Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Truck Series for Thursday night’s race from the REAL Bristol Motor Speedway (not that dirt-covered trash version)!
Another week, another Truck Series pre-qualifying article. It’s tough to get these out post-qualifying weekly, so I appreciate everyone who reads my articles and is patient with the process.
Bristol is a mini-demolition derby most days in the Truck Series and last season at this race it was no different. In 2021, there were nine cautions for incident involving 24 trucks. Also in that race, only 18 trucks finished on the lead lap. Usually, in these types of races, you want to load up on drivers starting in the back but last year that would not have worked. Only one driver starting in the top 10 was involved in a wreck and failed to finish the race (Austin Hill – P10). Eight of the top 10 from the 2021 race started inside the top 10. Bristol is not an easy place to pass and the best trucks (and cars) typically stay up front all race and avoid the carnage of drivers trying to race through the field.
With Bristol being a short track that means we have a lot of dominator points available. Thursday’s race will be 200 laps with 140 dominator points available. With there being so many dominator points, it will be essential to get your dominators right. We have to go back to 2019 to find the last time one driver didn’t lead over 100 laps of this race. In 2020 and 2021 one driver dominated and I think that is possible on Thursday with how 2022 has gone.
Since I don’t have any practice speeds or qualifying positions to work with I will just do a simple breakdown of the driver in each tier I think could be viable.
Starting with potential dominators, John H. Nemechek ($12,000) and Zane Smith ($11,600) are the cream of the crop and will most likely be in contention to win and dominate this race. Some other drivers who could lead laps in this race:
All three of those drivers have led a lot of laps throughout the season and could do the same on Thursday night.
Depending on where Grant Enfinger ($10,500) and Christian Eckes ($9,000) qualify they could be great place differential options in this tier. The last driver I will most likely have an interest in is Corey Heim ($11,100).
Parker Kligerman ($8,700) is always a good play when he’s in the field and I don’t see Thursday being any different. After Kligerman, all three of Matt Crafton, Derek Kraus, and Tyler Ankrum are bunched together in salary and I don’t really have high hope for them unless one or more put down some decent practice speed and qualify poorly.
Matt DiBenedetto ($8,000) is the better option for me in this price range on Thursday. DiBenedetto has only one finish outside the top 20 in his last 10 races and should be a top 15 truck on Thursday night.
Colby Howard ($7,400) and Chase Purdy ($7,200) are the best options in the $7K range for me. Both drivers sometimes put up exceptional qualifying efforts so if they start inside the top 10 I may come off them both.
Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!
Make sure to 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/)
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race from Kansas!
This week the Xfinity Series makes its 2022 debut at Kansas Speedway. Last season in this race, Ty Gibbs ($10,600) won but did not dominate, more on Gibbs later. Austin Cindric dominated to the tune of 151 laps led and earning a P2 finish. This is a 200-lap race on Saturday, as it has been for all those races as well, and wit that means we have 140 dominator points available. Similar to the Truck Series on Friday night, finding that dominator is going to be vital. Since 2018 (5 races) one driver has led at least 128 laps in four of those races and at least 85 in all five. There are two drivers that stand out when it comes to potential dominators to me but there are also a handful of other drivers who could be a surprise lap leader.
Since this is the first time the series has been here in 2022, I will be looking at two similar tracks for comparison. Both Michigan and Las Vegas are low tire wear intermediate tracks, both races Gibbs won this season (I think you may see a pattern developing here), still more on him to come later. There is some good value in this race so stacking up three top-tier drivers won’t be overly difficult on Saturday.
Starting Position: 2nd
I bet no one saw this coming, Ty Gibbs is the top play on the slate. Gibbs didn’t dominate but ran well on his way to the win last season at Kansas. Gibbs led only 14 laps, but had 33 fastest laps, ran 96% of his laps in the top 15, and had the second-best driver rating. Gibbs won both Michigan and Vegas this season only leading 6 laps at Vegas but he did have the most laps led at Michigan. With there being so many good plays in this tier I am not worried about ownership being high on Gibbs, especially with two drivers cheaper in this tier starting in 10th and 15th.
Starting Position: 5th
Some would say Gragson is due at this track type, ok maybe not some, but I think he is. Gragson has finished 2nd and 3rd to Gibbs in the two comparison races this season and has led a combined 91 laps in those races. Last season at Kansas, Gragson got caught up in a wreck on lap 180 which put him out of the race but before that, he led 9 laps and ran 172 laps in the top 15. In Friday’s practice session, Gragson was second to Gibbs in single-lap speed and second to Brandon Jones ($9,500) in ten-lap average. Gibbs and Gragson are the two drivers I believe will dominate this race and I intend to pair them together as much as possible but roster at least one in each lineup.
