Daily Fantasy Nascar Picks
Auto Club 400

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Auto Club 400

Auto Club Speedway - Fontana, California
Track - 2 Mile D-Shaped Oval Superspeedway
14° Banking in the Corners

Another terrific race is in the books following the Good Sam 500 last weekend at Phoenix. Kevin Harvick picked up the checkered flag as he beat out Carl Edwards in another photo finish. That is now two of the eight closest finishes in NASCAR history in the first four races this season. Have a look for yourself.

I mean what more could we ask for? The racing product NASCAR is putting out there is fantastic for everyone involved. The new rules package has made it easier for drivers to get to the rear of another car and make a pass keeping the field closer together. Goodyear should also get a pat on the back with the new tires they have rolled out for teams. It has brought a ton of strategy back to the crew chiefs as the tires are falling off a lot faster during green flag runs. A great example of this was three weeks ago at Atlanta. Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team pitted early on a green flag run with about 40 laps to go in an attempt to gain advantage over the field, barring their be no caution flag. The race stayed green and the #48 had built a huge lead(10+ seconds) and held on for the win. If this keeps up we are in for one hell of a season.

This weekend should be no different when it comes to exciting racing as the NASCAR haulers made the short trip west to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for the Auto Club 400. The track is a 2 mile Intermediate/Superspeedway with 14° banking in the corners and can be best compared to Michigan. What makes racing so great here is the width of the track. It offers multiple lines and opportunities for passing and then add in the new rules package and we are in for a treat this weekend.
For fantasy purposes you are going to want to put a lot weight on practice and qualifying as this will be the first race on a 2 mile track with the new package and with only one race run here each year we have limited data to use. Be sure to check back after final practice for my final thoughts heading in 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. With the purchase of the cheatsheet you also get a few sample lineups. These lineups will almost always change following qualifying and practice so be sure to check lineup page before lineups lock on Sunday.

Let's dig in and look at some targets for this week. Be sure to check back following Final Practice on Saturday as I will have a recap of the weekend leading up to the race and go through some values that pop up from qualifying/practice.

Upper Tier Targets ($9,000+)

Kyle Busch
DraftKings - $10,300
Fantasy Feud - $245,000
Practice #1 - 15th
Qualified - 6th
Practice #2 - 4th
Final Practice - 16th

He missed last years race with his injury and it was probably a relief for the other 42 drivers. Kyle has dominated Auto Club Speedway since it was reduced to one race per season back in 2011. In his last four races he has tallied two wins and finished each race inside the Top 5 with a 1.8 average finish. Add to that his carry over from the Championship winning effort of last year and you have a must play this week. He is the only driver so far in 2016 to finish each race inside the Top 5. His first win is coming soon and I think it will this Sunday in Fontana, California.

Jimmie Johnson
DraftKings - $10,400
Fantasy Feud - $265,000
Practice #1 - 7th
Qualified - 19th
Practice #2 - 13th
Final Practice - 14th

The six time champ makes a great pick on almost any track he races so no surprise he is in my top 3 picks this week. He has already picked up a win this year pretty much locking himself in the Chase and taking the pressure off(not like the #48 ever feels pressure) for the rest of the season. In that win they proved they will go outside the box and try some strategies that no one else is trying. Like his short pit at Atlanta that ended up getting him the win. In his last five races at Fontana he has only one Top 5 but three Top 10's and a 11.4 average finish. He has also lead the second most laps(109) to Kyles dominating 361 laps led in that time. Look for the #48 to be up fron t for much of the day and contend for the win in the closing laps.

Kurt Busch
DraftKings - $9,500
Fantasy Feud - $180,000
Practice #1 - 28th
Qualified - 26th
Practice #2 - 15th
Final Practice - 24th

Like his brother, Kurt has has been very successful here at Auto Club Speedway even though he has only one career win at the track.  He has been very consistent here in the past five years with three Top 5's, four Top 10's, and a 7.4 average finish. The #41 team has started the year on fire showing a ton of speed and finishing each of the first four races inside the Top 10 with the 6th best driver rating(101.2). I am expecting nothing less than another Top 10 from Kurt this weekend and could see him fighting his brother for the win at the end of the race.

Also Consider - Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards

Middle Tier Targets ($7,000-$9,000)

Martin Truex Jr.
DraftKings - $8,800
Fantasy Feud - $165,000
Practice #1 - 2nd
Qualified - 17th
Practice #2 - 2nd
Final Practice - 7th

While his track history here hasn't been anything special(no career Top 5's) this pick hinges more on his current form. After a terrific 2015 season where he made it all the way to the Final Four of the Chase, he is back in 2016 looking even better. He has finished each race inside the Top 15 and has the 5th best driver rating(102.8) in the first four races. The Toyota cars have been extremely fast and there is no reason that will change anytime soon. I can easily see the #78 with another Top 10 and it's very possible Martin Truex Jr. gets his first Top 5 at Auto Club Speedway. He is a great value under $9K on Draftkings and makes a great GPP play.

Austin Dillon
DraftKings - $6,700
Fantasy Feud - $120,000
Practice #1 - 1st
Qualified - 1st
Practice #2 - 5th
Final Practice -  6th

If people have been paying attention Austin Dillon should be the highest owned driver in fantasy this weekend. The #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has been the most pleasant surprise of the early season. Dillon has tallied Top 10's in three of the four races and finished 11th in the other. He is maturing into a terrific Sprint Cup driver and should be able to carry the early momentum over into the race on Sunday. He has race here twice in his early career and finished 16th and 11th in those races. At a price under $7K on DraftKings he will be in a high % of m y lineups across all formats.

Also Consider - Ryan Newman

Low End Targets ($6,500 and Below)

Brian Vickers
DraftKings - $5,400
Fantasy Feud - $75,000
Practice #1 - 21st
Qualified - 24th
Practice #2 - 16th
Final Practice - 17th

At minimum price once again the #14 car will be my low end value play of the week. Brian Vickers will be behind the wheel this week replacing the injured Tony Stewart and has a decent track history at Auto Club Speedway. He has raced here twice in the past five years and picked up a 7th in 2014 and a 8th back in 2011. At min salary all we are really looking for is 20-30 fantasy points and if he qualifies outside the top 15 this week that would be closer to his floor. Stay tuned during practice and qualifying.

Also Consider - Paul Menard

Post Practice & Qualifying Update

Qualifying Top 10

1. #3 Austin Dillon
2. #4 Kevin Harvick
3. #11 Denny Hamlin
4. #31 Ryan Newman
5. #19 Carl Edwards
6. #18 Kyle Busch
7. #6 Trevor Bayne
8. #24 Chase Elliott
9. #22 Joey Logano
10. #1 Jamie McMurray

Good Sam 500 Update Thread

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 Auto Club 400? 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.