NASCAR Cup

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Saturday Night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona!!!

This article will be a little different than my typical Pit Stop pieces in the sense that I will discuss the strategy for playing both styles of contests and then list a few drivers that fit into those contest types. There are a lot of different ways to play these races and everyone has the strategy that they like best. I tried a new strategy for the Daytona 500 earlier this season and it worked out well. I did not win the million dollars, but I did have a highly profitable day. In addition, all six drivers from the winning lineup were in my article so I was on the right path, I just didn’t get the build right.

There are a lot of factors we need to weigh when building for Saturday, two of those are lap count and cars entered. This race is 100 miles shorter, so we have 40 fewer laps to collect dominator points. There will also be three fewer drivers in this race with only 37 in the field. This is a big key because there a three fewer place differential points available which makes the mid-pack options more viable.

NASCAR DFS: Cash Game/Single Entry

Even though I highly encourage building many lineups and maxing out GPP’s I understand that a lot of you like to play single-entry and cash in NASCAR.

Let’s start with the value:

Like with all races, when building cash lineups, you want the safest plays. Noah Gragson ($5,300 – P37) is the chalk play and the top cash game play. Gragson is in a car that typically performs well at this track type and he starts dead last. There are three other good plays in the same price range as Gragson. David Ragan ($5,100 – P34), Todd Gilliland ($5,200 – P32), and Harrison Burton ($4,900 – P29 are also pretty safe plays, but I prefer to use Gragson over all of them.

Best of the rest:

Since there was no qualifying this week, there are a lot of good plays in the lower top tier to mid-tier which means we don’t need to load up on the value for cash. Denny Hamlin ($9,600 – P19) is one of only a few drivers in the top tier who could be considered for cash or SE. Hamlin is a three-time winner at Daytona and he should be considered a favorite to win for the fourth time. Bubba Wallace ($7,800 – P30) is the best cash play on the entire slate. Wallace is an excellent superspeedway driver and should be in contention for the win on Saturday. Wallace is too cheap for where he is starting and should carry incredibly high ownership.

I expect Brad Keselowski ($7,200 – P24) to be highly owned on Saturday making him another great play for these contests. Keselowski is a dominant driver at superspeedway and he showed that he can do it in this RFK Racing Ford at the 500 earlier in 2022. In that race, Keselowski led the most laps (67) and finished 9th. I would not be surprised to see him finish in the top 10 again on Saturday.

Other Options: Kyle Busch ($9,400 -P22), Corey Lajoie ($5,800 – P31)

NASCAR DFS: GPP Plays

Everyone’s first instinct is to just play the bottom six drivers and hope for place differential. That will not win you a contest and may not even get you to the cash line. When you play GPP’s the goal is to get the takedown but playing six highly owned drivers will not get you there and if it does you will tie with 12 other exact copies of your lineup. When you build for tournaments you need to identify the drivers who will be low owned and there will be plenty in this field.

Since it’s still before football season there will be some inexperienced players in these contests and they will look at the drivers up front and their high salaries and play them. Now, if you are like me and playing over 200 lineups on Saturday it is ok to get exposure to the drivers in the top five, but no more than 7-10% of your lineups. If you are playing a 20-max entry contest these drivers are a fade for you because there is no advantage gained by playing them.

GPP Value:

In my opinion, Justin Haley ($6,400 – P18) is the ultimate GPP play on this slate. Haley starts in a spot where people will overlook him for the cheaper drivers starting in the 30’s but that’s what makes him perfect for GPP’s. Haley is a great Superspeedway driver and has a (rain-shortened) win at Daytona in the Cup Series.

Two other drivers in the same price range as Haley are Aric Almirola ($6,700 – P27) and Daniel Hemric ($6,500 – P28). Both are also good superspeedway drivers and give you some good place differential upside at potentially lower ownership. Erik Jones ($6,900 – P11) is also in this same price range, but he has the potential to be sub-10% owned. Jones is another driver who runs well consistently at this track type and is a driver I could see winning this race.

Higher Priced Plays:

I am not sure what to do with Ryan Blaney ($10,000 – P16) this week. Blaney should safely be in the playoffs with Kurt Busch removing himself from the playoffs. Blaney will still need to finish well and could just try and avoid any carnage and finish the race clean. With so much value in this race, there is a chance that Blaney carries some decent ownership. I will be looking at his projected ownership Saturday morning. If it appears Blaney’s ownership is in the teens then I will be using him in GPP’s.

Joey Logano ($9,800 – P3) is one of the best superspeedway drivers in the field. I believe that Logano will lead laps on Saturday and could be the overall lap leader as well. Now, if you go back to what I said at the start of this section, Logano isn’t worth the risk if you are making 20 or fewer lineups. Austin Cindric ($8,500 – P14) and William Byron ($8,400 – P17) are in that sweet spot where they are in play, but still risky. Both of these drivers have won at Daytona recently and could be a factor at the race end.

If you are playing a lot of lineups like I am then you can and should mix some of the cash options into your lineups but just don’t be too overweight on any of them.

Check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial! 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 Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen from Watkins Glen!

Watkins Glen is widely considered the best of all the road courses NASCAR comes to. The Glen is also the fastest of the road courses and that typically makes for a more enjoyable watching experience. If you want to know more about this track or the previous road course races this season check out my weekend preview.

Roster Construction:

Cash game builds are kind of all over the place this week. With so many ways to go, it might be a week to ignore cash and just play GPP’s. If you play cash my suggestion is to pay up for one of the two front-row drivers and then load up on PD plays.

In GPP’s there are numerous ways to go, but I will be suggesting drivers that I view as potential high finishers that you can mix one or two PD plays with. There should be a good amount of unique builds on Sunday with there being so much “chalk”.

