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Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500

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Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500

Atlanta Motor Speedway - Hampton, Georgia
Track -1.54 Mile Quad-Oval Intermediate Track with 24° Banking in the Turns

First of all WOW! What a finish at the Daytona 500. Closest in history. If you missed it check out the recap below.

The Joe Gibbs Racing team dominated the race at Daytona as Hamlin led 95 laps, Kenseth led 40 laps and Busch led 19 laps. They captured 1st, 3rd, and 5th and 14th(Kenseth was in 1st on final lap until Hamlin made his move). The favorite and most owned driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun and ended up finishing back in 36th. Overall it was another terrific start to the NASCAR season and giving the series momentum as we head in to next week.

The NASCAR haulers will now make their way North to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 this Sunday. The track is a 1.54 Mile Quad_Oval intermediate track. These intermediate tracks make up close to half the tracks in the 36 race season so we have plenty of data to help us pick out favorites. There is, however a wrinkle in the research this time around. NASCAR has fully implemented a new rules package for the 2016 season. Check out the terrific overview from NASCAR.com.

This rules package was tested twice last year at Kentucky and Darlington and it was an overwhelming success. The reduction in the rear spoiler really helped reduce rear down force and produce more passing throughout the races. Although it was a small sample size we did notice a trend in those two races. Joe Gibbs Racing was, by far, the most dominant of the teams. The Kentucky races seen Kyle Busch dominate leading 163 laps en route to the win. His teammates Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Denny Hamlin all finished inside the Top 5 which is quite amazing really. Then at Darlington it was Carl Edwards picking up the win(led 15 laps), Denny Hamlin finishing 3rd(led 57 laps), Kyle Busch finishing 7th and Matt Kenseth back in 21st. Even though it is a small sample size it is an indicator that the JGR team was comfortable with the package moving forward. We will just have to wait and see how it plays out this weekend.

For daily fantasy this week we are going to want to target 2 or 3 drivers who we feel will lead laps and run up front. Practice and Qualifying will be extremely import this week as we have little data to go off of this week. The first practice gets underway on Friday afternoon(11:00 am et) with Qualifying running later that day(5:45 pm et). Final practice will be held on Saturday(11:30 am et). There will be an update thread below the picks that I will be updating daily leading up to the race on Sunday.

I will again be selling a cheatsheet every week of the NASCAR season. It will include drivers, salaries for DraftKings and FantasyFeud, post qualifying Vegas Odds, current form(last 5 races), track history(last 5 races), and I update the cheatsheet throughout the weekend following practice and qualifying.

Let's dig in and look at some targets for this week.

Upper Tier Targets

Joey Logano 
DraftKings - $10,400
Fantasy Feud - $250,00
Practice #1 - 13th
Final Practice -
Qualified - 27th

In the past two years on intermediate tracks(24 races) Logano has lead the Sprint Cup series with a 8.75 average finish. He has tallied four wins, 14 Top 5's, and 17 Top 10 finishes. In the last five races here at Atlanta he has two Top 5 finishes and a 12.4 average finish and led the second most laps(162) to Kevin Harvick. When we look at the tracks that used the new rules package last season Logano finished right up there with JGR. He finished 2nd at Kentucky and 4th at Darlington. It is a small sample size on two different tracks but Logano is an aggressive driver who should thrive in an environment where passing is made easier.

Kyle Busch
DraftKings - $10,100
Fantasy Feud - $225,000
Practice #1 - 10th
Final Practice -
Qualified - 1st

The reigning Sprint Cup champion missed the race at Atlanta last season while rehabbing his broken ankle/leg. In the four previous races here he has picked up a win and two Top 10 finishes with a 11.5 average finish. Looking at last season in the two races tested with the new rules package Kyle dominated winning at Kentucky and leading 163 laps(most in field) and finished 7th at Darlington. He and the whole JGR team looked comfortable in the setup and should be able to come out hot this season. Qualifying just wrapped up and the #18 is starting on the pole. While this eliminates him from receiving any positive place differential points it does put him in a great spot to lead a bunch of laps and contend for his first win of the season.

