Daily Fantasy NASCAR Race Preview & Picks for DraftKings - Alabama 500 DFSR is proud to bring you Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly NASCAR picks, analysis and a FREE cheatsheet and video to help you cash on DraftKings. Playing other DFS sports? Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Want to learn some about MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered. Alabama 500 Talladega Superspeedway - Talladega, AL Track - 2.66 Mile Tri Oval Martin Truex Jr. picked up the win in the opening race of the second round and padded his overall lead. The big change in this year's playoffs was the movement of Talladega as the elimination race to the second race in this round. There has even been talk among the driver's council for it to be moved to the final race of the regular season which would, no doubt, bring fireworks and many more drivers into the mix for the Playoffs moving forward. Talladega and Daytona and the only two restrictor plate races on the schedule and are very unpredictable as the "Big One" is always in everyone's mind. Unlike years past, drivers can no longer just hang out at the back of the pack in an attempt to stay out of the chaos as stage racing has changed that as the Top 10 drivers in each stage receive points which can be crucial, especially int he Playoffs. For fantasy, dominator points are somewhat out the window as there have been at least 14 drivers to lead a lap in each of the last six races and only two drivers over the last four races to lead more than 50 laps. The big thing in these restrictor plate races is moist definitely place differential as there have been at least 12 drivers over the last three Talladega races to gain double-digit place differential. Starting inside the Top 10 isn't as big of a deal here as there have not been more than four drivers to start there and finish there over the last six races. With all that said, let's take a look at some of the trends going into this weeks race.  Last Six Winners at Talladega 2017 Race #1 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(started 1st, led 14 laps) 2016 Race #2 - Joey Logano(started 16th, led 45 laps) 2016 Race #1 - Brad Keselowski(started 7th, le 46 laps) 2015 Race #2 - Joey Logano(started 10th, led 20 laps) 2015 Race #1 - Dale Earnhardt Jr.(started 4th,...

Daily Fantasy NASCAR Race Preview & Picks for DraftKings - Bank of America 500 DFSR is proud to bring you Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly NASCAR picks, analysis and a FREE cheatsheet and video to help you cash on DraftKings. Playing other DFS sports? Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Want to learn some about MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered. Bank of America 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway - Concord, NC Track - 1.5 Mile Intermediate (24° of Banking) One round down, three to go before the Monster Energy Cup Series Champion will be crowned. Four drivers(Newman, Dillon, Kahne, Kurt Busch) were eliminated as we enter the round of 12 that starts this week at a familiar track, Charlotte Motor Speedway. The second round is similar to the first as drivers and teams get three chances to pick up a win and advance on to round three. As I mentioned at the start of the playoffs, each driver who has gained a "Playoff Point" throughout the season and the first round will carry those over through this round and next. Before getting into the trends and pre-qualifying picks, let's take a look at the 12 drivers and their point totals going into the Bank of America 500 this Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. (3059) Kyle Busch (3041) Kyle Larson (3034) Brad Keselowski (3020) Jimmie Johnson (3017) Kevin Harvick (3015) Denny Hamlin (3013) Ricky Stenhoue Jr. (3010) Ryan Blaney (3008) Chase Elliott (3006) Matt Kenseth (3005) Jamie McMurray (3003) The biggest takeaway from the standings above is the gap between first and 12th thanks to those Playoffs Points. Martin Truex Jr. has nearly a full race advantage over the bottom four drivers and while you would think that would allow him to somewhat sit back and play it safe, I see it the other way. I think it allows him, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson to be extra aggressive when fighting for a win as they can afford a DNF with such a big buffer in points. Let's now take a look at some of the trends going into this weeks race. Last Six Winners at Charlotte 2017 Coca-Cola 600 - Austin Dillon(started 22nd, led 2 laps) 2016 Bank of America 500 - Jimmie Johnson(started 11th, led 155 laps) 2016 Coca-Cola 600 - Martin Truex Jr.(started 1st, led 392 laps) 2015 Bank of America 500 - Joey Logano(started 3rd, led 227 laps) 2015 Coca-Cola 600 - Carl Edwards(started 3rd, led 25...

