This week’s Monster Energy Cup race is the Quaker State 400, which will be held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. It’s worth mentioning that Kentucky Speedway has hosted six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races and so far, Chevrolet has yet to win a single time. That’s something to think about as you set your DFS lineup in this spot.
Going into the race, you might say that Danica Patrick is a driver with momentum these days. Although it’s not showing in wins and losses, but her pass differential has improved. It was a paltry negative 63 through the first nine races of the season but it is up to a positive 22 over her last eight starts. She’s passed 289 cars in his last eight.
On the flip side, a driver who has struggled of late is Joey Logano. Over his last eight races, his average finish is a lousy 23.5. By the way, Patrick’s average finish in that same span is 25.5 and that includes crashing out of four races. However, Logano’s price will cost you much more than Patrick’s in DFS. He was expected to contend for a championship this season but at this point, he’s on the outside of the playoffs looking in. He needs to get it together and make up some ground. We’re taking a shot with him in this spot but we’re nervous about it.
Of note, Brad Keselowski is the defending champion here, and he is one of two must-have drivers this week for your DraftKings lineup.
Kyle Busch – $10,200
Busch is the other must-have driver this week as he has won two Cup races at Kentucky, along with two Xfinity races and two Trucks races as well. Prior to Daytona, Busch had three top-10s in a row going, and he has yet to get a win this season. Look for Busch to even more aggressive than he usually is at a place where he is really good.
Brad Keselowski – $10,100
Keselowski has three Cup wins at Kentucky, along with a pair of Xfinity wins and he is coming off a 31st-place finish at Daytona. Keselowski already has a pair of wins this season, so he is good for the Chase, but that means he can take a few more risks if he wants to. His finishing average in six Cup races here is 8.2, which is tied for second behind Busch’s 5.2.
Matt Kenseth – $9,100
Kenseth is tied with Busch at the top of the finishing-average list at 5.2, and he is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all six Kentucky Cup races. But things are starting to get sticky for Kenseth, who won here in 2013 and is the only drive besides Busch and Keselowski to do so. He is 11th in the standings, but he doesn’t have a win and that would go a long way this week. He also has two finishes of 20th or worst in a row after finishing 27th at Daytona.
Joey Logano – $9,000
Logano has never won a Cup race at Kentucky, but he has won three Xfinity races, all in a row from 2008 to 2010 in the spring race. He also has a starting average of 9.0 in Cup races and 15.0 as a finishing average. Logano is coming off a 35th-place run at Daytona, but at restrictor-plate tracks, danger is always around the corner, so don’t put too much into that. He’ll be back this week.
Kurt Busch – $8,100
Busch has an average finish of 10.0 at Kentucky and while he is 14th in the standings, his win in the Daytona 500 makes things a lot less stressful for him. He did finish 28th at Daytona, but again, it’s Daytona, so don’t worry too much about that. Besides, he isn’t an expensive choice for your DraftKings lineup.
Kasey Kahne – $7,700
Kahne is also a solid value pick with an average finish of 12.5 at Kentucky. Even though he has been mediocre and hasn’t finished higher than 15th in nine races (counting the All-Star Race), you should give him a spin if you need someone to fill out your lineup. This could be the race where Kahne turns it around.
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