NASCAR Cup

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Cup series for the 2022 season! If you’ve been with us before then, you know the drill, but welcome if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site with contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play. 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/)

The Great American Race!

It’s finally here, we are finally going to drop the green flag officially on the 2022 season at the most iconic track in the United States of America, Daytona!

After a long offseason (not really) the Cup series is back on the track this weekend from Daytona! There have been a lot of changes during the offseason with top drivers from the Xfinity Series and Truck Series making the jump to “the big leagues”. Included in those drivers are former Xfinity champion, Austin Cindric. Harrison Burton and Justin Haley also make the leap from the Xfinity series and Todd Gilliland comes up from the Truck Series. We also have a couple of other drivers doing one-off rides in this race like Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson.

Another change this season is the series is moving on to the Next-Gen car (more on that in my “What’s New” article) as well as going back to practice and single-lap qualifying. When we had qualifying in 2021 we typically had great days if you were in discord and made the appropriate changes. A lot of times the field will set their lineups and not come back to check who makes the race and where they start.

Roster Construction

If you’ve played NASCAR DFS before then you probably have an idea of how we build lineups for tracks like Daytona. If you don’t, well there’s a hashtag for it, #Stacktheback. You want drivers from the back, specifically 20th and back. Looking back at the 500 from 2021, the optimal lineup only left $2,400 of salary on the table. In fact, the top 5 lineups left on average $3,500 of salary with only one of those lineups being higher than $3,100. I believe we will see similar salary figures for the top lineups with so many of the drivers starting towards the back having high salaries. Of the top 5 projected point totals, Aric Almirola is the cheapest at $8,000. I still think there should be some salary remaining when building, probably around $1,500-$3,000, since you don’t want lineups with all the chalk drivers. It will be in your best interest to pick 2-3 of the top drivers and then use some of the lower owned plays to fill out the remaining spots.

**** DISCLAIMER ****: I will be building over 20 lineups for this race as I have over 20 tickets entered in the Millionaire Maker contest on DraftKings. I will have exposure to drivers not in this article. I will be doing this to try and strengthen my odds in this contest. These are drivers that are incredibly risky and I would not suggest using if building under 5 lineups.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Denny Hamlin – $10,500 (Proj Ownership: 53%)

Starting Position: 30th

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Hamlin is tops in this tier for Sunday with his amount of success here in recent years coupled with his poor qualifying effort. Hamlin has won three of the last five Daytona 500’s and was the top-scoring driver on DraftKings. Hamlin came home fifth after starting 25th and led 98 laps and we should expect a similar outcome from the #11 team on Sunday. As long as he can keep himself out of the big one(s), Hamlin is as much of a lock for a top 5 as any driver in the field.

Joey Logano $9,800 (Proj Ownership 30%)

Starting Position: 20th (but will be starting at the rear for going to his backup car)

We go from the driver with the highest projected ownership (Hamlin) to a driver who saw his ownership projection drop after his last-lap wreck in his Duel this week. Logano is a Superspeedway master and was leading this race last season until a last ap wreck took him out. In 2022 so far it appears the 22, and the Ford’s in general seems to have this car figured out. Logano has won his heat at the Clash, won the Clash, and was about to win his Duel before he had failed block attempt on the last lap. I think Logano going to the back will keep people off him for Sunday but with all the carnage expected to happen, I am will not worry about that.

William Byron $9,400 (Proj Ownership 20%)

Starting Position: 23rd

Byron is another driver who excels at Superspeedways. Daytona was the site of Byron’s first win and he has to be seen as a favorite to win this race on Sunday. Dating back to 2019, when Byron can avoid the wrecks he finishes exceptionally well with a 1st and a 2nd place finish in the two races where he stayed clean. The Hendrick Chevy’s almost always run well at Superspeedways and Byron should be in contention on Sunday.