NASCAR DFS: Cash Game/Place Differential

Ross Chastain ($10,000 – P18):

Chastain has been solid on road courses in 2022 and should be good again on Sunday. In Saturday’s Xfinity race, Chastain was running well until he got a pit road speeding penalty and then ended up in the gravel on a restart which ended his day. Overall in 2022 on road courses, Chastain has the 2nd best total speed ranking and 6th best speed late in a run. I view Chastain as a top 10 car with win potential, but most likely a top 5 is his ceiling

Ryan Blaney ($9,200 – P26):

Blaney will be points racing on Sunday so I don’t expect him to try and push to be up front at the end. It doesn’t help Blaney to try and get the win and end up getting caught up in a wreck and having him lose a ton of points. I do still see Blaney as a top 10 contender and if he wasn’t starting this far back he would be a complete fade. Blaney is 5th in late run speed and 6th in total speed on this track type in 2022 with an average finish of 7.7. I do not plan on using Blaney in GPP’s but in cash, he is a lock.

Martin Truex Jr. ($9,100 – P25):

Truex can’t really afford to point race, he needs to look for the win. Because of this, there is a chance Truex ends up as the best point per dollar play on the slate. While I am suggesting Truex for cash, he is also viable in tournaments. Even though Toyota’s have been dismal on road courses this season, The Glen is a different beast. Truex tested here in May so he has a feel for how this car handles on this track and he should be set up for a good day on Sunday.

Christopher Bell ($8,700 – P38):

Technically Bell is a mid-tier option but he has been so good on road courses this season I feel he is underpriced. In Saturday’s practice, Bell showed great speed, then his engine blew up. Because of the engine issue, Bell couldn’t make a qualifying lap so he starts dead last. I may have misspoken when I said Truex is the best PP$ play on the slate, that will most likely be Bell.

NASCAR DFS: GPP Plays

Both Kyle Larson ($10,500 – P2) and Chase Elliott ($10,700 – P1) looked incredibly fast on Saturday and should be competing for the win at the end of the day. Both drivers were 1-2 in single lap speed and Larson was first in 5 and 10-lap average. As for Elliott, he was second on single-lap speed and 3rd fastest in 5-lap average. Larson also won Saturday’s Xfinity race, which was his first win in a stock car since February. I do expect both drivers to carry some ownership on Sunday, but not enough where I think they deserve a fade in GPP’s.

Austin Cindric ($9,800 – P8) was priced up by DK this week and that makes me very happy. As you know if you read the preview article, Cindric has been the most consistent driver on road courses this season being the only driver to finish top 10 in every race on this track type in 2022. Cindric should be a top 5 car on Sunday with win potential. Another driver who is priced up this week is Tyler Reddick ($10,300 – P5). Reddick is the only driver with multiple wins on road courses in 2022. Reddick is also second to Elliott and Suarez (15.5) in average laps led per race (14). In Saturday’s practice session, Reddick was 5th fastest in 5-lap and 2nd best in 10-lap average.

Other Options: Daniel Suarez ($9,400 – P9): Suarez has a top 10 car top 5 upside on Sunday and will most likely be in the teens in ownership. AJ Allmendinger ($9,600 – P6): Allmendinger is a strong road course racer and will compete for the win on Sunday.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Christopher Buescher ($7,800 – P7) is my pick to win this race and is one of the elite plays in this tier. Buescher has been strong on road courses in 2022 with an average finish of 9.8 (tied with Chastain for 4th best) and an average DK score of 39.1. Buescher was 6th best in single lap speed and 4th best in 5-lap average on Saturday in practice. This season on road courses, Buescher has the 7th best total speed ranking and 8th best late in a run speed.

I mentioned that both Reddick and Cindric were priced up but on the opposite end of the spectrum is William Byron ($7,700 – P4) who is underpriced. Byron has not been outstanding on road courses, but he did run the Xfinity race on Saturday and ran well. This season on this track type, Byron has the 8th best total speed ranking and 13th best late in a run speed. Byron is the perfect GPP play in this field because he will not get ownership in my opinion. Byron has the potential to steal the win or at worst a top 10.

Michael McDowell ($7,100 – P3) is another driver in this tier that has some big-time potential. McDowell will also come with minimal ownership. McDowell is similar to Buescher in that he has been solid on road courses this season pretty much under the radar. In four races on this track type, McDowell has an average finish of 8th which would be a great DFS day for him on Sunday at this salary.

Other Options: Chase Briscoe ($8,800 – P14): Briscoe is a fringe cash game option. I don’t think he will carry the ownership to be cash viable. Briscoe is a good road course driver and has top 10 upside. Alex Bowman (8,000 – P11), Kevin Harvick ($8,400 – P24)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Joey Hand ($5,500) – P17: Joey Hand is not a cash option, but he has some potential in GPP’s. Hand has finished 20th and 21st on road courses this season. In practice on Saturday, Hand had some speed and could pull another top 20 on Sunday.
2. Cole Custer ($6,300) – P29: Custer ran in Saturday’s Xfinity race and should be in line for a top 20. I actually think there’s a top 10 car in there somewhere and Custer could surprise on Sunday. Custer is cash game viable but I may have some exposure in GPP.
3. Aric Almirola ($6,200) – P35: Almirola is not a road course expert by any means, but he is better than 35th place. I don’t expect a massive fantasy day from the 10 car, but a top 25 would be a solid day in DFS. Almirola is definitely a cash game play but I won’t talk you off him in tournaments.
4. Erik Jones ($6,700) – P31: Jones, like the drivers previous on this list is a cash play. I think Jones is probably the best GPP play of the three though. With both Custer and Almirola being $400-$500 cheaper they will have higher ownership. Jones actually has been the best PD play in the Cup Series this season on road courses.
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,100) – P21: Stenhouse is another GPP-only play. There is a lot of risk in Stenhouse but his car did have some speed in practice.
6. Todd Gilliland ($5,700) – P19: Gilliland is another risky GPP play. You can’t look at his 4th place finish from Indy as where he can finish on Sunday. Is it possible, sure, but look at Gilliland as more of a high teens driver.

Driving I’m playing that you shouldn’t:

Kyle Busch ($8,900 – P10) is a really risky play this week. Busch will be scored from P10, but will start at the back. After practice, Busch had to change his engine. I am worried about the Toyota’s, which is what makes this play risky. I won’t tell you to play Kyle on Sunday, but he could have a huge day at minimal ownership.

