Matt Vecchio 
859
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 a bit 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 highlighted in yellow are potential dominators
(All pricing is for DK)
| A Group | B Group | C Group | F Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Truex Jr. (6) – $10.9K | Austin Dillon (26) – $6K | Kevin Harvick (17) – $8.8K | Justin Haley (3) – $5.6K |
| William Byron (5) – $10.1K | Kyle Larson (7) – $11.6K | Tyler Reddick (2) – $9.1K | Noah Gragson (30) – $5.2K |
| Michael McDowell (33) – $5.8K | Chase Elliott (14) – $10.4K | Bubba Wallace (9) – $8.4K | Brennan Poole (32) – $4.7K |
| Ross Chastain (1) – $9.6K | Erik Jones (23) – $6.2K | AJ Allmendinger (19) – $6.5K | JJ Yeley (29) – $4.5K |
| Corey Lajoie (36) – $5.3K | Harrison Burton (31) – $5.5K | Ryan Preece (25) – $7.1K | |
| Denny Hamlin (8) – $10.7K | Austin Cindric (24) – $6.7K | Kyle Busch (11) – $11.2 | |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (28) – $7.3K |
*** NOTES ***
- This is a 300-lap race which means there are 210 dominator points available on DK. The Cup Series has only raced here twice and the two races couldn’t be more different. In 2021, the first time the series ran here, Kyle Larson led 264 of 300 laps on his way to victory lane. Last year was a completely different animal. Four drivers (Hamlin, Truex, Kyle Busch, and Elliott [winner]) led 292 laps.
- Truex led 82 laps here last season but finished a disappointing 22nd after some late race trouble. In practice on Friday, Truex had the second-best single-lap time and was third-best in 10-lap average.
- Byron was another car that showed some real speed in practice on Friday. In that practice session, Byron had the 5th fastest single-lap and was 4th best in 10-lap average.
- I briefly mentioned McDowell and Lajoie in Discord yesterday as super chalk and even though I don’t like it, I think we have to strongly consider them. Both drivers were in the mid 20’s in 10-lap average and McDowell had the 12th fastest single-lap in practice. At their salaries, if they finish mid-20s or high teens we could be out of the running for a big payday without them. There are a lot of ways to get different with our higher-priced dominators and eating the cheap chalk should work out ok.
- We all know I am not a member of the Ross Chastain fan club, but this weekend his car looks to be dominant. Chastain was 3rd fastest in single-lap speed and was second to only Tyler Reddick in 10-lap average. I think Chastain could lead the bulk of this race and finish top 5.
- I know people are always scared to play Stenhouse but he has been having a solid season AND has run well at Nashville. It has been nine races (Richmond) since Stenhouse has finished outside the top 20 (minus when he was wrecked at Gateway) and he has finishes of 6th and 16th at Nashville.
- I don’t love the Austin Dillon play, but at his salary, a top 20 will suffice. He is also a good pivot off the chalky McDowell and Lajoie if they falter.
- “Game-log” watchers will scoff at the idea of playing Erik Jones this week and I am not a big fan of this play, but there is some upside here. Jones had the 3rd quickest lap in practice which shows me the team has some speed. For Jones and the 43 team, it’s a matter of keeping the car on the track.
