Paul Menard

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Gander RV 400 and filling out your daily fantasy NASCAR FanDuel roster is always difficult for the track affectionately known as the Tricky Triangle. This 2-and-a-half-mile, three-turn course is one of the most unique on the NASCAR schedule, making it a track that some drivers have a knack for — and others not so much.

Eighteen races down, 18 races to go. The 2019 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway kicks off the second half of NASCAR’s 36-race schedule, one of the longest in sports (February through November). Technically, just eight races remain in the regular season before the 10-race playoff kicks in to crown the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.

The biggest news in NASCAR this weekend may not have come from the 2019 FireKeepers Casino 400. Instead, it happened over 1,000 miles away in a Gander Outdoors Truck Series race in Fort Worth, Texas.

That’s where 49-year-old Greg Biffle, the former NASCAR star won in his first race back in the sport since Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2016. Biffle, the 2000 Truck Series champion, earned $50,000 for the Triple Truck Challenge and put himself in position for more opportunities.

The 2019 NASCAR season begins on Sunday, Feb. 17, with the running of the 61st Daytona 500. Millions around the country will begin their fantasy leagues, daily fantasy participation in the sport and start gambling on the race winner. It’s a phenomenon the sport hasn’t ignored: NASCAR hired Sportsradar Integrity Services to help shape a gambling policy in the wake of legalization across the United States.

Kansas is a state known for its tornadic activity; just look to the Wizard of Oz for proof. But don’t worry about such windy weather affecting NASCAR this weekend. Turns out the tornado already tore through this sport in the form of a four-car Ford freight train at Talladega last Sunday.