Cash Core:

Blaney, Truex, Almirola, Custer leave you $9,600 per driver. This is a cheap core this week so you can so many different ways.

Check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial! 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 weekend preview for this weekend’s races from Watkins Glen!

This weekend marks the 5th road course race of the season for both the Cup and Xfinity Series. Watkins Glen is a 2.454-mile road course that will test the drivers on Saturday and Sunday. The Glen is a road course that typically runs faster than most other road courses so teams will need to bring speed!

In this article, I will take some time to review the previous four road course races in 2022 in both series. I will look over the stats and find trends and which drivers have been successful and those who haven’t.

NASCAR DFS: Road Course Review – Xfinity Series

One driver has dominated the road courses in the Xfinity Series this season and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it’s AJ Allmendinger. In four races this season, Allmendinger has won three times with Ty Gibbs winning at Road America in July.

While Gibbs does have a win on this track type in 2022, it’s Austin Hill that has been the second-best driver after Dinger this season on road courses. Hill has finished top 5 in three of four races and top 10 in all four and he has the second-best average finish behind Allmendinger (4.5). What it’s still all about is scoring fantasy points on DraftKings and that is another spot where Hill shines. Among drivers who have run all four races, Hill ranks third with 42.6 DKFP P/R. What driver ranks 2nd, well let’s find out.

Brandon Jones would be that driver. Jones doesn’t do this by finishing well even though he has an average finish of 12.3, but instead, he does it with place differential. Jones has yet to start better than 14th in any road course race and even has two starts in the 30’s. Another driver who has not qualified well, but has performed when it mattered is Ryan Seig. In four road course races, Sieg is second to Jones with a +14 average place differential.

NASCAR DFS: Road Course Review – Cup Series

Tyler Reddick is the new King of the Road Course in 2022. In four races on this track type, Reddick is the only driver to win more than one race. Reddick has finished top 5 in three out of four (Sonoma he finished 35th). When it comes to DFS, Reddick is a hard driver to roster. When he is on, Reddick is top-tier great, but when he isn’t he is terrible. Reddick has finished 20th or worse 11 times in 24 races this season and since Reddick typically qualifies well (14 top 10 starts this season) he is super risky on most days. If we play Reddick on Sunday, it will be in GPPs only.

Reddick may have the most wins on road courses and have three top 5’s in 2022, but there is one driver who may be a much better play on this track type. Austin Cindric has an average finish of 5.5 (best in the series) on road courses and averages 45.5 DKFP P/R (also best in the series). Cindric made his name on road courses in the Xfinity Series and he continued to show how good he is in the Cup Series in 2022. Cindric has two top 5’s in four races and is the ONLY driver to finish top 10 in all four. Michael McDowell is the only driver along with Cindric to finish top 15 in all four races as well.

One thing I always discuss for road courses is not chasing dominator points, and looking at the top drivers in average DKFP P/R proves that. Every driver in the top 5 in DKFP averages a top 10 finish in the previous four road course races (Cindric, Elliott, Chastain, Buescher, McDowell). By the way, Elliott is the only driver with a negative place differential in the top 5 of average DK points.

There are a few other drivers I am high on for this race, but you will just have to wait for the Pit Stop article for that race on Saturday night.

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 Cup Series breakdown for the Federated Auto Parts 400 from Richmond Raceway! Richmond is a short flat track so this means we are going to be stacking dominators. With there being 400 laps in this race on Sunday we will have 280 dominator points. Because of this, there will be some extremely high scores on DraftKings.

Roster Construction:

This week some expensive drivers will be chalk but offer everything we want. There are two drivers in particular that I believe will give us place differential, potential dominators, and finishing position. In cash and single entry builds it will be stars and scrubs. In GPP you can decide to fade one of the chalk drivers and hope they don’t lead laps and only pick up 10-15 places so they don’t pay off their exurbanite salaries.

NASCAR DFS: High Salary Place Differential Plays

I mentioned that there were two potentially chalky place differential plays in the top tier and if you’ve looked at the qualifying results you know that I’m talking about Kyle Busch ($11,400 – P29) and Chase Elliott ($10,800 – P23). Both Elliott and Busch were fast in practice putting up top 10 rankings in every speed category. If you are playing cash games these two drivers are locks for any build.

Joey Logano ($9,300 – P17) is another driver with some good place differential upside at a significantly lower cost. Logano has been successful at Richmond in his career (2 wins) and at this track type in 2022. Since 2017 (10 races) Logano has had seven top 5’s and his lowest finish was 17 (2022). In four races at similar tracks in 2022, Logano has three top 10’s including his win at Gateway.

Other Options: Christopher Bell ($9,600 – P21)

NASCAR DFS: Potential Dominators

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,600 – P6) needs to win to secure his place in the playoffs so we know he will be doing everything he can to make that happen on Sunday. Richmond is one of Truex’s best tracks, especially over the last four seasons. Truex’s worst finish is 5th since this race in 2018 and he has seven straight top 5 finishes including his 4th place finish this spring. During this same time frame, Truex has led at least 80 laps in every race except for one (Summer 2020). Truex was top 5 in every speed category between 10 and 30-lap average in Saturday’s practice.

Another driver who needs a good performance is Sunday’s polesitter, Kyle Larson ($10,300 – P1). Unlike Truex, Larson is locked into the playoffs, but this team is nowhere near as dominant as they were in 2021 and if they could get some of that dominance back on Sunday it’ll go a long way to repeating as champion. Larson’s #5 Chevy was not fast in practice, well he was a top 10 car, but at his price, he will need a top 5 finish with a lot of dominator points to make value. Larson is a GPP play only.

Another driver who needs to win is Ryan Blaney ($9,900 – P10). Blaney has been the best driver at this track type in 2022 but is yet to earn that much important win. Blaney has three top 5’s in four races at this track type which is matched only by Kyle Busch and he only trails Busch in avg DKFP per race. In Saturday’s practice session, Blaney’s car improved immensely over the long run which there could be a lot of on Sunday.

