Daily Fantasy NASCAR - Drivers to target in Indianapolis

— -- This week, one of the crown jewels of the NASCAR schedule takes place as we get 400 miles of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (aka the Brickyard). The track is flat, but the long straightaways create really high speeds, so horsepower is emphasized.

Last week in this column, I said I was starting my team with Brad Keselowski, and if you followed me to freedom, he was the only driver to put up more than 100 points. In my weekend post-qualifying column, I also said to buy high on Kyle Busch and consider Kevin Harvick if you thought you could work with his high price tag. Those drivers made up the rest of the top three in fantasy points.

My blue-light specials of Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Aric Almirola all were among the top-10 points earners of the weekend as well. Now, if I could only quit you, Kyle Larson.

Indianapolis only hosts one Sprint Cup race a year, and its unique mix of tight, flat turns and long straightaways is reminiscent of Pocono, where the series ran just last month. There's prestige in this race, but I'm going to put a lot of importance on practice and qualifying to see who has the ponies under their hoods needed to win.

Here's a starter course, but check back over the weekend to see who caught my eye in qualifying and practice.

I'm starting my team with ...

I imagine the price tag will be hefty again, but I like Harvick to start. He's a former Brickyard winner (albeit back in 2003), and the pole sitter last year. His Indy numbers aren't wildly impressive: Dating back to 2009, he's averaged the seventh-most points per race among drivers with multiple starts, but stick with me, since this is a new Kevin Harvick.

In the June race at Pocono, Harvick might have finished second to Martin Truex Jr., but he ran more fastest laps than Truex, so I like his raw speed more.

And Harvick remains incredibly consistent with fantasy points. Throw out his Michigan race (in which he led 63 laps but cut a tire), and he's scored more than 50 points in every race this season. After a three-race stretch in which he didn't lead (two of those were at oddball tracks: Sonoma and Daytona), he led 59 laps and had 56 fastest laps last week at New Hampshire.

If you budget wisely, Harvick can lead your team.

Keep an eye on these four ... 

Jeff Gordon: Gordon's making his last start at the Brickyard this weekend, but this pick isn't about nostalgia. It's about looking at who has won at Indy five times and is the defending champion. Over the last four years at Indianapolis, Gordon's averaged 68.75 points a race, 10 more than any other driver. Gordon rebounded nicely last week at New Hampshire after a subpar qualifying effort, and is in need of a win to cement his Chase berth.

Kyle Busch: I'm going to keep riding that wave of momentum. Busch is now at three wins in four races, so this team's running on all cylinders. There's evidence to show that this will keep up at Indianapolis. Busch is the only driver to top 50 points in each of the last five Brickyard races. Don't let the lack of laps led make you shy away either; he's had speed. His 47 fastest laps in the last three Indy races are the third-most in the field.

Jimmie Johnson: Don't automatically pencil him into your lineup --  even though he's a four-time Brickyard winner -- but definitely keep an eye on him as teams log laps this weekend. He has potential for big points as proved by the 101.75 he would've put up in his 2012 win, or the 74 he had in 2013. But last year, he was a nonfactor, didn't lead a lap, didn't record a fastest lap, started 11th and finished 14th. Boring and un-Jimmie like. He has two of the top four single-race totals at Indianapolis since NASCAR began tracking the scoring stats in 2005. So there's a wide range for expectations.

Kasey Kahne: Kahne's having a rough season, and I wouldn't fault you at all if you shied away from him based solely on the fact that he hasn't reached 15 fantasy points in the last three races. Hear me out: He's running essentially the same equipment as Harvick, Gordon and Johnson, he's a two-time Pocono winner and he's recorded at least 20 fastest laps in three of the last four Indianapolis races. At a half-point per FLR, that's a nice bonus. He has led 70 laps this year, and his value probably is going to be around an average driver. If he shows strength in practice, jump on him.