Starting Position: 9th
Allgaier did not show good single-lap speed in practice but was top ten in ten-lap average. This is a veteran driver with a veteran team so I have no reservations about running Allgaier as a potential low-end dominator with some small PD upside. Earlier this season, Allgaier finished 2nd and 5th at Michigan and Las Vegas leading the most laps at Vegas (62) and just 17 at Michigan. I know all three of these drivers listed are pricey, but they are actually all playable together if you wanted to go that route.
Other Opitons: Ross Chastain ($9,900 – P15) – His equipment isn’t nearly as good as the ones ahead of him, but he is an experienced driver that will be racing for the win only. Josh Berry ($10,100 – P10) – This will be Berry’s first Kansas race, but he finished 6th or better in both comparison races this season so expectations are high. AJ Allmendinger ($10,300 – P4) – It’s AJ, he’s in contention every week in this car. Brandon Jones ($9,500 – P1) – Jones is risky, but showed some great speed in practice and make for a good large-field GPP play.
Starting Position: 35th
Griffith will be in the #26 for Sam Hunt Racing on Satuday for whom he has already raced three times in 2022. In those three races, all short track, Griffith has not finished lower than 26th and has finished as high as 18th. This car was running laps just outside the top 20 on Friday in practice and should have incredible place-differential upside on Saturday.
Starting Position: 3rd
Creed is a risky play, just like he was last week but he ended up finishing 2nd after leading 47 laps so I am going back to the well this week with him. In both races at the comparison tracks, Creed had finishes of 8th and 11th. In lineups where I don’t run three top tier drivers, I will be using Creed.
Starting Position: 16th
Moffitt is back in the Xfinity Series this week in the 07 for the first time in 2022. This car has had success this season with drivers like Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe, and even Joe Graf Jr. behind the wheel. Moffitt was fast in practice with this car on Friday with the 7th best single-lap speed. Moffitt is another driver that offers good PD upside on the cheap to help us fit three top tier drivers in our lineups.
Other Options: Sammy Smith ($8,900 – P11) – Smith has had some bad luck in his few races this season, but is an extremely talented driver in the JGR #18 car. Riley Herbst ($8,200 – P12), Myatt Snider ($7,700 – P21)
Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help directly from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!
Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure 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/)
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Truck Series for Friday’s Truck Series from Kansas Speedway! This will be the third and final race in the first round of the Truck Series playoffs. Chandler Smith and Grant Enfinger have already clinched their spots in the next round via winning at IRP and Richmond. This means eight drivers will be fighting for the final six spots on Friday night.
This race is a 134-lap race meaning we have 93.8 dominator points available. While that may not seem like a lot, in the Truck Series dominator points are important. In four of the last five races, the lap leader was in the optimal lineup. In the one race that they weren’t, the driver who led the second most was (4 laps less). This is why finding the driver who has the potential to dominate this race will be key.
When we look back at the practice speeds from the Kansas race earlier this season we see that Zane Smith and Ty Majeski were 1-2 in speed and the same two drivers finished first and second in the race. Unfortunately, we don’t have practice or qualifying prior to this article coming out so make sure to hop into discord on Friday afternoon where I will update my plays post-P&Q.
It’s hard to think Smith won’t be fast here again on Friday night, but until we see the speed in practice it is just a guess. In the spring though, Zane dominated the Kansas race to the tune of 108 laps led and getting to victory lane for one of his three wins. Smith has been Mr. Consistent in the Truck Series this season with 10 top 5’s and 15 top 10’s in 18 races this season, the most of any driver. If there is a downside here, it would be the price. I don’t love paying $11.2K for Smith but we have seen drivers at this salary be optimal recently so I do feel ok paying up for the best driver in the series.
Preece has only run seven Truck Series races this season, but he has been outstanding in each of those races. In seven races this season, Preece has finished 7th or better six times and his worst finish is 11th. Preece has also led at least three laps in six of seven races as well. Preece did race here at Kansas in May when the trucks were here last but the 17 truck looked good. Riley Herbst drove the 17 truck in that race, was top 5 in practice, and ended up finishing a respectable 12th place. I expect a solid day from Preece again on Friday.
