Last weekend, NASCAR raced the longest race in the sport’s history. This weekend the series heads to Madison, Illinois for the Enjoy Illinois 300. Which will also be a new milestone for the Cup Series. For the first time in NASCAR Cup Series history, a race will be held at the World Wide Technology Raceway. It is a brand new experience for the Cup Series teams, but drivers from the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series have raced here in the past. Among the drivers who have competed at this track are Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain. All of them have won here either in Xfinity or Trucks.
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Practice & Qualifying
Track time will be increased by half an hour this week. NASCAR Cup teams will have a lengthy 50-minute practice session Friday night to familiarize themselves with the brand new track. Additionally, there will be no grouping in practice. During qualifying, each driver will complete a timed lap. There will be five drivers from each group advancing to the second round, where the remaining 10 will compete for the Busch Light Pole. Even though Cup teams have never been to WWT Raceway, this weekend’s tire package will be familiar. As in Phoenix and Richmond, Goodyear will supply teams with the same left and right-side tires.
This week, the Money Train delves into the DFS options for Sunday’s Cup Series event in Madison, Illinois. The selections are broken down between high salary, mid-range, and value play. Included are player salaries from both FanDuel (FD) and DraftKings (DK). Best of luck to everyone with lineups this weekend.
High Salary
Kyle Busch (13,500 FD | 10,900 DK)
After a very successful month of May, Busch comes into June with plenty of momentum. Last weekend, Busch gave teammate Hamlin all he could handle on those final two laps. However, he just didn’t have enough to seal it. He’s continued to push himself to the front and challenge for wins, leading laps in the last four races. Most notably he led 103 laps at Dover. While Rowdy does have just the one visit to Madison, it was a significant race nonetheless. During a nine-win Xfinity title run, he picked up his only track win in 2009 by leading 90 laps.
Ross Chastain (11,500 FD | 10,000 DK)
Following 153 laps of dominance, Chastain couldn’t complete the almost six-hour marathon, crashing out on the front stretch. Although he finished 17th last weekend, he still earned 102.95 points, topping the second-best performer by 18 points. A career first, he participated in the WWTR for the first time in 2019. It was clear that he was fully prepared for the experience since he went on to win the race after leading 21 laps. He has consistently assembled the performances to challenge for wins this season, even if it’s been three years since he won at WWTR. With a cost of 10,000 on DraftKings, he’s a big investment. Yet it wouldn’t be surprising if he again dominated for the second week in a row.
Mid-Range
Kevin Harvick (8,000 FD | 8,500 DK)
As expected, the Coca-Cola 600 would be a war of attrition. Approximately 90 laps of cautions would take place throughout the race. Harvick was relatively problem-free throughout the day, which would pay dividends by the end of the event. After starting as far back as 18th he leapfrogged 15 other drivers to grab a third-place finish. To show that last week wasn’t just some fluke. Three weeks ago at Darlington, he would roll to a fourth-place finish after coming from the back.
It’s been 12 years since Harvick last visited WWTR as an Xfinity driver, in which he rolled to a 16th-place finish. However, it’s the experience he’s gained over the majority of the field that is noteworthy. In five starts over ten years, he picked up back-to-back wins. Only Keselowski has started that many races at WWTR. A top-six finish could be in the cards this weekend so get him in those lineups.
Value Play
Kurt Busch (7,500 FD | 8,200 DK)
Busch’s victory at Kansas was a milestone in his career for 23XI Racing, winning them their second ever race as a NASCAR organization. But now that the novelty has worn off, Busch must step up the pace. With rough showings at Darlington and Charlotte recently, he’s a driver in need of a boost. WWTR is only 1.25 miles in size, which should suit his racing style to a tee. His success on Intermediate tracks is still notable.
Two of his best runs this season came in Phoenix and Atlanta. Both of those events take place on intermediate tracks. Of the last 11 races run at an Intermediate track, Busch has accounted for seven top-eight finishes. A qualifying position in that top 18 would suit perfectly. At just 8,200 on DraftKings, he’s worthy of a punt this weekend.
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