The NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville is on Sunday, and DraftKings is offering a new way to play fantasy NASCAR. The game is simple. Build a “Pick Set” (2+ drivers) and decide if they will outperform their stat projections. Here is some advice to help build your DraftKings Pick6 Pick Sets for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville.
Denny Hamlin | Projected Finish: 3.5
Pick6 Play: Worse
Going against Denny Hamlin has not been a profitable proposition. It seems like a really bad idea for one of his best tracks. He won the last race at the concrete track. It was an exhibition. Winning the All-Star race at Dover paid well, but it didn’t really mean much. The race was filled with gimmicks, but nonetheless Hamlin had speed.
Why fade Hamlin? It has nothing to do with Hamlin. His stats are rock solid like the concrete he’ll be racing on in Nashville. This pick has little room for error, but neither does a projected finish of 3.5. Hamlin can’t make a mistake. The field’s stat sheet is just as good and several Nashville hitmakers are starting toward the front of the grid. This feels more like a Bristol bring-back — Hamlin finished ninth at the concrete short track — than a Dover do-over.
Kyle Larson | Projected Finish: 6.5
Pick6 Play: Better
The line leans with Larson in Lebanon, Tennessee. Larson’s numbers are just as good as Hamlin’s. After qualifying was rained out, Larson starts fifth, just two rows behind pole sitter Denny Hamlin. Their practice speeds were similar, too. Basically, they’re the same pick. Two masters of concrete, but one needs a podium and the other needs a top-six finish.
Take the value with Larson. In five Nashville races, Larson’s average finish is fifth with a win and three top-five finishes. Last season, Larson recorded his worst Nashville finish. Yung Money finished eighth, but he started 28th.
Daniel Suarez Finishing Position: 15.5
Pick6 Play: Worse
The Coca-Cola 600 win was a fluke. No disrespect to Suarez, Spire Motorsports or Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mother Nature shortened every race last weekend. Suarez gambled. The rain came back. Suarez and Spire won another rain-shortened crown jewel event.
His starting position and projection are inflated by a belief in momentum. Recency bias is the only reason the Memorial Day Weekend race winner is on the board. If Suarez were still racing for Trackhouse Racing, the story would be different. Trackhouse is the hometown team. They have a facility in downtown Nashville. Suarez drove Nashville stock cars that received extra attention in the past. For Spire, this is just another week. And it follows a big week. Believe in the hangover.
For NASCAR insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@Race4thePrize) on Twitter.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