Eckes is in 10th place in points and will need to outrace both Matt Crafton and Carson Hocevar to move on, or he can win this race. I believe that Ecke’s team will play a strategy to try and win this race and avoid all the points math they’d need to get through. Eckes finished 5th at this race in the spring after putting up the 13th fastest lap in practice. Coming into this weekend, Eckes has four top 10’s in his last five races.
Like I say before every Truck Series race, you can really play anyone in this tier and feel good about it. Looking back at the highest scoring lineups over the last few races the highest scoring ones are typically stars and scrubs builds. You need to get this tier right if you want a chance at a takedown though. Focus on picking your top-tier drivers first and look at potential place differential plays from the value tier next.
Other Options: Chandler Smith ($10,400) – Smith is on fire with 2 wins in the last three races. Cory Heim ($9,900), Ty Majeski ($10,100)
There isn’t a lot to love in this tier before P&Q, but both Parker Kligerman ($8,800) and Matt Crafton ($8,400) do appear to be solid GPP plays. If you go with a two dominator/top tier driver approach then both these drivers can be used as a pseudo top tier play.
On the cheaper end of this tier, Kaz Grala ($7,300) has run well in his nine starts this season. Grala is going to be dependent on where he qualifies to determine if he is viable though. Colby Howard ($7,200) might be the better play of the two $7K guys. Howard started and finished 11th here in May and before his last two poor races, he was on a good run. In the five races prior to IRP, Howard had finished no worse than 19th and had positive place differential in four of those five races.
Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!
Make sure to 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/)
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race from Darlington!
This week the Xfinity Series returns to Darlington Raceway for the second and final time in 2022. Earlier this season. Justin Allgaier ($10,200) dominated the second half of the race leading 76 laps on his way to victory. This is a race where we will look to roster two potential dominators. In the spring only Allgaier and Noah Gragson ($10,000) led more than 20 laps (76 and 45 respectively). Saturday’s race is scheduled for the same amount of laps (147) so the same 102.9 dominator points will be available.
This weekend we again have multiple Cup Series drivers stepping down to the Xfinity Series. Kyle Larson ($11,500) is back in the #17 Hendrick Chevy, Christopher Bell ($10,900) is in the #18 for JGR, and Ross Chastain ($10,400) is in the Big Machine #48. All three of these drivers have dominator potential and we will have to wait until P&Q on Saturday morning to decide which are the most playable.
Since we have to wait for practice and qualifying on Saturday, I will just be looking back at who had speed and ran well in the first race to project who will be good on Saturday. Looking at the DKFP from that race, all of the top six finishers were in the top 8 in points and only one of those six started outside the top 13 (John Hunter Nemechek). Finding the right dominators and finishers is key to cashing in this race.
As I mentioned above, we have three Cup Series drivers in this race and they all may be in play. Larson being the most expensive is probably the least likely to be used, but he probably has the highest dominator potential of the three. Both the 18 and 48 cars were fast here in the spring with different drivers behind the wheel. I expect Bell and Chastain to show good speed in practice and qualify well.
Also as I mentioned above, both Allgaier and Gragson dominated this race in the spring, and can see them both putting up great performances again. It will be tougher to be dominant with Larson in the field, but they have tippy top-end equipment and should be able to hang with the reigning Cup Series Champion.
Gibbs won the pole for the spring race and led 18 laps but finished a disappointing 16th. Dating back to Charlotte (11 races), Gibbs has two wins and eight top 10’s during this stretch. Gibbs obviously showed speed in the spring posting top 5 speed in green flag speed, long run speed, and speed by segment. I expect Gibbs to be a top 5 car on Saturday and compete for his 6th win.
Earlier this season, Nemechek raced this same #26 Sam Hunt car to a top 5 finish (4th) after starting from P23. Nemechek was top 5 in speed by segment in the spring race and was top 10 in both green flag and late in a run. I expect Sam Hunt Racing to bring the same car they ran here in the first race and use their notes to allow Nemechek to compete for another top 5.
Other Options: Sam Mayer ($9,000), AJ Allmendinger ($9,500)
Sieg is severely underpriced by DK in this race, especially for a driver who has been as good as he has here. Since 2020 (5 races), Sieg has yet to finish lower than 11th with one top 5 and three top 10’s during this stretch. Sieg has wrecked a few times recently, but this should be a low attrition race so I am not concerned about him wrecking.
Brown is in the #78 car for BJ McLeod Racing this week and unlike the Cup Series, the McLeod cars compete for top 20’s in the Xfinity Series. Brown has three top 25’s in his last five races at Darington and this car has six top 25 finishes in the last seven races. Depending on what kind of speed Brown show’s in practice and where he qualifies, he could be the top play in this tier.
