This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
Location: Loudon, N.H.
Course: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Format: 1-mile oval
Laps: 301
Race Preview
Kurt Busch added his name to the winner's column last week after an overtime battle with brother Kyle. Joey Logano looked poised to cruise to victory when a late caution set up a restart battle between he and Kyle Busch that rapidly became a four-way fight with Erik Jones also getting into the mix. The Busch brothers separated themselves on the final lap and banged wheels as they drove hard to be the first across the finish line. The win for Kurt cements his playoff hopes and reduces the number of available spots in the championship elimination rounds for non-winners by one. This week's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is just one of seven regular-season races remaining for drivers to work their way into that battle. The race is run just once a season now and was won by Kevin Harvick last season. With Harvick struggling again last week in Kentucky it will be critical for fantasy players to assess his potential accurately this week. Toyota drivers have won five of the last seven races at the track with Joe Gibbs Racing having somewhat of a stranglehold on Victory Lane.
Key Stats at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Number of previous races: 47
• Winners from pole: 6
• Winners from top-5 starters: 13
• Winners from top-10 starters: 25
• Winners from 21st or lower starters: 9
• Fastest
Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
Location: Loudon, N.H.
Course: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Format: 1-mile oval
Laps: 301
Race Preview
Kurt Busch added his name to the winner's column last week after an overtime battle with brother Kyle. Joey Logano looked poised to cruise to victory when a late caution set up a restart battle between he and Kyle Busch that rapidly became a four-way fight with Erik Jones also getting into the mix. The Busch brothers separated themselves on the final lap and banged wheels as they drove hard to be the first across the finish line. The win for Kurt cements his playoff hopes and reduces the number of available spots in the championship elimination rounds for non-winners by one. This week's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is just one of seven regular-season races remaining for drivers to work their way into that battle. The race is run just once a season now and was won by Kevin Harvick last season. With Harvick struggling again last week in Kentucky it will be critical for fantasy players to assess his potential accurately this week. Toyota drivers have won five of the last seven races at the track with Joe Gibbs Racing having somewhat of a stranglehold on Victory Lane.
Key Stats at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Number of previous races: 47
• Winners from pole: 6
• Winners from top-5 starters: 13
• Winners from top-10 starters: 25
• Winners from 21st or lower starters: 9
• Fastest race: 117.134 mph
Last 10 New Hampshire Winners
2018 - Kevin Harvick
2017 fall - Kyle Busch
2017 spring - Denny Hamlin
2016 fall - Kevin Harvick
2016 spring - Matt Kenseth
2015 fall - Matt Kenseth
2015 spring - Kyle Busch
2014 fall - Joey Logano
2014 spring - Brad Keselowski
2013 fall - Matt Kenseth
New Hampshire is no longer part of the playoff battle, which gives teams a bit more opportunity to focus on other factors than the track as they get ready for the championship fight. While qualifying well is relatively important, nine previous winners have started outside of the top 20 in just 47 races. Only two of the last six winners started inside the top 10. A start outside of the top 15 may not be as important to fantasy owners this week as usual. Seven drivers led more than 10 laps in last year's race with Harvick leading just 12 before taking the checkered flag. Kurt Busch led just shy of 100 laps with the next highest being Martin Truex Jr. with 83. Stewart-Haas Racing had two cars in the top five with Aric Almirola finishing third. The highest finishing Chevrolet was Chase Elliott in fifth. While the series only visits this circuit once this season, this is also the only track the cars will run this particular version of Goodyear tire. The track has minimal banking but does encourage fast corner entry speeds due to its long straights. Teams will flirt with air pressure limits to get the most grip possible, which means we should expect some tire failures, too.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $11,900
Martin Truex Jr. - $11,500
Joey Logano - $10,300
Chase Elliott - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Denny Hamlin - $9,700
Kyle Larson - $9,400
Kurt Busch - $9,200
Erik Jones - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Alex Bowman - $8,800
Ryan Blaney - $8,600
Aric Almirola - $8,200
Jimmie Johnson - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Ryan Newman - $7,600
William Byron - $7,400
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $7,200
Chris Buescher - $7,100
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Busch - $11,900
Joey Logano - $10,300
Ryan Newman - $7,600
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $7,200
Paul Menard - $6,800
Ty Dillon - $6,200
With two runner-up finishes in the last five races Kyle Busch will be hungry for a win this week. He has three New Hampshire wins and finished second here last season and will start toward the front this week. Like Busch, Joey Logano will feel like he is owed another win this weekend, too. He looked set to cruise to victory last week in Kentucky but was thwarted by a late restart. Logano has two wins at this track and finished ninth and 10th here in the two latest races. With Roush Fenway Racing making strides forward it would be a good option to use both Ryan Newman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. this week. Stenhouse led 11 laps here last season and Ryan Newman finished sixth. Newman is also a three-time New Hampshire victor. More Ford power comes in the form of Paul Menard. He has yet to score a top-10 here but is a consistent finisher inside the top 20 at the track. Ty Dillon rounds off the safer lineup. He sits 23rd in the standings and has an average finish of 20.3 at this track from three career starts.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Martin Truex Jr. - $11,500
Chase Elliott - $10,000
Ryan Blaney - $8,600
William Byron - $7,400
Chris Buescher- $7,100
Ross Chastain - $5,400
Martin Truex Jr. has never won at New Hampshire but he has certainly come close. He led 80 or more laps in the last five visits to the track and picked up three top-fives along the way. Chase Elliott led 23 laps in this race last season and finished fifth after starting 10th. He was also fastest in Friday practice to start the week off on the right foot. Ryan Blaney could use to join his two teammates with a win at New Hampshire to help his championship hopes. He finished ninth and seventh in his last two visits to this track and needs to reverse the trend of the last two weeks where he missed finishing in the top 10. He should have a good chance given his qualifying pace on Friday. William Byron brings some more Hendrick Motorsports firepower to the higher-risk lineup. He finished 14th here last season. Nice results have been coming from Chris Buescher, too. His last five races were all top-20 finishes and he earned his fourth top-10 last week in Kentucky. Finishing off the selections is Ross Chastain. He is running selected races this season and is a good selection for fantasy owners looking to boost points through finish differential. Chastain started 32nd here last season before finishing 25th.