***Update - The #18 failed post qualifying inspection and will start from the back and is a must play***

Kevin Harvick
DraftKings - $10,500
Fantasy Feud - $190,000
Practice #1 - 21st
Final Practice -
Qualified - 7th

With all the value at the bottom this week it is very possible to fit three of the top four drivers in a lineup and feel comfortable about it. In the past five years Harvick has done everything but win this race. He has two Top 5's, four Top 10's, and a 8.4 average finish. He has also lead 412 laps which is by far more than anyone else as Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin are tied for second with 162 laps led. Look for Harvick, who is starting 7th, to get to the front in a hurry and challenge for the win.

Middle Tier Targets

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
DraftKings - $8,800
Fantasy Feud - $210,000
Practice #1 - 26th
Final Practice -
Qualified - 17th

He went from the top priced guy last week to under $9K this week. He will be highly owned and which always makes a great spot to fade but starting 17th the upside is too great this week at least for cash games. In the last five years here he has a Top 5, two Top 10's and a 9.6 average finish. He struggled in first practice but by race time on Sunday the #88 team should have their car figured out and is good bet for a Top 10 or better.

Kyle Larson
DraftKings - $8,000
Fantasy Feud - $155,00
Practice #1 - 7th
Final Practice -
Qualified - 21st

In his first two years in the Sprint Cup series he has an average finish of 16.0 on Intermediate tracks four Top 5's and 11 Top 10 finishes. In his two races here at Atlanta he finished 8th and 26th. He will be starting outside the Top 20 and had the fastest car in first practice. He comes at a very affordable price and makes a terrific play in any format this week.

Low End Targets

Aric Almirola
DraftKings - $6,600
Fantasy Feud - $100,000
Practice #1 - 18th
Final Practice -
Qualified - 28th

Looking below the $7K mark on DraftKings there is a lot of value this week. I see most people dipping down below $6K with Dillon and Smith as the value is tremendous. I think Almirola will come in as one of the lower owned values and making him a great play in a GPP format. While he only has one Top 10 in four races here, he did very well at Kentucky(12th) and Darlington(11th) last season with the new rules package.

Also Consider - Regan Smith, Ty Dillon

Post Practice & Qualifying Update

Qualifying Top 10:

1. #41 Kurt Busch
2. #1 Jamie McMurray
3. #6 Trevor Bayne
4. #31 Ryan Newman
5. #17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
6. #4 Kevin Harvick
7. #19 Carl Edwards
8. #3 Austin Dillon
9. #78 Martin Truex Jr.
10. #44 Brian Scott

Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 Update Thread

After failing post qualifying inspection, Kyle Busch will start 39th tomorrow and is a must play in all formats. He should make his way through the field into the Top 10 by mid race providing a ton of place differential value. His teammate Denny Hamlin is another great play starting 12th. He was 23rd in first practice but really figured it out in final practice as he lead all cars in speed.

Proceed with caution with the Penske cars(#2 & #22) as they struggled to find speed in practice. They are still viable options in GPP's they are starting 17th and 26th.

A nice top end value is Jimmie Johnson who crushes intermediate tracks and will be starting 19th on Sunday. he was 3rd fastest in final practice. The #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be starting 16th and was the 4th fastest in final practice.

If you have any questions on lineups or drivers prior to lineup lock scroll down to the comment section and join the conversation.

Good Luck everyone!

Want to see how these picks and more fit into lineups for the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500? Chris is selling lineups only $5. He covers DraftKings and FantasyFeud Cash Games & Tournaments. Fill out the form below or click here to purchase using PayPal. This is a separate service than our traditional monthly membership.

Chris Durell has been playing Daily Fantasy Sports for three years and fantasy in general for more than a decade. He is active player in college football, NFL, NBA, PGA, and of course NASCAR. He lives in Saskatchewan, Canada with his wife and two daughters. You can follow him on Twitter at @jager_bombs9 for advice, strategy, answers to any NASCAR questions or how he copes with the winters up north.