Other Options: Denny Hamlin ($11,100 – P3), Ross Chastain ($10,100 – P2)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Akin to the top tier, the mid-tier is also filled with PD plays and drivers who could put up some dominator points while finishing well. Austin Cindric ($7,500 – P33) is the cash option in this tier for me. Cindric had some good speed in practice on Saturday. Tyler Reddick ($8,800 – P26) is another solid option in this tier, but you cannot build a good lineup with Elliott and Kyle in cash so I prefer Cindric. Reddick is a great GPP option, especially if you fade one of the two previously mentioned drivers. Using either Busch or Elliot with Logano and Reddick makes for a good build in GPP’s.

Reddick didn’t make a log run in practice but he was fast, posting the 2nd best 5-lap average. Earlier this season at Richmond, Reddick finished 12th and ran inside the top 15 for over 50% of the race and running as high as 6th place. The last driver in this tier with some huge place differential is Daniel Suarez ($8,200 – P24). Suarez had a great 5-lap average and then his car just fell off and he ran speeds around where he qualified. I am not worried about the 99 because of how well Trackhouse has been at getting their cars right come race day this season. Out of the drivers I’ve mentioned in this tier, I think Suarez is also going to be the lowest owned, well except for one certain subscriber who will have him in every lineup he builds.

Other Options: Bubba Wallace ($8,000 – P11), Ty Gibbs ($7,600 – P14), William Byron ($8,600 – P4)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Aric Almirola ($6,800 – P32) – Almirola is good on this track type and his car came out flying on Saturday. Almirola was 2nd in 10-lap avg and then he was atop the charts in all categories from 15 to 30-lap avg.
2. Michael McDowell ($6,200 – P34) – McDowell was not as fast as Almirola but is another great play from this tier with huge PD upside.
3. Harrison Burton ($5,800 – P30) – Burton was another Ford that was fast in Saturday’s practice session. In that session, Burton was putting down top 10 laps in every speed category.
4. Justin Haley ($6,000 – P27) – Haley was running around the top 10 in practice but then he reported that his left front was tight. I view Haley as a top 20 car with top 15 upside.
5. Chris Buescher ($6,600 – P18)
6. Corey Lajoie ($5,200 – P31)

Driving I’m playing that you shouldn’t:

Chase Briscoe ($7,700 – P15)

Cash Core:

Busch/Elliott/Cindric/Almirola will leave you $6,750 left per driver for your final two spots.

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 Truck Series for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway! Michigan is a 2-mile low tire wear intermediate track. Similar tracks to look to for comparisons are Kansas and Auto Club. Las Vegas, Texas, and Charlotte are other tracks the series has visited this season that can be seen as comparable.

Dominator Points:

200 laps for 140 dominator points on DK

At this race last season, two drivers dominated (Larson and Elliott) by leading 138 of 200 laps. No other driver led more than 18 after those two but the winner was Ryan Blaney who only led 8 laps. Similar to how our builds were on Saturday for the Xfinity race, we will want two potential dominators with one place differential play from the top tier. Continuing to look back at last season, only 2 cars were starting outside the top 10 that would finish inside the top 10 and I think this race will break down similarly.

Looking at the optimal comparables from four races this season (AC, Vegas, Kansas, & Charlotte) we will see that stars and scrubs aren’t necessarily the way to go. In all four lineups, there were never more than 2 value tier drivers in a lineup; in fact, there was only one value tier play in two of the four lineups. This week will be no different, we can easily build lineups with 3 top-tier, one mid, and two value-tier plays.

Roster Construction:

As I mentioned above, I believe a balanced build is an ideal way to go. Something that we don’t typically have is drivers who can be viewed as dominators in the mid-tier, but this week we do. There will be builds that could potentially be optimal with one driver in the mid-tier and one top-tier driver as their two dominators. There are also two thought processes to have when building. If you think this race runs clean then the PD plays may not be fruitful and we could see 7-8 drivers starting in the top 10 finish there. But, if you think this race has some attrition then the PD plays are the way to go. For me, I think I will focus on using my PD plays in the value tiers and try to build based on finishing position and potential dominator points.

NASCAR DFS: Toyota’s Dominate P&Q

Toyota dominated Saturday’s practice session and in qualifying. In single lap speed, Toyota’s took the top 5 spots, and then in 5, 10, and 15 lap average Toyota’s were top four in all three categories. Kyle Busch ($10,500 – P3) is probably the best bet to dominate this race as well as the safest play of drivers starting in the top 5. Busch had the fastest single-lap speed and the third fastest 5-lap average. After Busch, Denny Hamlin ($10,300 – P9) is the next best potential dominator. Hamlin was third fastest in single-lap speed, but he had the best 5,10, and 15-lap averages. Hamlin is a potential dominator as well as the best cash option in the top tier.

Bubba Wallace ($7,400 – P1) won his first career Cup Series pole and should be able to dominate this race. Wallace was incredibly fast in practice and typically runs well on this track type. In Saturday’s practice session, Wallace was the fastest in group B and second only to Kyle Busch in single-lap speed. In 5,10, and 15-lap average, Wallace was second best to teammate Hamlin in all three. Christopher Bell ($9,000 – P2) was not one of the drivers who had top 5 speed in practice but he was 15th fastest in single-lap speed. Bell then put down an amazingly fast lap in qualifying that put him on the front row with Wallace. I believe both of these drivers could lead the bulk of the laps and finish top 5.

Both Ty Gibbs ($6,600 – P11) and Martin Truex Jr. ($9,500 – P7) were fast in practice posting top 5 single-lap speeds. Gibbs specifically had a good practice session on Saturday posting the 4th best single-lap and 5-lap average and the third fastest 10 and 15-lap averages. Not to be outdone, Truex was 5th fastest in single-lap and 7th best in 5-lap average.

In conclusion, I love the Toyota’s this week and I plan to be overweight on all of them. Busch is the best play, while Hamlin is the safest play and the best option for cash. Both Truex and Wallace need to win to get in the playoffs so we could see them using some pit strategy to get themselves up front to try and win this race. I believe we see Gibbs, Wallace, and Bell be extremely low-owned and are all great GPP plays.

