Geico 500 at Talladega
Good morning, race fans! It's time for the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama! Various pitting strategies could benefit a few teams, so don't be surprised to hear Fuel Mileage thrown around a lot in this race. Dark horse plays always seem to be upfront at the end of these races, so embrace the chaos at the drop of the green flag.
At the time of this article, Austin Cindric is reported to start at the rear. The weather will be in the 60s with clouds and little to no chance of rain when the green flag drops at 3:20 EST today. Start your engines!
NASCAR DFS
I'll be playing in Draft Kings this week. If you're new to the NASCAR DFS world, here's a quick summary of how scoring is done:
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Look for a mix of drivers that fit the following: Starting up front and can potentially lead lots of laps. Good drivers starting farther back can pass many cars and finish with a strong differential. Drivers starting up front I like: Drivers with great differential potential and could lead laps: Drivers with great differential points, and possible top finishes: Most likely to be chalk plays:
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It will be very tough to beat the chalk of Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney this week, but the notable starting position of Erik Jones and Ross Chastain can help go against the grain and save some salary, as short, flat tracks are their better tracks on the circuit.
| Race Winner | Denny Hamlin |
| Best Bet for a solid finish | Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick |
| Dark Horse Differentiators | Aric Almirola, Erik Jones |
| Chalk Plays | Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney |
My DFS Line-up Today:
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Contrarian Play
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Chalk Play
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Other Picks and props:
Fanduel Chase Elliott +1200 Outright, Ty Gibbs +4400 Outright
Top 3 Prop bets: Erik Jones +800
Bet MGM Erik Jones +3300 outright, Hamlin top Toyota, Blaney top Ford, Chastain top Chevy +10000
NASCAR Fantasy Live:
The revamped Fantasy Live game run by NASCAR.com is a free game to win prizes and test your skills at picking drivers with limited starts. Each driver has 10 allocations, a garage slot you can swap with mid-race, and the ability to choose drivers in head-to-head match-ups for bonus points. Play at Nascar.com.
After a wild Martinsville last week, I'm looking to build a little momentum. Here's who I have in my NASCAR Fantasy Live Pool this week:
One-and-done Games:
Last week Ryan Preece fought to a 15th finish. This week will be an easy pick for me with Erik Jones. Jones is one of the few consistent drivers at Talladega, with an average finish of 9th over the past 4 Talladega races, making him a solid play in One and Done leagues. Other drivers that could show well are Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney. Denny Hamlin is a good choice if you're way behind.
If you are interested in playing any of these games, sign up before the green flag drops at 3:00 pm EST at the links below:
https://fantasygames.nascar.com/live/picks
https://nascarpoolsonline.com/
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