Kevin Harvick $9,200 (Proj Ownership 17%)

Starting Position: 22nd

In four Superspeedway races in 2021 nobody was better than Harvick’s 7.75 average finish and his three top 10’s. Harvick is a two-time winner at Daytona and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 4 in victory lane at the end of the night. We have already established that the Ford’s are fast this week so I expect Harvick and his Ford teammates to dominate this race with Harvick leading the charge. Harvick ran fairly well in his Duel this week even though at times he seemed disinterested in really running that race.

Other Options: Chase Elliott ($10,400 – P11), Kurt Busch ($9,000 – P17), Ryan Blaney ($10,000 – P7)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K – $8.9K)

Austin Dillon $8,400 (Proj Ownership 46%)

Starting Position: 36th

Dillon has rarely had a bad race at Daytona and this is why he is so highly ranked for me, well that and his starting position. The 2018 Daytona 500 winner has been Mr. Consistent at Daytona with six finishes of 17th or better in his last eight races here. Last season in this race Dillon was top 5 in both stages and then finished 3rd in the race.

Aric Almirola $8,000 (Proj Ownership 49%)

Starting Position: 38th

Similar to Dillon, Almirola is a great driver at this track type. If you look at his recent results, Almirola has not been great, but he is an excellent Superspeedways through no fault of his own. Almirola has six top 10’s and nine top 15’s in his last 16 Superspeedway races.

Daniel Hemric $7,000) (Proj Ownership 28%)

Starting Position: 33rd

Hemric will be in the Kaulig #16 Chevy on Sunday and he should be in position for a good day. Kaulig traditionally prepares great cars for Superspeedways and Sunday should be no different. Hemric ran well in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race in his Kaulig #11 car until he got caught up in the big one. With his cheap salary and low starting position, Hemric is a great value piece to help you fit the higher-priced guys we want in this race.

Other Options: Justin Haley ($7,400 – P25): Haley is Kaulig’s second car in this race and Haley has been great at this track type in his career. Bubba Wallace ($8,300 – P16), Tyler Reddick ($7,700 – P15)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Noah Gragson ($5,300 – P39): Gragson is running his first ever Cup Series race on Sunday but he has been successful in his Xfinity SS races. This car has had some good finishes at this track type.
2. Ty Dillon ($5,200 – P26): Dillon has a 14.9 finish in his last twelve Superspeedway races
3. Cole Custer ($6,500 – P31): Custer has not performed well at Daytona in the past and he should go overlooked on Sunday. The Fords have been fast all week and if Custer can avoid the carnage he could be one of the top scoring drivers in this race
4. Ross Chastain ($6,700 – P19): Chastain has three straight top 20 finishes at Daytona, including a 7th place finish at the Daytona 500 last year.
5. Corey Lajoie ($5,500 – P24): Some how Corey Lajoie always manages to avoid all the wrecks and pull out superb finishes. Lajoie has three top 10’s and an average finish of 12th over the last five races at Daytona. With Lajoie starting P24 he may be overlooked which is what we want as he could be the key to a takedown.
6. David Ragan ($5,100 – P34): Ragan has won this race before but he also gets caught up in the wrecks as well. Ragan is a risky play but he does know how to work the draft and stay out of trouble, similar to Lajoie he could be the key to a big day.
7. Daniel Suarez ($5,800 – P21): Suarez has had some bad luck at Daytona, whether he caused the wreck or just got caught up in it. I feel like he is due and now with Chastain and the Hendrick cars working with him he could have a solid day on Sunday.

Play these races light and use them to pick up some tickets for Sunday’s race. There are A LOT of satellites in the lobby for these races. There are all kinds of price points and sizes, depending on your budget you should be able to enter a few of these contests.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then you know the drill, but if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content, welcome! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

Thank you!

As this is the last race for all three NASCAR series’ this weekend I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for reading my article throughout the season. I also want to thank everyone for interacting with me in discord each and every weekend and for making this our best season ever. I will miss the races each weekend, but luckily NASCAR has an incredibly short offseason and we will be back on Sunday, February 6th for the NASCAR Clash from the Los Angeles Coliseum! Hopefully, GravMatt52 and IDrago15 can get tickets and get to enjoy the show!

On with the show!