NASCAR DFS: Other Potential Dominators

Obviously, the Toyota’s are the top plays, but there is no guarantee they will dominate this race. Both Chase Elliott ($10,900 – P13) and Kyle Larson ($10,700 – P8) have dominator potential in this race as they did last year. Elliott was top 10 in single-lap speed and was 5th and 6th respectively in 5 and 10-lap average. Elliott is also the hottest driver in the series and cannot be overlooked with his place differential and dominator upside. Larson wasn’t exceptionally fast in practice, but on this track type in 2022 he has been great. Larson has three top 5’s and four top 10’s and a win at Auto Club. In those four races, no driver has averaged more DKFP or FDFP per race.

Tyler Reddick ($9,700 – P6) is riding his momentum from his second career win last week at Indy and should be a contender on Sunday. In practice on Saturday, Reddick was the fastest non-Toyota (6th) and had the 6th best 5-lap average.

Other Options: Ross Chastain ($10,000 – P22), Ryan Blaney ($9,300 – P24), William Byron ($9,200 – P20)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Alex Bowman ($8,200 – P30) had the 9th fastest single-lap speed and 8th best 5 and 10-lap average in Saturday’s practice. Bowman has also faired well at this track type with a win at Las Vegas as well as two other top 10 finishes. If this is a clean race then it may be tough for Bowman to get through the field, but if he can finish top 20 he could make value anyway. Another driver who has been great at this track type is Kevin Harvick ($8,400 – P16). In four races at this track type in 2022, Harvick has two top 10’s and an average finish of 9.3. Harvick has the best place differential in these races with a +15.3.

Austin Dillon ($7,300 – P26) is another driver who will need some attrition to have an outstanding day but similar to Bowman he is cheap enough that a top 20 will have him making value. Dillon has an average finish of 12th in four races at this track type as well as one top 5 finish.

Other Options: Erik Jones ($8,100 – P10), Chase Briscoe ($7,500 – P23), Joey Logano ($8,800 – P4)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Austin Hill ($6,400 ) – P31
2. Ricky Stenhouse ($6,700) – P28
3. Cole Custer ($6,200) – P17
4. Todd Gilliland ($5,200) – P37
5. Aric Almirola ($6,800) – P18
6. Justin Haley ($5,900) – P21
7. Harrison Burton ($6,000) – P27
8. Corey Lajoie ($5,400) – P32

Driver I’m Playing you probably shouldn’t:

Noah Gragson ($5,600) – P12

Cash Core:

Hamlin, Blaney, Bowman, and Austin Dillon will leave you $7,450 per driver for your last two drivers.

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 Truck Series for Sunday’s Verizon 200 from The Brickyard! The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the second time ever and needless to say, I expect this year’s race to be a lot less eventful. Last season we had mayhem ensue towards the end of the race thanks to some of the curbs on track. This season, NASCAR has removed some of those curbs that caused the incidents and it will make for a cleaner race. Because of the way qualifying worked out, I am going to break down the top and mid-tier a little different and separate my cash game/SE drivers from the pure GPP plays.

Roster Construction:

In my eyes, there are two distinct builds. There are cash game plays and there are GPP plays. You can mix and match some of them for SE if you prefer, but if you are MME in large-field GPP’s there will be drivers you want to be underweight on. For me, the cash build is a straight PD lineup and pretty much builds itself. As for GPP’s you will have decisions to make.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Cash Game/Single Entry:

1. Kyle Larson ($10,200 – P22) – Larson ran well here in 2021 and was leading when it all went haywire. In this race last season, Larson led 28 laps and ended up finishing third. Larson didn’t have a great one-lap time, but he was 5th best in 5-lap average in Saturday’s practice. So far in 2022, Larson has the 7th best speed ranking and 6th fastest late in a run on road courses. Larson is a top 10 car and my lock for cash.
2. Ross Chastain ($10,400 – P21) – Chastain has been the best driver in 2022 on road courses in regards to speed rankings. In three road course races, Chastain has the best speed ranking and third best late run speed. In Saturday’s practice session, Chastain was fourth fastest in single lap time, but he was only 17th in 5-lap average. I am worried about his car’s late run speed in this race but he is plenty safe for cash.

Other Options: Martin Truex Jr. ($9,600 – P25)

GPP Options:

1. Austin Cindric ($9,100 – P2) – Cindric is a road course specialist and had the fastest car in practice on Saturday. In 2022 on road courses, Cindric has the 3rd best average finish (6.7) and has the best late in a run speed ranking. This season on road courses, Cindric has finished no worse than 8th and he finished 9th here in 2021. In the Xfinity race in 2021, Cindric led 29 laps as he went home after making a stop in victory lane as the winner. I think Cindric is a dark horse bet to win this race and could be a dominator if he can get past the next driver.
2. Tyler Reddick ($10,000 – P1) – Reddick was the winner the last time the Cup Series was on a road course, besting probably the best road course racer over the last 5 years (Elliott). In Saturday’s practice session, Reddick was 7th best in single lap time, but in 5-lap average he was 3rd and of the 11 cars that ran 10 consecutive laps Reddick was 2nd. There is a chance that Cindric is a little more popular than I anticipate but I don’t believe Reddick even sniffs double-digit ownership. Reddick could put on a similar performance to that of Allmendinger in Saturday’s Xfinity race.
3. Chase Elliott ($10,600 – P8) – I don’t know that Elliott is a full GPP play, but at his salary and with so many other drivers in his price range starting so far back he won’t be as popular as usual. Elliott comes into this race with five straight top 2 finishes (Yes, last week’s “win” counts) and will definitely be in position for a 6th straight. This season on road courses, Elliott ranks 2nd in both total speed ranking and late run speed. Elliott is always a great play at any track type, especially road courses.

