FanDuel NASCAR DFS Picks for the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis

If you are looking for an action-packed way to consume sports on the weekend, NASCAR may be a great avenue to explore. Far from just driving in circles, some of the world's best compete nearly every weekend from February to November on tracks across America.

NASCAR drivers are scored ultimately based on how they finish in the race, how many spots they advance from their starting position, and how many laps they finish and lead. Avoiding drivers who crash out of the race is a must, though!

In addition to this helper, I've also got my best NASCAR bets for Indy on the site, as well.

With all of this in mind, let's preview this weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indy from the perspective of playing daily fantasy NASCAR on FanDuel.

Best NASCAR DFS Plays for Brickyard 400 at Indy

High-Salaried DFS Picks

Denny Hamlin ($14,000)

Denny Hamlin wrecked in qualifying, so he'll start all the way in the back in a backup car. Thus, his place-differential potential is through the roof.

There's always thought to fading an obvious pick like this in tournaments because we know their roster rate will be high. But Indianapolis isn't some sort of wreck fest, which reduces variance, and Hamlin's primary car was fast in practice. Assuming they can transfer that setup to the backup, he should be able to pick his way through traffic.

Hamlin's a must-have for cash games, and I think I'd want to find other slots to differentiate in tournaments.

William Byron ($13,000)

My model's simulations absolutely adore William Byron, and he'll have easy access to the front after qualifying sixth. That gives him laps-led upside even in a race where that's less of a priority with just 160 scheduled laps.

Byron nearly won Michigan and has generally had great speed on faster tracks this year. Thus, even though it's cumbersome to use both him and Hamlin in the same lineup due to their lofty salaries, I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff.

Mid-Range DFS Picks

Ryan Blaney ($11,500)

It'd be hard to use Ryan Blaney in a Hamlin plus Byron lineup, but he's a decent salary-saving alternative. Blaney will start back in 24th after posting poor times in practice, so it's possible his setup is just off. But he's a good driver with a team capable of making in-race improvements, so he still has upside.

Carson Hocevar ($8,000)

Carson Hocevar's not an amazing cash-game play as he'll start 8th, but he can win this race at a mid-range salary. He was fast in practice and had a potential race-winning car in both Pocono and Michigan. I'm willing to take on his risk when the tradeoff is that kind of upside.

Others to Consider

• Alex Bowman ($8,200): Not great practice speed but will start 21st, so good place-differential upside.
• Ross Chastain ($7,200): Awful in practice but will start 33rd. Will have 160 laps to right the ship and finish well.

Value DFS Plays

John Hunter Nemechek ($6,000)

John Hunter Nemechek had issues during qualifying and will start 36th. But, whew baby, was he fast in practice as he led my model's 5- and 10-lap splits. Legacy MC has been at its best on high-speed tracks, so JHN is in play for both cash games and tournaments this weekend.

Michael McDowell ($5,800)

Michael McDowell will start 22nd but was top-10 in both the 5- and 10-lap practice splits of my model. He hasn't been able to match the speed of his teammate, Hocevar, on the big, fast tracks this year, but he did finish seventh in Charlotte and 16th in Vegas. He's a high-floor place-differential option.

Others to Consider

• Erik Jones ($6,200): Starting third, so tournaments-only, but he's a dark-horse consideration to win this race.
• Austin Cindric ($6,800): A safer option than Jones as he'll start 10th, but Cindric also has the potential to win this thing if he can put a full race together.
• Zane Smith ($4,000): Will start 27th but had better speed in practice and had a great car in Michigan this year.

Looking to play daily fantasy NASCAR? Check out the FanDuel Daily Fantasy NASCAR contests on FanDuel.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.