Phoenix is a short flat track that runs similar to Richmond and New Hampshire so those are two places where we can look at results to see how drivers ran in conjunction with Phoenix. Last season at the championship race the four contenders finished in the top four positions and don’t be surprised to see that happen on Sunday. It is important to look at drivers who have run well here in the past as well as the other tracks mentioned above. Earlier this season Championship 4 contender Martin Truex Jr. led just 64 laps but won, barely beating out Joey Logano who led a race-high 143 laps.

Practice and qualifying are back!

This week we have live practice and qualifying for the finale, as it should be. We will get to see who has a good car and who needs to work on theirs before they hit the track on Sunday afternoon. I have also added a tier for the Championship 4 for this race. My strategy will most likely be to get two of these drivers into your lineups on Sunday. Stacking 3 of them may be difficult because the value tier is not particularly deep for this race.

NASCAR DFS: Championship 4

(Listed in salary order)

Kyle Larson ($11,500)

Starting Position: 1st

2021 has been the year of Kyle Larson as he redeems himself. Larson is the clear and obvious favorite for the championship coming into Sunday’s finale and is priced accordingly. In practice on Friday, Larson ran the second-fastest lap, was the best in 5 lap average, and late in the session he managed to run the top line well and had the 2nd best 10 lap average. It will be hard to bet against the 5 team on Sunday, and I wouldn’t suggest doing so.

Denny Hamlin ($11,000)

Starting Position: 6th

Hamlin is widely considered the best driver in NASCAR to never win a title, and I think he can keep that moniker after Sunday’s race. Personally, I would love to see Hamlin wreck on the first lap and go home with a last-place finish (I’m a big fan of the 48 car and Alex Bowman). Now, that won’t happen, but instead, Hamlin should be running towards the front all day and I consider him a lock for a top 5. Hamlin has finished in the top 5 in four of the last five races here as well. In 2021, Hamlin has the best speed ranking at this track type, the best average running position (4.5), and led the most laps on average (109.5) per race.

Chase Elliott ($10,800)

Starting Position: 2nd

Obviously, Elliott has a good track history here considering he won the 2020 title on this very track by winning the race. In fact, Elliott has been the best driver at this track since NASCAR began running this package in 2020. In practice on Friday, Elliott had the 4th best 5 lap average, 3rd best 10 lap average, and the 2nd best 15 lap average. It would appear that Elliott and his team have set this car up to get better over the long run, which will see a lot of on Sunday.

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,400)

Starting Position: 12th

After Larson, Truex is my favorite play in this race. Truex has been great at Phoenix in his career and won the last time the series was here. In 2021, Truex won here (like I mentioned), also won at Richmond, and has an average finish of 2.3 (if you take out his wreck in the rain at New Hampshire). Truex and the 19 team are running the same chassis that they ran at the spring Phoenix race and they have set this car up for the long run which was evident in practice as Truex has the best 15 lap average run. If you wanted to bet on someone else winning the championship on Sunday other than Larson, my money would be on MTJ.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier

Brad Keselowski ($9,100)

Starting Position: 11th

Keselowski was great in practice on Friday coming out of it with the best single lap average speed. This will be Kes’s last race in the #2 for Team Penske as he transitions to the #6 next season. Keselowski will want to go out on top and if practice is any indication he will be a threat on Sunday. I am particularly interested in Keselowski because of his price. He makes the two Champ 4 driver builds easier to make work. Keselowski has back-to-back top 5’s here and has an average finish of 6.8 in his last four races here.

Ryan Blaney ($9,500)

Starting Position: 4th

Blaney is another driver who has both run well at Phoenix and looked fast in practice, oh and he also is too cheap but helps us make the builds we want, work. In practice on Friday, Blaney came out with the 7th best single lap, 2nd best 5 lap average, and the best 10 lap average. Blaney’s car is also set up for the long run as they were one of two teams to run 20 consecutive laps in which he was the faster of the two. I expect Ryan Blaney to be a top 10 car with top 5 upside on Sunday.