Other Options: Daniel Suarez ($9,400 – P11) – Suarez looked incredibly fast in practice and has a win at Sonoma earlier this season. Ryan Blaney ($9,200 -P6)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K – $8.9K)

Cash game/Single entry:

1. AJ Allmendinger ($8,200 – P20) – I fully expect Allmendinger to be the highest-owned driver in Sunday’s field. We saw how Dinger dominated the Xfinity race on Saturday and he is also the previous winner of this race in 2021. In Saturday’s practice session, Allmendinger was 8th fastest in single lap time and 5th best in 5-ap average. Even though I list Dinger as a cash play, he is also playable in GPP’s.
2. Alex Bowman ($7,800 – P28) – If you watched the Xfinity race, Bowman was the only driver who gave Allmendinger a run for his money. I don’t expect a similar performance from the 48 car on Sunday, but Bowman is cheap, and an exceptionally safe play in my eyes. In 2022, Bowman is top 10 in both total speed ranking as well as speed late in a run.

Other Options: Erik Jones ($7,100 – P35)

GPP options:

1. William Byron ($8,700 – P23) – Byron could be considered for cash but I think the options listed above will be higher owned and are safer plays. In Saturday’s practice, Byron was not near the top of the charts, but he has been good at road courses in 2022. Byron ranks 15th in total speed ranking and is 11th late in a run. With so many options for cash, I think Byron has PD upside at low ownership.
2. Chris Buescher ($7,500 – P16) – Buescher has been a solid road course racer in 2022. In three races on this track type, Buscher has the 7th best total speed ranking and is 10th best late in a run. Buescher didn’t put down a great lap, but he did have the 6th best 5-lap average. I can see Buescher as a top 10 car on Sunday.

Other Options: Ty Gibbs ($7,000 – P26), Christopher Bell ($8,600 – P4), Kevin Harvick ($8,400 – P18)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Ricky Stenhouse ($6,100 – P38)
2. Justin Haley ($6,200 – P17)
3. Austin Dillon ($6,700 – P29)
4. Cole Custer ($6,300 – P24)
5. Ty Dillon ($6,000 – P30)
6. Harrison Burton ($5,800 – P13)
7. Brad Keselowski ($6,800 – P12)

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 Truck Series for Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 from Pocono Raceway. For those who don’t know, Pocono is its own beast. It isn’t an oval or a road course, it’s a triangle, a tricky triangle to be exact. Pocono is a 2.5-mile track unique in ways other than its shape. Each of the three corners is modeled after different tracks but only one is consistent with a track NASCAR still runs at. Turn two, or the Tunnel Turn, is modeled after Indianapolis Motor Speedway and is widely known as the most difficult turn among drivers.

With this track being so large, there aren’t a lot of laps in this race, only 140 to be exact, which means there are only 98 dominator points available in this race. While we don’t need to chase these points, I still want to roster 1 or 2 drivers who could lead laps. Qualifying actually worked out and gave us a few drivers who have great PD upside and a few who have some dominator potential in the top tier.

Roster Construction:

When building lineups for Sunday, I want to start with 2-3 drivers from the top tier. There is one good chalk play in the mid-tier that I want to have a lot of exposure to and then you can finish your builds with 2 value plays.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier – Dominators

Chase Elliott ($10,100)

Starting Position: 3rd

Elliott has finished 1-2-1-2 in his last four races and if we think this pattern continues, then Elliott should be a favorite to win. I do believe a top 3 finish is where Elliott ends up and winning this race is definitely a possibility. In those four races, Elliott has led 188 laps. Elliott was 10th in single-lap average on Saturday in practice, but he was 3rd and 1st in 5 and 10-lap average.

Denny Hamlin ($10,400)

Starting Position: 1st

Hamlin is a six-time winner at Pocono and while I am not looking back at previous you can’t deny that Hamlin knows his way around this track. Post qualifying, Hamlin said that he was confident in his car going into Sunday’s race. Hamlin has not had much luck in 2022 even though he has two wins but I would not be surprised to see Hamlin pick up his 3rd win on Sunday. All of the JGR cars looked fast on Saturday, not just Hamlin but more on those cars later.

Ross Chastain ($10,000)

Starting Position: 21st – will be starting at the rear

Chastain has a fast car coming into Sunday’s race as he put up the top single lap time and the top 5-lap average in practice. Unfortunately, Chastain did some damage to his ride during qualifying and will have to start at the rear but that will not deter me from rostering him on Sunday. Over the Cup Series’ last six races no driver has a better average finish than Chastain does (5.7) and he is 2nd best in total speed ranking. I hope that Chastain starting at the rear, but being scored from 21st, will pass on playing him and we can get the best PD place in this tier at low ownership.

Kyle Busch ($10,600)

Starting Position: 2nd

Kyle Busch is the reigning winner from last season at Pocono and should be considered a threat to win again on Sunday. In Saturday’s short practice session, Busch was 7th fastest single lap as well as 6th in 5-lap and 2nd in 10-lap averages. Also, don’t forget that Kyle’s main sponsor is the sponsor for this race so there’s that narrative as well.

Other Options: Kyle Larson ($9,800 – P4): Larson is only a play for me on DK this week at his low salary. Larson traditionally runs well here and was top 5 in practice on Saturday. Kevin Harvick ($9,000 – P24): Harvick has 11 top tens in his last 12 here and should be considered a top 10 threat again on Sunday. Harvick will be popular, but I don’t mind eating this chalk. Martin Truex Jr. ($10,300 – P8): Truex will be fast on Sunday and should be a top 5 contender.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Erik Jones ($7,600)

Starting Position: 34th

Jones has a fast car and it showed in practice where he put down the 6th fastest lap and the 4th best 5-lap average. Even though he had a fast car, he qualified incredibly poorly because he rubbed the wall in during his lap and that is why he will start 34th. I expect Jones to be one of the highest-owned drivers on Sunday, but nevertheless, I plan to be overweight on him.

Christopher Bell ($8,900)

Starting Position: 11th

Now it’s time to break down the last of the JGR Toyota’s for Sunday’s race. Bell was astonishingly fast in practice with only Ross Chastain putting up a fast single lap time and 5-lap average. Bell is coming off his first win in 2022 last week at New Hampshire and has seven top 10’s in his last 10 races. Another thing that is in Bell’s favor for Sunday is the fact he was one of the drivers who tested the new tire that Goodyear will be using this weekend at Pocono in May of this year. I don’t view Bell as a driver who can threaten to win back-to-back races but he has a top 5 car and I would not be surprised to see him finish there Sunday.

