Welcome to the 2019 Nascar Monster Cup season. This article is meant to be a guide to help construct the most optimal lineup. I will also list a couple of contrarian options to help you differentiate yourself from the field. Those of you who played Nascar dfs last year know what Daytona means. Anything can happen and there’s going to be “the Big One” even in this smaller field of drivers. I caution you to go light with your bankroll. This is a non-points race where all they are driving for is pride and the almighty dollar. I will be in the Discord chat up til lock tomorrow so please feel free to ask me any questions or hit me up on twitter @davidjr831 . With that lets begin.
Denny Hamlin (FD $11,200 DK $8,300)
Denny is the Clash master. He won the Clash in his rookie season and has won it two more times since then. He had a very fast car in practice but was involved in a wreck and had to go to a back up car. This would typically worry me, but I feel confident about him this week. He will be scored from 17th but will move to the back with Chase Elliott. Place differential will be the biggest factor as fastest laps will be spread around and laps led will be at a minimum due to the Clash only being 75 laps. Lock Denny into your lineup.
Kurt Busch (FD $10,000 DK $7,300)
Kurt Busch got the luck of the draw, literally. He starts 19th and will be highly owned on both sites. Kurt is with a new team this year at CGR, but should be able to move right in and be competitive. He’s a great restrictor plate driver and a gritty veteran. A strategy I’m looking at is looking for aggressive drivers and Kurt is definitely that. Combine that with his ownership on both sites and he is a driver that should be in your lineups.
Erik Jones (FD $7,400 DK $6,500)
Another driver who lucked into a great dfs starting spot is Erik Jones. I told Mike I was on Erik when Fanduel opened contests this week. On Draftkings he is a must play in an optimal lineup and will be in the winning lineup over there with his high floor. Erik won the July Daytona race last year. If you are playing cash this week, don’t get cute, put him in your lineup and move on.
I’ve given you three drivers that will have higher ownership this week, but i feel are necessary for a successful week. Now i will give you two drivers who will be a little lower owned in this 20 car field.
Joey Logano (FD $12,500 DK $9,200)
Joey is the reigning Cup champion and also a great plate racer. On Fanduel he is the highest priced driver and DK he is the third highest. The options around them will probably pull some ownership from Logano even though ownership will be higher than normal with a smaller field. On Fanduel, finishing position is huge and I can see Logano getting to the front and winning this race. Ford’s and Toyota’s are strong in the Clash as they have won every Clash after 2013. At most on Draftkings, I will probably have two drivers starting in the top 10 and Logano will be one of them.
Clint Bowyer (FD $9,100 DK $8,700)
Anyone who is in Discord knows I’m a Clint Bowyer fan. This isn’t a fandom play. Bowyer starts 15th and will be a good play especially on Draftkings. There are three drivers around him who are starting farther back so the ownership on him will be spread over to those three. Clint is a good plate driver as well and is coming off a great 2018 season. I mentioned this to a member in Discord but Fords are fast at Daytona. Bowyer drives a Ford and starts near the back. Put those two together and you should get what I’m saying.
