Pocono Raceway will play host to the 21st race of the 2022 NASCAR season, and the starting lineup is set for what is sure to be a great race.
Kurt Busch qualified tenth but hit the wall hard in the final lap of qualifiers, causing significant rear damage to the car that will require him to race in his backup car this afternoon.
Denny Hamlin will sit in pole position for the third time in 2022, completing the fastest lap at 169.991 mph. Teammate Kyle Busch will start next to him on the front line, representing two of my three top contenders, while Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson will occupy the row behind them.
NASCAR DFS Picks for M$M’s Fan Appreciation 400
All six Toyota cars in the race will begin in the Top 11, setting up plenty of team-racing opportunities on the 2.5-mile track. There is plenty of value on the board for this afternoon’s race, so let’s take a look.
FanDuel Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Michael McDowell | $5,200 | 25 |
| Austin Cindric | $6,500 | 20 |
| Ricky Stenhouse | $6,200 | 19 |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,500 | 24 |
| Ross Chastain | $11,000 | 21 |
DraftKings Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Michael McDowell | $6,500 | 25 |
| Erik Jones | $7,600 | 34 |
| Justin Haley | $6,100 | 30 |
| Kevin Harvick | $9,000 | 24 |
| Ross Chastain | $10,000 | 21 |
Michael McDowell has had an up-and-down season, finishing as high as third at Sonoma, and has enjoyed some career success at 2.5-mile tracks. His QP of 25 and low salary on both sites make him a friendly lineup builder this afternoon.
Kevin Harvick and Ross Chastain both have high salaries, but their qualifying positions of 24 and 21 put them squarely in play as values in Pocono. And Erik Jones took a penalty which will place him in 34th, but he had an outstanding run in qualifiers and should place much higher than that.
Here are two lineups I plan to play in GPP contests this afternoon:
FanDuel Lineup
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | $13,500 | 3 |
| Ross Chastain | $11,000 | 21 |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,500 | 24 |
| Erik Jones | $6,000 | 34 |
| Michael McDowell | $5,200 | 25 |
| TOTAL | $46,200 |
DraftKings Lineup
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Truex Jr | $10,300 | 8 |
| Chase Elliott | $10,100 | 3 |
| Kevin Harvick | $9,000 | 24 |
| Erik Jones | $7,600 | 34 |
| Michael McDowell | $6,500 | 25 |
| Justin Haley | $6,100 | 30 |
| TOTAL | $49,600 |
I’m hosting another free FanDuel contest today – congrats to hotrodmafia on their win last week! This is an easy and fun way to try your hand at a NASCAR contest for some bragging rights and learn how it makes the races a little more interesting. If you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts, hit me up on Twitter at @thewonkypenguin. And, as always, good luck!