Cassill has always run well at Darlington, even in bad cars, but now he is in top-class equipment in the Kaulig #10. In the first race here this year, Cassill finished a career-best for him at Darlington (6th). Cassill only failed to finish a race at Darlington once, but you can’t count that because he was in the Morgan Shepherd #89 which was a start-and-park car. Cassill should be a great GPP play, especially if he qualifies well because he is one of those drivers that never carries high ownership but has some big upside.
Other Options: Riley Herbst ($8,100), Austin Hill ($8,700), Ty Dillon ($7,500)
Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help directly from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!
Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure 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/)
Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Saturday’s Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at The Glen!
This week the Xfinity Series returns to the track after a one-week break and will be running its fifth road course of the season. This should be another exciting race as were the previous four at this track type in 2022. Even though one drier has dominated in winning three of four this season, the races have been competitive and fun to watch and play DFS.
This week I wrote a preview article for The Glen. You can check that out for more info regarding the track and stats on drivers from this season at road courses.
We have four Cup Series regulars taking over rides for this weekend’s Xfinity race. Both Kyle Larson ($10,800) and William Byron ($10,100) are expensive and will need big days to be optimal. We will need to see where they qualify to decide if they are viable for cash, GPP, or at all. Now, the other two drivers are more likely to be better plays based on their salaries.
Cole Custer ($9,800) was in position for a win until he wrecked with 2 laps to go and finished 25th. Custer is probably my favorite play for tournaments in this group of four. Lastly, Ross Chastain ($9,900) will be in the #92 for Mario Gosselin. This will be the third race in this car for Chastain this season and he has been inconsistent in his previous two starts. At COTA, Chastian finished 17th after starting 2nd, and then at Indianapolis, he would finish fourth after a poor qualifying effort (P18). Chastain has the worst equipment of the four but both he and Custer will most likely be lower owned and make for solid GPP plays.
Both AJ Allmendinger ($10,500) and Ty Gibbs ($10,200) are the cream of the crop and have combined to win all four road course races this season. I expect them both to be popular, but ownership should be spread out with so many options in this tier on Saturday. When you combine the four Cup regulars and these two you get 2-3 of the high-priced cash plays on this slate most likely. If either of Dinger or Gibbs qualify on the pole, they could be good for GPP’s.
As for the remaining four drivers in this tier, they are all good plays honestly. In the preview, I talked about Austin Hill ($9,600) in length, so make sure to read that to see how great he’s been on road courses this season. Noah Gragson ($9,200) and Sam Mayer ($9,000) are good road course drivers. Gragson has finished top 10 in every race on this track type this season and Mayer has finishes of 5th and 7th place on road courses this season. Last, but certainly not least, Justin Allgaier ($9,400) is always a good play on any track type.
With there being so many great plays in the top tier and so many different ways to go, I don’t think we will have much exposure to the mid-tier. There are some good plays in the mid-tier and in GPP’s this could be a way to get different.
Josh Berry ($8,800) has been great on road courses with two top 5 finishes as well as averaging 36.7 DKFP per race and a +5 place differential. Berry will be overlooked and low-owned in this race.
Bradon Jones ($8,400) is another great play if qualifies poorly. I went over him in detail as well in the preview article.
All three of Myatt Snider ($7,300), Andy Lally ($7,200), and Alex Labbe ($7,100) have been similar performers on road courses in 2022. Labbe has been the best of these three on road courses, he is an expert on this track type, with three top 15 finishes and a top 10 this season. I do see these drivers carrying some high ownership depending on where they qualify and could end up cash viable as well.
I will be paying close attention to how well Connar Mosack ($7,800) and Sammy Smith ($7,600) run in practice. Both drivers are young and are in good cars (Sam Hunt #26 and JGR #18). Neither has run well in their one road course appearance but there is some huge upside with both drivers.
Qualifying will determine what value drivers we can use, but Ryan Sieg ($6,600) and Preston Pardus ($6,100) have both run well on road courses in 2022. Patrick Gallagher ($5,500) is averaging a 23rd place finish in three road course races as well as a +9.7 place differential and 29 DKFP P/R.
Kris Wright, Scott Heckert, and Brad Perez are all under $5K and could be decent plays to get those $9.5K drivers we covet at the top.
Don’t forget to check discord on Saturday afternoon post-qualifying for updated plays and info.
Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help directly from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!
Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure 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/)
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