Daniel Suarez ($7,900)

Starting Position: 9th

After a middling run before Sonoma, Suarez came out and won his first career race and that set him off on his best run of form this season. Including his win at Sonoma, Suarez has no finishes lower than 15th in those five races and has four finishes of 9th or better. Another reason to like Suarez this week is, like Bell, he tested these Goodyear tires here at Pocono back in May.

Other Options: Alex Bowman ($8,100 – P17), Tyler Reddick ($8,300 – P16), Austin Cindric ($7,200 – P20)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Michael McDowell ($6,500) – P25: McDowell doesn’t usually run well at Pocono, but he has shown us that his past history does not matter in 2022. This season, McDowell has been one of the most improved drivers and can’t be counted out for a good finish on Sunday.
2. Chris Buescher ($6,800) – P5: Buescher was one of the fastest cars in Saturday’s practice and will be a good GPP play on Sunday.
3. Justin Haley ($6,100) – P30: Haley is hard to get a feel for with three top 15’s but also three finishes in the 20’s in his last 6 races. I view Haley as a teens driver who, with attrition, could steal a top 10.
4. Cole Custer ($6,300) – P32: I don’t expect a huge day out of Custer, but a low 20’s finish at his salary and starting position will make value.
5. Cody Ware ($5,100 – P36: Am I really suggesting using Cody Ware on Sunday? Yes, I am. I don’t like it but it makes sense. Ware has run well here in the past and since late May he has an average finish of 28.4.
6. Ricky Stenhouse ($6,600) – P19: As usual, Stenhouse is super risky, but there is some upside here. Stenhouse is probably a mid-teens driver for me on Sunday with top 10 upside.

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 Sunday’s Ambetter 301 from Loudon, New Hampshire. Let me just start with this, you typically have to play the two sites (DK and FD) differently but in races like Sunday, you really need to pay attention to the scoring. On DraftKings, there are 210.7 dominator points available as opposed to just 30.1 on FanDuel. FanDuel gives you points for completing laps so you want to build around drivers who should finish on the lead lap.

Over the last three races at Loudon, 2021 was the only race where the laps led were spread out. In 2019 and 2020 two drivers in each race led the majority of the laps. In 2019, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin combined to lead 76.9% of laps, and in 2020 Hamlin and Brad Keselowski led an amazing 91.7% of the laps in that race. New Hamshire is a difficult track to pass on, so that is why we don’t see too many drivers leading laps in each race.

I want to build my lineups with at least 2 potential dominators on Sunday, three if I can fit them and it MAKES SENSE. There are a few drivers who could lead a large number of laps who offer place differential points so those drivers should be the third in your lineups. Stacking three drivers in the top 5-8 starting positions could really come back to hurt you. Luckily a few potential dominators had horrible qualifying laps which makes them viable as a third dominator.

Roster Construction:

As I mentioned above, dominators will be key in DK builds and you should start with 2 drivers who can lead laps. After that, there are some great mid-tier options that give you huge place differential upside. If you think you can comfortably fit three top-tier drivers in then do that, if not build balanced lineups with a 2-2-2 or 2-3-1 depending on the salary you have left.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier – Dominators

Kyle Busch ($11,000) – [Proj. Ownership: 34%]

Starting Position: 17th

Busch was arguably the fastest car in practice and just didn’t have a good qualifying lap so he will start in the middle of the pack. I have zero worries about this car and this play as Busch has been great at New Hampshire in his career and his practice numbers. Kyle is one of those drivers who I think can lead laps, and a lot of them, but be that third dominator in your builds because of his place differential upside. Even if Busch doesn’t lead 75+ laps he should be a top 5 or top 3 car and make value. In Saturday’s practice session, Busch was second fastest in single lap and 5-lap average but he was atop the charts in 10, 15, and 20-lap average. Busch is my favorite play and I will be overweight on him regardless of ownership projections.

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,400) – [Proj. Ownership: 24%]

Starting Position: 1st

Truex is starting on the pole and he should be difficult to pass for the lead, at least before the first set of pit stops. In Saturday’s practice session, Truex did not show incredible speed, but he did say that he thought his car was close and it showed in qualifying. I am going to assume that the team made an adjustment before qualifying because the #19 was just barely a top 10 car, but in qualifying, they put up two of the three fastest laps. Truex is a potential winner on Sunday, but a top 5 with dominator points will do just fine for me.

Other Potential Dominators starting near the front:

• Chase Elliott ($10,300 – P2): Nobody in the sport is hotter than Elliott and it’s hard to doubt he will run well here. Elliott really likes his car in practice and in qualifying. Loudon is not one of Elliott’s best tracks, but he showed some good speed on Saturday and I will be taking some risk with the 9 car.
• William Byron ($9,400 – P6): Byron was fastest in single-lap speed and 5-lap average while being third best in 10-lap speeds. On Saturday, Byron got some seat time in the 88 car for JRM in the Xfinity Series and was running great until his engine blew up.

Ryan Blaney ($10,000) – [Proj. Ownership: 29%]

Starting Position: 11th

I already mentioned Blaney in Discord as a great play earlier this week and I have not changed my stance on him after P&Q. Not only has Blaney been great on this track type in 2022, but at New Hampshire Blaney has four finishes between 4th and 9th in his last five races here. But looking back at his 2022 stats on this track type nobody has been better, even though Blaney has yet to win a race. Blaney has the best overall speed ranking, has the best average finish (5th), and has led 283 laps along with 113 fastest laps. Blaney has some dominator potential on Sunday based on how much he has dominated this track type so far this season and I think his winless streak ends on Sunday as well.

