DFS NASCAR: NASCAR All-Star Race

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Published on July 15, 2020

NASCAR All-Star Race

Location: Bristol, Tenn.
Course: Bristol Motor Speedway
Format: 0.53-mile oval
Laps: 140

Race Preview

NASCAR's traditional All-Star Race takes on a new look and venue for 2020. This year the All-Star Open and All-Star Race will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time in history. The races also will be a mid-week showdown sandwiched between two race weekends as the series continues to catch up after shutting down for the pandemic in the early weeks of the season. Kyle Larson won last years All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway after also winning the Open earlier in the evening to sweep the night's victories. He won't be back to defend his title this week, and the rest of the field has to face a new track for the traditional showcase. The series has already visited Bristol once this season and Brad Keselowski won that race from pole.

Key All-Star Race Stats

Number of previous races: 35
Winners from pole: 4
Winners from top-5 starters: 20
Winners from top-10 starters: 25
Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2

Wednesday night's visit to Bristol for the All-Star Race will feature the same rules package the teams have been racing on short tracks with in 2020. There will be some unique features to spice up the action, though. First, the series is trying a new position for the numbers on the sides of the car to allow for more room for sponsors. Another cosmetic change will be colored lights underneath the cars to create a glowing visual effect on the track under the lights. The main competition change will be the introduction of the "choose cone" rule. The rule effectively allows ever driver in the field to choose which lane they will start in on restarts versus just the leader. The stage lengths for the All-Star Open will be 35/35/15 where each stage winner will advance to the All-Star Race in addition to the winner of the fan vote. The main event stage lengths will then be 55/35/35/15 with yellow-flag laps counting toward the totals except for the final 15 laps where only the green-flag laps will count. There will also be an unlimited number of attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS

Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)

DraftKings Tier 1 Values

Kevin Harvick - $10,400
Denny Hamlin - $10,100
Chase Elliott - $9,700
Joey Logano - $9,400

DraftKings Tier 2 Values

Kyle Busch - $9,100
Jimmie Johnson - $8,800
Brad Keselowski - $8,600
Martin Truex Jr. - $8,300

DraftKings Tier 3 Values

Ryan Blaney - $8,000
Kurt Busch - $7,600
Erik Jones - $7,200

DraftKings Long-Shot Values

Aric Almirola - $6,600
Matt DiBenedetto - $6,400
Alex Bowman - $6,300

MY PICKS THIS WEEK

Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)

Chase Elliott - $9,700
Joey Logano - $9,400
Kyle Busch - $9,100
Ryan Blaney - $8,000
Kurt Busch - $7,600
Cole Custer - $5,800

The lower-risk lineup for Wednesday's All-Star Race relies solely on drivers already qualified for the main event. Chase Elliott (DK $9,700, FD $11,500) will be starting deeper in the pack in 13th, but he led 88 laps at Bristol earlier this year and has consistently been one of the fastest cars all year. Joey Logano (DK $9,400, FD $11,000) will start one spot ahead of Elliott in 12th and was battling Elliott in the final laps at Bristol before colliding with one another. This mid-week race could be an opportunity for Kyle Busch (DK $9,100, FD $12,500) to get back on track. He has yet to find Victory Lane this season and is running out of time to do so before the playoffs begin. A win in this race wouldn't make a difference in the championship, but he could use it as a springboard to finish out the regular season with renewed confidence. He has won eight times at this track. Like Elliott, Ryan Blaney (DK $8,000, FD $10,000) has also had one of the quickest cars this season. A return visit to Bristol could be a great opportunity for him after leading 60 laps at the track earlier this season before crashing. Another multi-time Bristol race winner is Kurt Busch (DK $7,600, FD $8,000). Busch has been on the periphery of the top five for much of the season and finished seventh at Bristol already this season. The newest winner in the NASCAR Cup series, Cole Custer (DK $5,800, FD $5,500), earns an automatic entry into Wednesday's main event and will start eighth with a huge boost of confidence following him impressive win last week at Kentucky.

Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)

Denny Hamlin - $10,100
Jimmie Johnson - $8,800
Brad Keselowski - $8,600
Martin Truex Jr. - $8,300
Christopher Bell - $7,400
Aric Almirola - $6,600

Denny Hamlin (DK $10,100, FD $13,000) will start 15th on Wednesday, has four wins so far this season, and has two prior Bristol wins. He won the 2015 All-Star Race. Jimmie Johnson (DK $8,800, FD $7,000) was again running inside the top five when bad luck hit and knocked him out of contention last week. This will likely be his last All-Star appearance and going out with another win would be an excellent addition to a storied career. Brad Keselowski (DK $8,600, FD $12,000) picked up one of his 2020 wins at Bristol already this season. That was his third Bristol win and he will start ninth. Martin Truex Jr. (DK $8,300, FD $10,500) has never won at Bristol, but he has turned his career on the short tracks around in recent seasons. He is the pole sitter for Wednesday night's exhibition. Christopher Bell and Aric Almirola both have to earn their way into the All-Star Race by winning an Open stage or advancing through the fan vote. Bell finished ninth at Bristol earlier this year despite starting 35th, which suggests he knows how to get to the front and could potentially advance with a stage win. Finally, Aric Almirola has been on a tear in recent weeks with four top-fives and five top-10s from the last five races. With that record he should also be in contention to win an Open stage and has a front-row starting position to help him along the way.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. C.J. Radune plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: cjradune, RaceDayScore: cjradune.