Other Options: Kevin Harvick ($9,300 – P9) – Harvick is a NINE-time winner at Phoenix. Kyle Busch ($9,800 – P13)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Alex Bowman ($8,200)

Starting Position: 14th

Bowman was dominant at this race back in 2016 leading 194 laps from the pole, but since then it has not been great for him. In 2021 though, Bowman has excelled at this track type including a victory at the first Richmond race and finishing between 9th and 13th in the other three races. Bowman finished 13th in the spring race here, his best finish since another 13th place finish since the spring race of 2018. Bowman looks to be a top 10 contender on Sunday but is more likely to finish in the low teens.

Bubba Wallace ($7,700)

Starting Position: 25th

Wallace has been strong at Phoenix over the last two seasons with three straight top 20 finishes. In the spring race here, Wallace finished 16th. Wallace was 5th best late in a run in the race as well as having the 13th best speed ranking. I view Wallace as a mid teens driver on Sunday. Listen, there are better drivers in this tier but my goal is to help you build lineups and you can’t get two $10K+ drivers and two $8.5K drivers either so drivers like Wallace help us get the top tier guys we want.

Joey Logano ($8,900)

Starting Position: 10th

Logano is a top 5 car for me on Sunday, but we will need to sacrifice either Keselowski or Blaney to fit in Logano. I am not opposed to that strategy though. Logano has been good at Phoenix in the past and at this track type in 2021 he has been the best, literally. In 2021, Logano has finished in the top 5 in every race at short flat tracks (the only driver in the series to do so) and has the best average finish in the series with a 3.5. Logano won here in the spring race in 2020 and has finished between 1st and 3rd in the last three races here. In practice on Friday, Logano never made a long run but the other Penske cars did and they were fast so I expect Logano to be just as fast on Sunday.

Other Options: Austin Dillon ($7,300 – P23), Matt DiBenedetto ($7,900 – P15), Christopher Bell ($8,700 – P8), Kurt Busch ($8,400 – P5)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Chris Buescher ($6,400) P26 – Buescher had the fastest car of this tier in practice on Friday. Half way through the practice session Buescher was 19th, but he ended up with the 17th best single lap and the 15th best 10 lap average.
2. Daniel Suarez ($6,800) P17- Suarez projects as a mid-teens driver for me on Sunday. While his car was not that fast on Friday, but he has been good at this track type in 2021. Suarez has an average finish of 18.5 at short flat tracks and has not finished lower than 21st in any of the four races.
3. Chase Briscoe ($6,200) P22 – Briscoe was running in the low teens in the spring here but had a pit road speeding penalty late and ended up finishing 22nd. At Richmond a few weeks ago, Briscoe finished 16th, his best finish at this track type in 2021. I view Briscoe as a mid teens driver on Sunday.
4. Ryan Preece ($5,800) P31 – Preece hasn’t performed well at Phoenix but he is usually a mid-twenties driver. I expect much of the same from Preece on Sunday
5. Justin Haley ($5,600) P29 – Haley finished 24th in his only Cup Series race at Phoenix. Haley finished mid to high twenties in the other races at this track type in 2021 and should be considered to finish around the same.
6. Garrett Smithley ($4,600) P38 – Smithley isn’t to do much in this race, but he could pull out a top 30. Realistically, Smithley is a low 30’s driver which may just be enough to make value.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then you know the drill, but if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content, welcome! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

This is it…until next week

Welcome to Martinsville week where we decide the final four drivers who will compete for the title next week. Just as a personal opinion, Martinsville is not the track that should be deciding who gets to go to the Championship 4, but here we are so let’s get at it. Martinsville is NASCAR’s oldest track and there has been a NASCAR race here every year since 1949. Martinsville is also the shortest and slowest track on the circuit but it does not lack for action or an inordinate amount of cautions. This race will get crazy at the end of the two stages and of course as the checkered flag gets closer to waving. Drivers will be trying to get all the stage points they can and also the there Penske drivers will all be fighting for the win as well.

