This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Bank of America 500
Location: Concord, N.C.
Course: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 334
Race Preview
Martin Truex Jr. stormed out of the first round of the Chase by taking two of the three wins on offer and narrowly missing a third to Kevin Harvick. The Furniture Row Racing team is firing on all cylinders and now heads back to the scene of their most dominating triumph earlier this season in Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex led 392 of 400 laps there back in May in what was a flawless performance. The team is at the top of their game and is giving the competition plenty of homework. The Toyota-powered Joe Gibbs Racing teams continue to show an advantage over the rest of the field. Penske Racing continues to perform better in race time than in practice and qualifying, while some of the Chevrolet-powered teams are finding some traction in fighting the Toyotas head-to-head during the races. Chris Buescher, Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson's championship hopes were extinguished last week in Dover, and now the final 12 will do battle for another three races to determine the final eight drivers still eligible to win the season title.
Key Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Number of previous races: 115
• Winners from pole: 16
• Winners from top-5 starters: 66
• Winners from top-10 starters: 88
• Winners from 21st or lower starters: 9
• Fastest race: 160.655 mph
Last 10 Charlotte Winners
2016 spring - Martin Truex Jr.
2015 fall - Joey Logano
2015 spring - Carl Edwards
2014 fall - Kevin Harvick
2014 spring - Jimmie Johnson
2013 fall - Brad Keselowski
2013 spring - Kevin Harvick
2012 fall - Clint Bowyer
2012 spring - Kasey Kahne
2011 fall - Matt Kenseth
Charlotte Motor Speedway marks a return to 1.5-mile ovals for Sprint Cup this week. Winning at the track requires horsepower and handling from cars, and no organization seems to have as much of either of those attributes as the Toyota teams. Truex thoroughly dominated the 600-mile event at the circuit in May due to exceptional pace that his car was able to maintain throughout the evening as the track transitioned from day to night. Saturday's race will take place completely at night, which will change chassis dynamics. Fantasy owners shouldn't expect that to sway the balance of power away from Toyota, however. Mistake-free pit stops, making the right chassis adjustments throughout the distance and navigating whatever late-race cautions are thrown in the mix will be paramount to visiting Victory Lane this Saturday. A spot in the final eight awaits a Chase driver who is able to get that job done.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,900
Kevin Harvick - $10,700
Kyle Busch - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Brad Keselowski - $9,800
Matt Kenseth - $9,700
Denny Hamlin - $9,300
Joey Logano - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chase Elliott - $8,900
Austin Dillon - $8,200
Tony Stewart - $7,800
Ryan Blaney - $7,700
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Trevor Bayne - $6,600
Aric Almirola - $6,400
Casey Mears - $5,900
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,900
Kevin Harvick - $10,700
Joey Logano - $9,700
Jamie McMurray - $7,600
A.J. Allmendinger - $6,900
Michael Annett - $4,800
It isn't a stretch to put Truex at the top of the lower-risk lineup this week in Charlotte. He dominated the 600-mile race at the track earlier this season and is currently the hottest driver on the circuit. Harvick's win in New Hampshire was followed by a bust at Dover, but that doesn't make him a bad play this week. Harvick has three Charlotte wins along with consecutive runner-up finishes there heading into this week's race. The defending winner of the Bank of America 500 is Logano who also hasn't finished worse than 11th in any of the last eight races, which makes him a solid option for the lower-risk lineup. McMurray may be out of the Chase, but he has finished inside the top 20 at the track for eight consecutive races. Charlotte is a circuit where Allmendinger tends to outperform, too. He has three finishes of 16th or better at the circuit in the last four races. Then finally, the last selection for this lineup, Annett, finished better than his starting position in all five of his Charlotte Sprint Cup starts.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Busch - $10,200
Brad Keselowski - $9,800
Denny Hamlin - $9,300
Chase Elliott - $8,900
Trevor Bayne - $6,600
Landon Cassill - $5,100
The higher-risk lineup option for Charlotte puts more emphasis on drivers with upside potential this week. Leading that category is Busch, who finished second in Dover last week and has improved his finish in each of the last six races heading into this weekend. Keselowski has been tallying top results despite not having the fastest equipment. In fact, he has finished in the top five in the last four races. He also finished fifth at Charlotte in May. Another Joe Gibbs Racing representative is Hamlin. This driver has never won at Charlotte but has back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the track. Things have also been going well for Elliott. He remains alive in the Chase and finished eighth at this track in May. Bayne grabbed a top-20 last week in Dover and started 10th at the track in May. A repeat of that speed with better luck in the race should offer him a good finish on Saturday. Lastly, Cassill typically finishes better than his starting position at this week's track.
