets and Locks

1. Christopher Bell (+850) to win: Bell had yet another win escape him last week. However, pocono fits nicely into his wheelhouse and he’s one at Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which share characteristics with this place. 
2. Ford (+400) to win: After a slow start this season, the Blue Oval gang has bounced back pretty nicely. They also have a long history of winning at this racetrack and that bodes well for your wallet if you take this wager. 
3. Ross Chastain (+900) as top Chevrolet finisher: Chastain very nearly won this race a couple of years ago and has a pretty consistent record of performance here. At a place where Chevrolet isn’t always the strongest manufacturer, it’s entirely possible that he could pull off a top-ten and grab you some cold hard cash doing it. 

That’s all for this week! Good luck and as always, happy betting!