Daily Fantasy NASCAR Race Preview & Picks for DraftKings - Apache Warrior 400 DFSR is proud to bring you Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly NASCAR picks, analysis and a FREE cheatsheet and video to help you cash on DraftKings. Playing other DFS sports? Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Want to learn some about MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered. Apache Warrior 400 Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE Track - One Mile Oval Laps - 400 This week the Monster Energy Cup Series travels to Dover for the first elimination race of the 2017 Playoffs. Kyle Busch dominated New Hampshire last week grabbing the checkered the flag and joined Martin Truex Jr. as the first two drivers to advance to the Round of 12. Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski also clinched their way into the next round on points which leaves just eight spots available this Sunday. Before getting into the race trends, let's take a look at the drivers sitting on the bubble going into the weekend. Ryan Blaney(2070 pts) Chase Elliot(2070 pts) Kevin Harvick(2069 pts) Jamie McMurray(2053 pts) CUTLINE (Four Drivers will be Eliminated) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(2044 pts) Austin Dillon(2044 pts) Ryan Newman(2043 pts) Kurt Busch(2027 pts) Kasey Kahne(2023 pts) As you can see, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch will need nothing less than a win to move on after poor starts and some bad luck has them sitting at the bottom of the standings. From there, everything is pretty tight within 10 points which is going to lead to some exciting racing on Sunday as every position and point will be ultra-important. Dover International Speedway is a one-mile intermediate track(classification from DriverAverages.com) but the weight on Track Type will be lower this week. This is because the other two tracks(New Hampshire, Phoenix) in this class are flat tracks while Dover is steep with 24° of banking. Some have called Dover a bigger version of Bristol Motor Speedway but for the most part, I will be concentrating on current career track history here. Looking back at the last six races here, there are some very interesting trends to look at when deciding what is important this week. The first that stands out is that place differential is definitely going to be key. Outside of the 2016 and 2014 fall race, there have been at six drivers to pick up double-digit place PD points in the other four races with a crazy 13 back in...

Daily Fantasy NASCAR Race Preview & Picks for DraftKings - ISM Connect 300 DFSR is proud to bring you Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly NASCAR picks, analysis and a FREE cheatsheet and video to help you cash on DraftKings.     Playing other DFS sports? Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Want to learn some about MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.     ISM Connect 300 New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Loudon, NH Track - 1.058 Mile Oval Laps - 300 Race one of the Monster Energy Cup Series Playoffs is in the books and a familiar face picked up the checkered flag. Martin Truex Jr. tallied his fifth win of the season but it didn't come easy as he was hit with a speeding penalty early on followed by an extra trip down pit road due to loose lug nuts. He fought back and even led the second most laps(77) behind early race dominator, Kyle Busch, who led 85 laps en route to winning the first stage. Busch had his own issues in the second stage as a loose wheel forced him down pit road and the #18 team also committed a "crew member over the wall early" penalty that cost him a pass-through penalty. He never made it back on the lead lap and finished 15th. The drivers sitting in the biggest hurt after the first race are Ryan Newman(16th), Kasey Kahne(15th), Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(14th), Kurt Busch(T13), Austin Dillon(T13). Race #2 on the Playoff schedule takes us back to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the final September race here as it will be moved to Las Vegas in 2018. New Hampshire will still host the summer race but money talks and Las Vegas gets its wish with a second race that will open the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Series Playoffs. New Hampshire is a flat 1.058-mile track that puts emphasis on track position. Don't let Kyle Larson starting from the rear and finishing 2nd fog up reality as he is the only driver to start outside the Top 20 and finish Top 10 in the last two races. Over the last six races, there have been only nine drivers to do so while there have been at least six drivers each race to start Top 10 and finish there in five of those races. Another trend I looked closely at on the cheatsheet was the laps led and fast lap leaders over the last...

