2018 DraftKings Fantasy Racing Foxwoods 301 Predictions

On Sunday, NASCAR returns for the running of the Foxwoods 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. However before the first engines fire this week, I wanted to take the time to bring back our mid-week fantasy racing predictions for the first time this year. Each week I mention fantasy advice in my prediction previews after I have had time to analyze certain aspects of practice speeds and feel that I have a strong understanding towards the drivers that will excel in race trim. From a fantasy perspective if you are like me, you probably overreact each week to qualifying results as you seek coveted place differential points that entails NASCAR scoring with Draftkings. While place differential is an essential aspect to review before finalizing fantasy rosters, I have found that some of my most successful lineups come in the instances I lock down a lineup early in the week. Therefore, I would like to bring back our mid-week NASCAR fantasy racing predictions as we focus on current form, driving styles, and ultimately track history to compile the best mid-week lineups. We will keep a tally of how successful these early predictions are each week and make this content recurring each week. With that being said, here are our 2018 Draftkings Fantasy Racing Foxwoods 301 early predictions! Also be sure to check back after practices as I finalize my final thoughts and driver predictions for the Foxwoods 301!

My initial thoughts for compiling my early lineup this week is that I must have Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr as my top tier drivers. We all know how strong the “Big 3” have been this season and that trend will likely continue. When it comes to Loudon, Kyle Busch has been simply incredible. He won the most recent stop at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September of last year to earn his 3rd career victory on the Magic Mile. More importantly for fantasy purposes, he has produced an average driver rating of +115 with a total 418 laps led over the last 4 races in Loudon. If you also take into account Joe Gibbs Racing’s success at Loudon with wins in 5 of the last 6 races and combine that factor with the #18 team’s current form, Kyle Busch is a must-have driver. Likewise, I believe Martin Truex Jr is a must-have driver. Truex has yet to win at New Hampshire but he has been very close in the last few races. In fact, Truex has led at least 100 laps in each of the past 4 races at Loudon. On top of that factor, I can’t overlook the long run speed that the #78 continues to have on a weekly basis and long run speed is extremely important at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is easy to burn the rear tires off the car at this place because corner exit is so important. If the rear tires are not into the track from a setup standpoint or the driver abuses the tires on corner exit, it will be disastrous towards keeping speed throughout the run. Therefore, long run speed will always be the ultimate premium and that is where this #78 team has been strongest.

For the rest of my lineup, I am making the best out of my salary cap. I am personally expecting Kurt Busch to run well. He has 3 victories at Loudon and we know the Stewart-Haas guys have speed. The risk for Busch is that he has several bad finishes mixed in with the good finishes at New Hampshire throughout his career. One of the best value plays this week will likely be Daniel Suarez with a mere $7,100 price tag. Suarez finished in the top 10 in both of his starts last year as a rookie and he is a part of that dynamic JGR speed that excels at this racetrack. Another top 10 finish is not out of the question and I am not sure if anyone else will have that opportunity under $8,000. You could make the argument for Matt Kenseth due to his incredible track record at Loudon. However, Kenseth is no longer surrounded by the nucleus of that former success with JGR and is now with a #6 team that has struggled greatly throughout the year to compete for top 20 finishes. Instead, I decided to fill out the remainder of my roster with David Ragan and William Byron. Ragan has been quietly performing really well in recent weeks. Ragan provides one of those lower salary cap reliefs that may can squeeze out 30-40 points with a good run. Meanwhile, Byron is a flier. He fits within the salary cap and has run well on flatter surfaces. Therefore, fire up a gamble on the #24 machine for our final spot to lock in our first early lineup.