Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2024 Brickyard 400

For the 30th consecutive year, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to one of the pillars of American auto racing on Sunday (July 21): the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This also marks the first time since 2020 that the series takes on the oval configuration of this track after choosing to run the road course the previous three seasons.

With that being said, the Next Gen car makes its debut on this track, which throws in a huge amount of unknowns as to what will be the keys to fantasy and betting success. It’s been well documented that the site of last week’s race, Pocono Raceway, shares some similarities to Indy. Look for the drivers who were fast last weekend to be fast here as well.

Before we get into our picks for the week and the bets you absolutely have to make, here’s a recap of how we fared at Pocono. It was a much better result than last week, as I got paid for the first time in a while (thanks Ryan Blaney).

RIGHT ON THE MONEY	LICK YOUR WOUNDS
Ford +400 to win	Ross Chastain +900 to be top Chevrolet finisher (finished 36th)
Denny Hamlin (finished 2nd, +59 points)	Kyle Busch (finished 32nd, +1 point)
Alex Bowman (finished 3rd +45 points)	Todd Gilliland (finished 34th +6 points)

As you can see, Blaney’s big win caught me some big money, and I hope it did for you as well. You can’t win ’em all, but I’m glad I hit that one for sure.

Here’s a rules review before we get into fantasy picks:

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.

FANTASY NASCAR DRAFTKINGS SCORING RULES

Fantasy Forecast

1. Ryan Blaney ($10,000)

There is a plethora of favorites for this race, but I’m going go with the driver who pulled me out of a slump.

Blaney wasn’t just good at Pocono. He was flat-out great. He was the benefactor of good strategy, a fast car and great pit stops. Can’t ask for much more than that.

While his record on the oval track at Indy is pretty pedestrian (career average finish of 20.2) by most metrics, his performance last week makes him the favorite in my book.

The reigning champ will be a force to reckon with on Sunday.

2. Chase Elliott ($9,700)

Elliott showed plenty of speed at Pocono, sometimes as much or more than eventual winner Blaney.

His record here on the oval is fairly mediocre, though, which makes me a little wary. His best career finish here is ninth, and other than that he only managed to finish around 15th in most of his other starts.

However, crew chief Alan Gustafson has won this race before, back in 2014 with Jeff Gordon. If the No. 9 can qualify better than he has in recent weeks, he’ll be able to net some good points or possibly even win that elusive first Crown Jewel.

3. Tyler Reddick ($8,800)

On the day I’m currently writing this, Reddick absolutely looked like the best car in the field during practice.

Now, what that means for Sunday is to be determined. However, Reddick has looked really good in recent weeks.

He’s brought his No. 45 Toyota home inside the top 10 in six out of his last seven starts. That amount of raw speed could mean more points for fast laps as well.

4. Alex Bowman ($8,200)

The Showman is quite possibly the hottest driver in the field rolling into this weekend. He followed up his surprise win at Chicago with a podium finish at Pocono, which in theory means he should be quite good again this weekend.

While watching practice earlier today, I couldn’t help but notice that this car is also the fastest of the four Hendrick Motorsports entries thus far.

Now that crew chief Blake Harris and Bowman are starting to hit their stride, you should look for him in your lineup cards most weeks.

5. Carson Hocevar ($6,800)

You’re probably reading this and wondering, why are you taking this guy?

It’s true that Hocevar wasn’t very good at Pocono, and in fact, he’s on a downward trend performance-wise. However, looking at the practice speeds from Friday, this Spire Motorsports entry was outpacing a large amount of drivers in better equipment.

I don’t know if we’ll get the supremely talented version of this young driver this weekend or not, but he’s worth the flier.

6. Jimmie Johnson ($6,000)

The man simply known as Seven-Time makes his return yet again to the yard of bricks, this time in a stock car.

In the 30 year history of this race, there are a few names that jump off the page when you look at the guys who’ve won it. Perhaps none are more accomplished than Johnson.

A four-time winner, it wouldn’t surprise me if he finally looked like the champion he used to be this weekend. When there is a college football video game out for the first time in over 11 years, its hard not to feel nostalgic and have confidence in one of the greatest of all time.

Prop Bets and Locks

1. Martin Truex Jr. (+1400) to win: Truex is one of the few drivers who’s raced a whole lot on this oval over his career. He’s had racing winning speed some weeks and was top-ten last week at Pocono. It stands to reason he could be a threat to add this feather in his Hall of Fame cap this weekend.
2. William Byron (+1000) to win: Byron has quietly faded into the background a few weeks in a row now. His last great run came at Iowa Speedway around a month ago when he finished second. However, three drivers have won this race and the Daytona 500 in the same season, and you can never count out No. 24 at Indy.
3. Ty Gibbs (+1700) to win: Gibbs showed a lot of speed at Pocono, so much so that his engine grenaded inside 50 laps to go. Should the No. 54 sit on the pole yet again this week, it’s much tougher to pass at Indy. A good money line on a solid pick here.

Well, that’s all for this week. Enjoy the upcoming Olympic break and just know that I’ll be back for all of your fantasy and betting needs when it’s over.

Good luck and happy betting!