This is a long, 500 lap race and because of this, we will need to load up on dominators. Since you need to get those laps-led bonus points, we will need to find some value. This is the exact reason why a driver priced at $5,900 or less has been in EVERY optimal lineup for the last three races here. There are not a huge number of drivers in this price range that look good, but there is at least one.

It’s Kyle Larson’s world and we are all just living in it.

Larson is the only driver who has clinched his spot in the finale on the back of three straight wins. Larson is the first driver in over thirty years to win three straight races twice in a year (Dale Earnhardt). Both Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin look to be locks to make the final, barring something catastrophic happening to either of them. So, that leaves the final five drivers competing for one spot. Only Joey Logano is in a must-win situation, but if you are the other four drivers and you see Logano leading late you will have to do everything you can to get past him. All of this is will make for a fun and interesting afternoon on Sunday.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier

Once again Kyle Larson ($11,800 – P1) projects as the highest-scoring driver, and why not. Larson has dominated at every track type we’ve been to in 2021. At the first Martinsville race this season, Larson did finish 5th but did not lead any laps. I fully expect him to take the early lead from the pole and lead a good amount of laps but he may just drive around, keep his car clean and finish top 10. Larson will be in some of my lineups, but I won’t have 100% exposure like I have the last few weeks.

Martin Truex Jr. ($11,400)

Starting Position: 4th

Everything points to Truex having an outstanding day on Sunday. First, Truex is running his Auto-Owners Insurance paint scheme which when he runs this scheme he traditionally has some of his best races. Since 2020, MTJ has run this scheme 15 times and has one win, eight top 5’s, ten top 10’s, and has led 776 laps. Needless to say, Truex usually runs great in this paint scheme. At Martinsville, Truex has been dominant with three wins in the last four races. Truex also has six top 5’s and seven top 10’s in his last eight races here. If Larson doesn’t win this race, don’t be surprised to see the #19 Toyota in victory lane on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin ($10,700)

Starting Position: 3rd

Hamlin isn’t as dominant here at Martinsville as Truex is, but this is clearly one of Denny’s best tracks. Hamlin is a five-time winner at Martinsville and has led 490 laps since 2018. Now, Hamlin hasn’t won here since 2015, but since 2018 Hamlin does own four top 5’s and has only finished lower than 12th once in seven races. Hamlin will compete for the win on Sunday, but he should be a lock for another top 5.

Joey Logano ($9,500)

Starting Position: 5th

Logano has to win or go home (not really, he still races next week) and if there is a track he can do it at, it’s Martinsville. Coming into Sunday’s race here, Logano has four straight top 10’s and has six top 10’s and a win in seven races since 2018. Like with Truex and Hamlin before him, Logano has led a large number of laps, 573 to be exact in those seven races. I see Logano as an outside favorite to win, but a lock for a top 10 unless he wrecks himself trying to win this race.

There are two constants in the last three races here, a driver priced at $5.9K on DK will be in the optimal, and so will Ryan Blaney ($9,700 – P8). Since 2020, Blaney has been in all three optimal lineups which just shows how well Blaney runs at Martinsville. Sticking with the theme, since 2018, Blaney has had five top 5’s in seven races and has led 372 laps. This is also a real example of how getting dominator points is key. Blaney started from P4 but finished 11th here earlier this season, but led 157 laps in that race which made up for his negative 7 in place differential.

Other Options: Chase Elliott ($10,100 – P2), Brad Keselowski ($9,300 -P6), Kevin Harvick ($9,000 – P9)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Christopher Bell ($8,400)

Starting Position: 12th

Christopher Bell has greatly improved his standing at Martinsville in each of his three races. Earlier this season, Bell finished 7th after starting 23rd. In that race, Bell had an average running position of 10.6 and had the 10th best speed ranking. Bell is quietly one of the hottest drivers in the series, over the last four races he has a series-best average finish of 6th. I see Bell as a solid top 10 play with top 5 upside.

