Matt Vecchio 
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the NASCAR Cup Series. Below you will find my rankings for the drivers in this race.
A Group: Drivers I will have the most exposure to and are high-priority
B Group: This group is drivers I feel have a high upside and are great filler pieces to pair with the A Group
C Group: The drivers in this tier are risky but could still be optimal. This group should be used in GPP’s
F Group: These drivers are on my do not play list
(Starting position in parenthesis)
Drivers in BOLD are potential dominators
(All pricing is for DK)
| A Group | B Group | C Group | F Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott (28) – $9.8K | Brad Keselowski (24) – $9.3K | Martin Truex Jr. (12) – $9K | BJ McLeod (36) – $4.8K |
| Corey Lajoie (32) – $6.8K | Carson Hocevar (35) – $5.9K | Ryan Preece (20) – $6.5K | Chase Briscoe (9) – $6.6K |
| Erik Jones (37) – $8k | Ty Gibbs (25) – $7.8K | Bubba Wallace (18) – $8.8K | Todd Gilliland (4) – $5.8K |
| Denny Hamlin (13) – $10.5K | Christopher Bell (22) – $9.1K | Alex Bowman (17) – $8.3K | Austin Dillon (10) – $7.1K |
| Joey Logano (2) – $10.3K | Ross Chastain (21) – $8.6K | Kyle Busch (3) – $9.7K | |
| JH Nemechek (34) – $6.2K | Tyler Reddick (19) – $8.5K | Zane Smith (29) – $5.7K | |
| William Byron (11) – $10K | Michael McDowell (1) – $7.7K | Daniel Hemric (26) – $5.5K |
DFS NASCAR – Driver Notes
- All three of Elliott, Lajoie, and Jones will be among the highest-owned drivers on this slate. I like all three of them a lot, and if you’re playing SE or Cash you need to lock them in. I will be playing GPP’s exclusively today, so my ownership will be lower than the field (under 40%) in hopes they flop.
- Even though Atlanta is a wannabe Superspeedway, it’s not the same as Daytona or Talladega. We have seen in the past, and this weekend, that a driver can get out front and lead a ton of laps. I included three drivers starting near the front that I think can lead a lot of laps and still be optimal even if they have negative place differential.
- Denny Hamlin is one of my favorites to win this race and I believe he comes in lower owned starting where he is. If you don’t have the salary to make Hamlin fit, I will take the $1.5K discount for the driver in the same equipment starting right next to him, Martin Truex Jr.
- Is William Byron capable of pulling off the Austin Hill and winning back-to-back races to start the season? Definitely, but will he? Yeah, probably. Even if he doesn’t, Byron has some PD upside and could lead laps today. Byron projects as a top 10 DFS play today and is among the bottom 10 (among playable drivers) in ownership.
- Carson Hocevar projects as one of the better plays on the slate especially in his price range and will be overlooked for other drivers around him. I like the upside here of the 77 car. If you don’t have the $200 for Hocevar, his teammate Zane Smith is a viable pivot. I would prefer to find the $200, but if you like your lineup, I won’t talk you off it.
- Ryan Preece is a solid middle-of-the-pack GPP play today. Preece is a good bet for a top 20 at a low salary and even lower ownership.
NASCAR Best Bets:
(best odds in parenthesis)
Denny Hamlin to win – +1200 (Caesars and DK)
William Byron to win – +1300 (DK)
Spicey Pick:
Corey Lajoie to win – +4000 (FD)
DK Matchup Bets:
Alex Bowman (+100) vs Christopher Bell
Bubba Wallace (+115) vs Chase Elliott
Kyle Busch (-135) vs Martin Truex Jr.
