The NASCAR Cup Series was one of the first major sports to return to action during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson has been diagnosed with the disease and will miss today’s 27th Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The starting lineup is set for today’s race, so let’s dive deeper into the strategy and choices for one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races.
NASCAR at Indianapolis DraftKings DFS Strategy
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Today’s race will be similar to Pocono’s in terms of strategy. We will see multiple potentially different career strategies and leaders. The big difference: It is even more difficult to pass in Indianapolis than in Pocono. That makes the dominators a little more meaningful at Indy than at Pocono, but as always, the dynamics of the race can change with a single caution.
The 2.5 mile layout of the track means horsepower remains the king, so don’t expect any marker to back down to the front. We want to stack our alignment with as many top-level controllers as possible, which means that a balanced approach to creating alignments makes sense.
All the best drivers are up for grabs, but my favorites to win are Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. These drivers are in my dominating group, along with the top two drivers listed below.
NASCAR at Indianapolis DraftKings DFS Picks
Joey Logano ($ 9200) – I don’t love writing pole-sitter on a large track where strategy often comes into play, but I think this is an exception. Unless Logano has a pretty dull car, I hope he will lead the first stage of this race.
Indianapolis is a notoriously difficult track to beat, and Logano will have the advantage over Kurt Busch, who starts second, and Alex Bowman, who starts third. I also don’t expect Justin Allgaier (starting fourth) or Aric Almirola (starting fifth) to challenge Logano for the early lead.
Photo by Brian Lawdermilk / Getty Images. In the photo: Joey Logano, driver of the # 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Clint Bowyer, driver of the # 14 Rush / Mobil Delvac 1 Ford
It’s very possible that the strategy will catch Logano, so I wouldn’t go crazy here, but a 30% exposure seems reasonable for a driver who could lead the first third of this race.
Kyle Busch ($ 10,400) – Busch is a two-time winner in Indianapolis. His DNF on a similar track, Pocono, last weekend could sour some DFS players. However, Busch had a top five result in Pocono’s first race, and was running within the top 10 at the end of the first stage of Pocono’s second race.
With no wins in 2020, Busch’s property may look depressed on a track where it shines.
Matt DiBenedetto ($ 8300) – The Indianapolis Cup race has had some surprise winners over the years, and DiBenedetto fits the mold of a driver who could accomplish that feat.
Drivers like Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard have had good, but not great, races. However, each of these drivers won at Indy.
DiBenedetto just finished 13th and 6th at Pocono, and has a previous eighth place finish in Indianapolis while driving for underfunded Go Fas Racing in 2017. DiBenedetto is 15th, so it shouldn’t be exceptionally high.
He has the power of Penske, who is the best in the business, to guide him through 400 miles on a high powered track.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($ 7200) – This won’t be the most popular choice in NASCAR DFS circles, but I’m willing to go the extra mile for Stenhouse. He’s been awful at Indianapolis throughout his career, but he’s a bit results-oriented considering he hasn’t had an incident-free finish since 2016, when he finished 12th.
Stenhouse begins the furthest part of the mid-level drivers drawing the starting positions from 13th to 24th place, and had two solid results at Pocono, averaging a finish of 16th place. I’m not expecting a great Stenhouse day, but I think your chance of a good finish is greater than your property will end up being.