Kurt Busch ($7,900)

Starting Position: 10th

At Martinsville, Kurt Busch has been one of the series’s best drivers in recent years. While the focus is on the playoff drivers, Busch will be looking to steal a victory here, a place he’s won at twice already. In his last seven races here, Kurt has an average finish of tenth, but if you remove his race earlier this season he has an average finish of 8.1.

Bubba Wallace ($7,600)

Starting Position: 17th

Wallace has traditionally run well at Martinsville. Earlier this season, Wallace finished 16th, his fourth finish of 17th or better in his last five races. Wallace has been improving throughout the season. Since Bristol (minus Texas where he wrecked), Wallace has an average finish of 12.2. I see Wallace as a top 15 driver on Sunday with top 10 upside.

Other Options: Alex Bowman ($8,700 – P13) – Before he had a late-race incident this spring, Bowman had finished 6th in back-to-back races at Martinsville. I think Bowman will be a low-owned play that could finish top 10. Matt DiBenedetto ($7,700 – P21) – Matty D comes in with three straight top 12’s and has the 15th best speed ranking at this track type this season.

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Chris Buescher ($5,900) – P15: Buescher is a good performer at Martinsville and has finished 12th or 13th in three of the last four. I see Buescher as a top 15 car on Sunday and is a great low owned play on Sunday.
2. Anthony Alfredo ($5,400) – P32: Alfredo is not someone who typically ranks this high, but he had a good race here in the spring (26th), is cheap, and starts far enough back that he can’t hurt you. Alfredo will also probably come in arounf sub 10% ownership
3. Ryan Preece ($6,200) – P26: Preece has three finishes of 19th or better in his last five races here. Earlier this season, Preece was running in the teens, but had alternator issues and then wrecked late. I see Preece as a top 20 car this week.
4. Cole Custer ($6,600) – P24: Custer had a poor finish in his first run at Martinsville in 2020, but since then he was back-to-back finishes in the teens. Last season in this race Custer finished 13th, and earlier this season he started 26th and came home 18th. Custer is currently on a run of four straight top 20 finishes and I fully expect that to continue on Sunday with another finish in the mid-teens.
5. Corey Lajoie ($6,000) – P29: Lajoie is typically a low to mid 20’s driver at Martinsville. Earlier this season, Lajoie was running in the low 20’s when he wrecked and finished 37th. Before that race, Lajoie had three straight finishes between 18th and 25th.
6. Erik Jones ($6,900) – P28: If you fade the mid-tier this week, than I really like Jones as an option here. He traditionally runs well and should be a top 20 driver.
7. Garrett Smithley ($5,200) – P37: Smithley is not going to led laps or run in the top 10, but he can get a top 30 and help you cash. Smithley is a good young driver in ok equipment. He is super cheap, starts next to last, and will carry sub 5% ownership as well. Drivers like Houff, McLeod, and Haley are expected to be higher owned, but I don’t see them exceeding the value of Smithley.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then you know the drill, but if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content, welcome! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

” ‘Cause I’m about to solve it. Put my engine back into overdrive”

This weekend the Cup Series playoffs head to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400! On Saturday in the Xfinity race, we saw that the high line was practically the only place to pass on the track. Because of this, I am looking at for this race is drivers who tend to run well in the high groove. Aside from drivers who run well up top, I want to see who performed well earlier this season here, as well as at other 1.5-mile tracks with low tire wear. Kansas is an old surface but it does not eat up tires which makes them less important.

Rain on my parade?

There is a high chance of rain on Sunday afternoon in Kansas around the track, luckily Kansas DOES have lights which means you don’t need to tweet at Bob Pockrass to ask. These cars are set up for daytime racing, not night racing so it will be interesting to see who can make the proper adjustments to get their cars changed from day to night. I would assume that it would be the top teams in the series, but unfortunately, that’s just another thing we cannot predict.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier

Kyle Larson ($11,700)

Starting Position: 1st

Welcome to the weekly breakdown of how good Kyle Larson is at driving anything with an engine in it. There doesn’t seem to be any type of vehicle or track that Larson can’t dominate at, and Kansas is no different. Even though he didn’t have the finish to show for it, he dominated earlier this season at Kansas leading 132 or 267 laps. In 2021 at low tire wear mile and a half tracks, Larson has been the class of the field each week. In five races at this track type, Larson has three wins, the best overall speed, and driver rating, and has led an average of 182.6 laps per race. I am seriously running out of things to say about Larson each week, luckily I only have to write him up two more times after Sunday.

