Jacob Nelson 
Join us in the #nascar Discord channel to discuss your Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 picks. The following is intended for FanDuel GPP purposes only.
Follow jmo on Twitter at @dfs_noshame.
THE SLATE
NASCAR Cup Series returns today with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
This race is 160-laps, or 400-miles, on this 2.5-mile track.
The optimal lineup to begin race will be Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, and Justin Allgaier.
THE PICKS | FanDuel
FRONTRUNNERS
NOTE: Roster the race winner.
KEVIN HARVICK, DENNY HAMLIN, RYAN BLANEY
Additional options: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Kyle Busch
CAPTURE THE UPSIDE
NOTE: Roster drivers that provide positive place-differential points and a strong finishing position.
ERIK JONES, CHRISTOPHER BELL, CLINT BOWYER, WILLIAM BYRON
Additional options: Ryan Preece, Michael McDowell, Cole Custer, Matt Kenseth, Chris Buescher, Ryan Newman, Matt DiBenedetto, Ricky Stenhouse, Bubba Wallace
STARTING TOO HIGH
NOTE: Avoid rostering drivers that finish below their starting position.
The following drivers are starting to high (increasing their potential for negative-place differential) and/or do not appear likely to hit value:
Justin Allgaier, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, John Nemechek, Ty Dillon, and Daniel Suarez.
Drivers that may not be attractive plays on FanDuel, can be better plays on DraftKings. Check out WinDaily’s DraftKings article for today:
NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series 7/5/20 by Matt Vecchio.
NON-LEAD LAPPERS
NOTE: Only roster drivers that finish on the lead lap.
The following drivers are not expected to finish on the lead lap:
Ross Chastain, Quin Houff, Brennan Poole, Joey Gase, Timmy Hill, BJ McLeod, JJ Yeley, Garrett Smithley, and Josh Bilicki.
SLATE ANALYSIS
LAST TIME OUT AT INDIANAPOLIS
The last time out at Indianapolis (September 8, 2019), Harvick took the checkered flag, followed by Logano, Wallace, Byron, Bowyer, Hamlin, Blaney, Newman, and Elliott.
Harvick recorded the most laps led with 118. Blaney led 19 laps, Logano led 11 laps, and Byron and Chastain each led a lap.
Harvick also recorded the most fastest-laps with 43. Kurt Busch recorded 18, Blaney recorded 13, Hamlin recorded 5, Wallace recorded 4, Kyle Busch recorded 3, Logano, Byron, Bowman, Truex, and Bilicki each recorded 2, and Elliott, McDowell, DiBenedetto, and, Stenhouse each recorded a fastest-lap.
The optimal FanDuel lineup for the 2019 Big Machine Vodka 400 included Hamlin, Harvick, Byron, Newman, and Wallace with a total of 316.9 points. The driver’s salary ranged from $5,000 to $14,000 and left $500 salary remaining.
RECENT CUP SERIES RACES
The last two Cup Series races were at a two-and-a-half-mile track, Pocono Raceway.
The 2020 Pocono Organics 325 (Saturday, June 27, 2020) optimal lineup included Harvick, Hamlin, Almirola, Bell, and McDowell (293.4, $49,000).
The 2020 Pocono 350 (Sunday, June 28, 2020) optimal lineup included Hamlin, Jones, Bowyer, Almirola, and DiBenedetto (297.30, $49,500).
2020 NASCAR CUP SERIES PERFORMANCE
Race winners during the 2020 Cup Series:
Hamlin (4), Harvick (3), Keselowski (2), Logano (2), Blaney, Elliott, Truex, Bowman
Top-five finishes during the 2020 Cup Series:
Hamlin (9), Harvick (8), Blaney (7), Elliott (7), Kyle Busch (7), Keselowski (5), Almirola (4), Jones (4), Logano (3), Kurt Busch (3), Stenhouse (3), Truex (2), Bowman (2), Bowyer (2), DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Reddick, Buescher, Bell
Top-ten finishes during the 2020 Cup Series:
Harvick (12), Hamlin (10), Keselowski (10), Elliott (9), Kurt Busch (9), Kyle Busch (8), Truex (8), Blaney (7), Almirola (7), Jones (6), Logano (6), Bowman (5), Bowyer (5), Byron (5), DiBenedetto (4), Austin Dillon (4), Buescher (4), Bell (4), Stenhouse (3), Reddick (3), Wallace (2), Nemechek (2), McDowell, Newman, Custer, LaJoie, Ty Dillon, Kenseth
“Change your game, and change your life!” #windaily #nascardfs
RESOURCES
- The starting line up is available here.
- Pit stall selections are available here.
- Driver rankings are available here.
- Race results for the last time out at Indianapolis are available here.
- Loop data for the last time out at Indianapolis is available here.