Denny Hamlin ($10,600) – [Proj. Ownership: 28%]

Starting Position: 14th

Hamlin was not pleased with his car early in practice and after running in the high 20’s the team made an adjustment and Hamlin then proceeded to put up the 8th best lap. Hamlin is a three-time winner here at New Hampshire and should be an outside threat to win his third race this season on Sunday. If Hamlin can avoid the wrecking machine that is Ross Chastain, I don’t see a reason why Hamlin can’t be in contention for the win but he should be a top 8 car on Sunday no matter.

Other Options: Kyle Larson ($9,600 – P8) – SImilar to Elliott, hard to doubt the upside of Larson, especially at this salary. Ross Chastain ($9,800 – P18) – Chastain has great PD upside, but I don’t believe he has dominator potential. Christopher Bell ($9,100 – P5) – Bell has been dominant in every level of competition at this track and there is an outside chance he gets to victory lane on Sunday.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Kevin Harvick ($8,800) – [Proj. Ownership: 18%]

Starting Position: 10th

Harvick is one of two drivers in this tier who has dominator upside, albeit low. New Hampshire has historically been one of Harvick’s best tracks including four wins here. Since the fall of 2016 race here, Harvick has won three times and has finished 6th or better seven times in eight races. In Saturday’s practice, Harvick top 10 in all speed categories.

Place Differential Plays:

With Harvick being the best option for potential dominator points I figured it would just make sense to rank the PD plays in this tier for you

• Chase Briscoe ($8,400 – P29) [PO% – 34%]: Briscoe was 3rd fastest in single-lap speed and 5-lap average and he was 2nd fastest in 10-lap average. Earlier this season, Briscoe won at Phoenix, he then finished 11th at Richmond, and last he was running great at Gateway (won the pole and led 27 laps) but then had a tire go down and ended up 24th.
• Austin Cindric ($7,600 – P28) [PO% – 27%]: Cindric has been quietly one of the best DFS plays over the last 5 races. In that time, Cindric has four top 10’s, has an average of +5.6 PD, and is averaging the 3rd most DKFP per race.
• Alex Bowman ($7,800 – P27) [PO% – 25%]: Bowman did not have amazing speed in practice but if he can be incident free on Sunday a top 15 is definitely in the cards. We know this team will speak with teammates about their speed and make adjustments during the race to find the speed they need.
• Erik Jones ($7,300 – P22) [PO% – 22%]: Jones showed some real speed in practice on Saturday with the 6th best 5-lap average. Of the PD plays in this tier, Jones should be the lowest owned and is a good GPP play in my eyes.

Other Options: Kurt Busch ($8,200 – P3), Aric Almirola ($8,100 – P7), Bubba Wallace ($7,400 – P4), Daniel Suarez ($7,900 – P19)

Value Tier ($6.9K and under)

1. Chris Buescher ($6,100 – P16) – Buescher is a top 10 car in my eyes. He has been good at this track type in 2022 with a 10th at Phoenix and 15th at Richmond (He missed Gateway with COVID).
2. Austin Dillon ($6,300 – P30) – Dillon is going to be the chalky play in this tier on Sunday and is a lock for cash games. I can understand a fade in GPP’s, especially for a driver in this tier popping at 40% ownership. Dillon ran well at all three short flat tracks in 2022 so it can be expected he will be in the top 15 at day’s end.
3. Justin Haley ($5,900 – P25) – Haley is the pivot off Austin Dillon chalk in my opinion. Haley was faster than Dillon in practice and will come in at substantially lower ownership (over 20% less).
4. Ty Dillon ($5,400 – P35) – Ty Dillon had top 20 speed in practice but just had nothing in qualifying. Hopefully, he can run where he practiced and be a great PD play. Surprisingly, Dillon isn’t projecting at high ownership (>20%) so he could also be a pivot off big brother Austin.
5. Harrison Burton ($5,200 – P31) – Burton is at best a high teens driver on Sunday. Unless attrition is high in this race I don’t think Burton lives up to his practice speeds (13th 5-lap, 6th 10-lap, and 15-lap). Burton is a pretty safe play in my opinion for both GPP and in cash as well.
6. Corey Lajoie ($5,600 – P21) – Lajoie is super risky but we know this team has been good most weeks in 2022. While he hasn’t faired well at this track type, a top 20 would be a great DFS day for Lajoie.

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 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/)

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop preview for this weekend’s two races for Atlanta Motor Speedway. I should be calling this a review because I will be looking back at the Atlanta Xfinity and Cup Series races earlier this season. This will be the first time we get to see the NextGen car return to a track so it is essential to look back at what happened. There is nothing that says this race will go the same as it did in March, but it can’t hurt to look back and see what happened. This was the first time both series’ raced on the new Atlanta Motor Speedway which now races as a “superspeedway” track similar to Daytona and Talladega.

Atlanta did not disappoint when it came to cautions and cars wrecking out of the race. In the Xfinity race, we had 23 of 38 cars involved in some type of incident during seven cautions. All of the seven cautions came in the third stage as well, which was not the same in the Cup race. During the Cup Series race at Atlanta, there were eight cautions for incident but they were spread throughout the race. In total, 27 of 37 cars were involved in some way in the eight wrecks and twelve of those cars failed to finish the race.

Do we stack the back here?

Well, if these races finish as both did in the spring then stacking the back is not a bad option. We don’t need to go all the way to the back necessarily because only one car starting lower than 30th in each race finished in the top 15, Vargas – P32 finished 12th in the Xfinity race, and Lajoie – P33 finished 5th in the Cup. Looking at the DraftKings points for the Xfinity Series race, three drivers in the optimal started between 24th and 26th. At the same time, only one driver starting in the top 10 (Allmendinger P7) made the optimal. The Xfinity optimal left $5.3K on the table by the way.

In the Cup Series, it was very different. Only two drivers who started lower than 13th made the optimal lineup from that race, but even with that being the case we still had $2.9K on the table. As for Fanduel, all five drivers in their optimal were also in the DK optimal and there was $15,000 left over in salary.

In Conclusion…

As I said, there is nothing that says these races will be the same as there were back in March, but these trends all align with a typical Superspeedway race. I will be playing lineups similar to what I would build for Daytona or Talladega. Will it be the right play, we don’t know but I think that will most likely be the safest type of build.

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/)