Daily Fantasy NASCAR Race Preview & Picks for DraftKings - Tales of the Turtles 400 DFSR is proud to bring you Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly NASCAR picks, analysis and a FREE cheatsheet and video to help you cash on DraftKings.     Playing other DFS sports? Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Want to learn some about MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.     Tales of the Turtles 400 Chicagoland Speedway - Joliet, IL Track - 1.5 Mile D Shaped Oval Intermediate Track Laps - 267 Six months and 26 races later the Monster Energy Cup Series has reached the 10 race playoffs. There were 13 drivers who made it in with a win during the regular season and three more got in on points. While the playoff rounds and rules have no effect on our DFS scores, it is important to know what is going on as it can definitely play a large role in motivation when it comes to strategies so let's do a quick overview.  There will be four rounds with three races in each of the first three rounds with the final race at Homestead. Four drivers will be eliminated in each of the first three rounds and any driver who wins a race automatically advances to the next round. During the regular season, drivers earned additional playoff points from either winning a stage or winning a race. These points stay with a drivers total through the first three rounds and all points are reset for the four drivers in the final race. Race number one on the playoff schedule is the Tales for Turtles 400 coming to you from Chicagoland Speedway. Looking over the last six races(on the cheatsheet), there have been only two winners who have started inside the Top 10 but don't be fooled as starting position is definitely important. Only 12 drivers over the last six races who have started outside of the Top 20 have finished with a Top 10(20%). Looking at place differential, the race has changed over the years as 2011 to 2013 saw 27 drivers record double digit PD points but from 2014 to 2016 there were only 13. Of course, it all depends on qualifying but I feel the trend could shift back with this being the first race here with stage racing. Another thing to watch closely is the final two practices and the 10 lap averages as there have been...

Daily Fantasy NASCAR Race Preview & Picks for DraftKings - Federated Auto Parts 400 DFSR is proud to bring you Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly NASCAR picks, analysis and a FREE cheatsheet and video to help you cash on DraftKings.     Playing other DFS sports? Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and Player Lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Want to learn some about MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.     Federated Auto Parts 400 Richmond Raceway - Richmond, VA Track - .75 Mile D Shaped Oval Short Track(14° Banking) Laps - 400 This week the Monster Energy Cup Series returns to Richmond to close out the regular season. It was Joey Logano who won the race back in April but unfortunately, the win was deemed encumbered after the #22 failed post-race inspection with a rear suspension violation. The penalty was definitely felt as Joey now sits outside the playoff bubble and would need a win to sneak into the playoff field. With 13 drivers locked in there are three spots remaining and with Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, and Jamie McMurray sitting comfortably in the points standings, there are 14 drivers(those inside Top 30 in points) who all have a shot to grab the checkered flag and sneak into the playoffs in the final regular season race. This is going to be good. From a fantasy standpoint, we will want to pay close attention to practice and qualifying as each of the last six winners has come from inside the Top 5 starting positions. The trend has shifted from one driver leading the majority of the laps(2014-383, 2015-291, 2015-352) as we have seen two drivers lead 100+ in each of the last two races. It makes more sense now considering the new stage racing and strategies that come with it to get drivers track position. As always, place differential value comes with its downside of high ownership but is a great source of fantasy points here at Richmond. At least 18 drivers have picked up positive place differential points in each of the last six races and 15 drivers have picked up double-digit PD points over the last two races. Let's now take a look at some of the trends going into this weekends race and some early DFS plays. Last Six Winners at 2017 Spring - Joey Logano(started 5th, led 25 laps) 2016 Fall - Denny Hamlin(started 1st, led 189 laps) 2016 Spring - Carl Edwards(started 4th, led 151 laps) 2015 Fall -...