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.
I am going to try something different for tonight’s race. Instead of the usual driver rankings list, I will give out four different categories of drivers and a little snippet breaking down how to play each group.
(Starting position in parenthesis)
(All pricing is for DK)
Dominators:
Since there are 500 laps in this race tonight, we will NEED dominators to have a shot at winning big. I will suggest rostering 2-3 of the drivers listed below. If you take more than that you are banking on all of them finishing in the top 5 and the chalky PD plays failing to make value. It’s a risk I am not willing to take.
- Kyle Larson (2) – $10.5K
- William Byron (3) – $10K
- Alex Bowman (1) – $7.6K
- Denny Hamlin (8) – 11K
- Martin Truex Jr. (4) – $8.4K
- Christopher Bell (6) – $10.3K
I love all three Hendrick drivers on this list. All three were fast in practice and in qualifying as noted by them starting 1-2-3. Hamlin and Truex must have a big day and finish well to advance to the next round. They will both be playing the strategy game to ensure they advance.
Place Differential Plays:
- Ryan Blaney (22) – $9.4K
- Joey Logano (20) – $9.3K
- Kyle Busch (29) – $8.8K
- Brad Keselowski (23) – $9.5K
- Austin Cindric (27) – $7.2K
- Josh Berry (25) – $8.2K
Blaney was speedy in practice where he put up top 5 in both single-lap speed and 10-lap average. Logano was fast as well, but not as quick as his teammate. I suggest rostering at least one of the drivers on this list with your dominators.
Mid-Priced Options:
- Chase Elliott (10) – $9K
- Ty Gibbs (13) – $8.7K
- Bubba Wallace (11) – $7.5K
- Chris Buescher (17) – $9.8K
I will have minimal exposure to this group. No one here really stands out as a great play, but if you can’t get up to the higher-priced PD plays they should be good pivots. Wallace was top 5 in single-lap speed and top 10 in 10-lap average, so for his price and with his top 10 upside, he is a good cheaper option tonight.
Value Plays:
- Justin Haley (26) – $5.7K
- Todd Gilliland (24) – $5.8K
- Daniel Suarez (35) – $6.9K
- Erik Jones (32) – $6.2K
- Ricky Stenhouse (31) – $6.3K
- Carson Hocevar (7) – $6.7
As much as we hate to roster some of these drivers, we need them to make our lineups work. Haley and Gilliland have the most consistent value plays all season and should be good value tonight. Suarez has the best upside starting the furthest back in the field of the drivers on this list. Hocevar is the riskiest, but I think he can manage a top 10 here tonight. Even if he doesn’t and finishes where his practice speeds were (top 15) he will make value.
NASCAR Best Bets:
(best odds and site in parenthesis)
Kyle Larson (+400 – FD)
William Byron (+1300 – FD)
Ryan Blaney Top 5 (+150 – FD)
Carson Hocevar Top 10 (+330 – DK)
Top Manufacturer Bets: (all on DK)
William Byron (Chevy – +400)
Ryan Blaney (Ford – +150)
Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota – +550)
Longshot To Win:
Austin Cindric (+8500 – FD)
Matchups:
(All bets are from DK)
Ryan Blaney vs Alex Bowman (+105)
Ross Chastain vs Josh Berry (-130)
Kyle Busch (-110) vs Ross Chastain
