NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series Atlanta 7/10

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway! Atlanta was reconfigured and repaved before the 2022 season and this will be the series’ second race here this year and the first time the NextGen car has been back to a track. Based on what we saw in the Xfinity Serie race on Saturday we may not need to play the PD game and may want to look for 1-2 dominators. It appeared that cars were unable to jump out and run the bottom in Saturday’s race so it could be a “follow the leader” type of race for the majority of Sunday afternoon. I still recommend building multiple lineups and if you can, max out a contest. For more info regarding the race in March check out my weekend preview.

Roster Construction:

Roster construction is kind of all over the place. Both practice and qualifying were rained out on Saturday so we haven’t seen the cars on track this weekend. With the potential for one or two drivers to lead the bulk of the laps, we need to identify who has the probability of doing that.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier (Dominators)

Denny Hamlin ($9,700)

Starting Position: 16th

Hamlin has been one of the most up and down drivers in 2022, but he is arguably the best superspeedway style driver in the Cup Series. In 2022, Hamlin has not had much luck at this race type, but he has been running much better of late and I expect him to push or be pushed, towards the front and come home with a top-five finish. I don’t think Hamlin has dominator potential, but at his salary and starting position, he doesn’t need those points to make value.

Chase Elliott ($10,500)

Starting Position: 1st

Now, if we want someone who could dominate this race, at least at the start, then Chase Elliott is your man. Not only has Elliott been great at this race type in 2022, but also he showed up in Atlanta with an amazing stache. Elliott has a series-best 7.7 average finish and is the only driver with three top 10’s in this race type in 2022. In the first Atlanta race this season, Elliott led 29 laps, had an 8.8 average running position, and finished 6th. If Elliott can avoid any potential carnage he will be near the front and competing for the win as the laps remaining countdown.

• Both Ross Chastain ($10,300 P3) and Ryan Blaney ($10,700 – P6) are contenders on Sunday and could also be potential dominators. I rank them 2 & 3 right behind Elliott as potential dominators and winners in this race.

Joey Logano ($9,600)

Starting Position: 17th

Logano is another driver who excels in draft-style racing and he also offers some of the best place differential upside in this tier. While Logano has not run well at superspeedway in 2022, he does own five career wins on this track type. Earlier this season, Logano finished 9th at Atlanta, and considering he was involved in a wreck on lap 145 that finish is extremely impressive.

Other Options: Kyle Busch ($9,900 – P19), Martin Truex Jr. ($9,100 – P9), Kyle Larson ($10,100 – P3)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Bubba Wallace ($8,700)

Starting Position: 32nd

Wallace is the best upside play on this entire slate. When it comes to this tack type, Bubba Wallace excels. With him being so expensive, I expect Wallace’s ownership to be even lower than usual, which is exactly what I want to see. Wallace’s only career win was at Talladega and he has finished top 2 in three of the last five superspeedway races and should have a top 10 car on Sunday. I expect to be overweight on Wallace on Sunday and I am not worried about that at all.

Kevin Harvick ($7,600)

Starting Position: 10th

Harvick doesn’t offer excellent place differential upside and is a much riskier play than Bubba Wallace, but the potential is there. Earlier this season in Atlanta, Harvick had a great day but didn’t have the finish he deserved. Harvick’s car was not to his liking early, but after some adjustments, he found his way to the front and ed 11 laps. Unfortunately, he got caught up when leader Ricky Stenhouse had a flat tire and collected Harvick when he spun. On Sunday, Harvick has top-5 upside and could steal his first win in two years.

Michael McDowell ($7,300)

Starting Position: 13th

McDowell is another driver who has had incredible success on this track type. Similar to Wallace, McDowell’s only career win has come at a superspeedway (2021 Daytona 500) and he has had continued success this season. McDowell has two top 10’s in three superspeedway races in 2022 and over his last ten races in 2022, he has an average finish of 11.4 which is the 4th best during that span. Of course, this is a potentially low-owned risky play, but in GPP’s that is what you want in your lineups.

Other Options: Kurt Busch ($8,200 – P21), Christopher Bell ($8,500 – P15), Chris Buescher ($7,000 – P11), Ricky Stenhouse ($7,100 – P20)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Austin Dillon ($6,900) – P26: Dillon is a solid superspeedway racer and I view him as a top 15 car.
2. Erik Jones ($6,700) – P25: Jones is an underrated superspeedway driver and could be a sneaky top 10 car on Sunday.
3. Brad Keselowski ($6,500) – P31: To be completely honest, I don’t want to play Keselowski, but he has some upside. Keselowski is a solid and experienced superspeedway driver with top 15 upside if attrition works in his favor.
4. Justin Haley ($6,300) – P24: Haley is a great superspeedway driver and has top 15 potential on Sunday. In three superspeedway races in 2022, Haley has finished 11th (Atlanta), 12th (Dega), and 23rd (Daytona – wrecked).
5. Noah Gragson ($5,800) – P29: Gragson is Haley’s teammate this weekend and he is also a good superspeedway driver. If he can keep his car on track this time, a top 20 is the upside for Gragson.
6. Corey Lajoie ($5,400) – P30: Lajoie always manages a good finish at superspeedways and if attrition is on his side he could have another solid top 10 on Sunday.
7. Harrison Burton ($5,500) – P27: Speaking of attrition, that is what it will take for Burton to have a positive PD day. I think a top 20 is in the cards and a top 15 with the positive attrition.

Check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to ensure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/).

There were a lot of changes in the cars and what driver is in what car/truck in 2022. Check out my What’s new in 2022 article (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-whats-new-in-2022/)