William Byron ($9,500)

Starting Position: 9th

No, you are not reading the article for Texas from last week, I promise this is a different article. Byron historically runs well at Kansas. After a few poor races to start his career where he couldn’t finish higher than 20th here everything has seemingly flipped and now Byron is a top 10 machine at Kansas. Since this race in the fall of 2019, Byron has finished 5th, 10th, 8th, and 9th and has led laps in three of the four races. Earlier this season Byron finished 9th with an average running position of 10.1 and the 8th best speed ranking. At this track type in 2021, Byron is also part of the top tier with the 2nd best speed ranking and 2nd best driver rating. At Las Vegas last month Byron ranked 1st in total speed ranking, he finished 2nd and had the second-best speed ranking last week in Texas as well. Lastly, at Michigan (which is considered to be a bigger version of Kansas) Byron also finished 2nd and had the 2nd best speed ranking

Ryan Blaney ($9,300)

Starting Position: 2nd

Blaney is another driver who excels at this track type. Since the midpoint of the season, Blaney has been the best at high-speed ovals like Kansas with a series-best 4.3 average finish in four races. Blaney also has finished in the top 6 at all four races. In the playoffs, the series has raced at two low tire wear 1.5-mile tracks and Blaney has finished fifth at Las Vegas and sixth at Texas. Blaney also won at Michigan back in August this year. I expect Blaney to compete for the win but if he doesn’t win, he should at least come home in the top 5.

Denny Hamlin ($11,000)

Starting Position: 6th

Hamlin should be ranked higher, but because of his salary I do not love the builds that have both him and Larson and for me, Larson is the priority on Sunday. With that being said, I will most likely have at least one lineup with them both. Hamlin has won two of the last four races at Kansas, but over the last two races luck wasn’t on his side. At Las Vegas last month, Hamlin led a race-high 137 laps, had the 2nd best speed ranking, and won the race. On Sunday I expect Hamlin to push Larson for the win and should be part of the top 5 at the end of the day.

Other Options: Alex Bowman ($9,800 – P25) – I expect Bowman to carry a lot of ownership on Sunday so that’s why he isn’t higher on the list. Bowman has not finished lower than 18th in any race since 2018 here (7 races) and has two top 5’s and four top 10’s. Kyle Busch ($10,700 – P4), Chase Elliott ($10,000 – P5)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Tyler Reddick ($8,400)

Starting Position: 12th

Well, you can’t have an article about a track where the high line is the best and not include Tyler Reddick. This man loves to run up top and right up against the wall but while it may seem risky it does tend to work for him. Over the last five races at 1.5-mile tracks, Reddick has finished no worse than 9th in any race and has the fourth-best average finish of 7.4 during this span. It seems every week I watch these races and Tyler Reddick and the #8 car is running towards the front and I expect to see much of the same this Sunday.

Austin Dillon ($7,800)

Starting Position: 14th

Let’s keep this RCR tier going! Reddick’s teammate, Austin Dillon, is another solid play in my eyes on Sunday. Dillon has run well at Kansas in the past and he’s also done well at 1.5-mile tracks in 2021. Dillon finished 11th in this race last season and earlier this year he came home tenth. As far as how he’s fared at similar tracks this year, Dillon has an average finish of 10.6 and an average running position of 12.5 at 1.5-mile tracks this season. At Michigan, Dillon was having his best race of the year until he got into that wreck with Keselowski at the end of the stage. I expect Dillon to be a top 15 lock, but to push for a top 10.

Bubba Wallace ($7,400)

Starting Position: 27th

Wallace is not someone who typically runs well at Kansas, but he is also in the best car he’s ever been in the Cup Series. Wallace has shown some great improvements at this track type late in the season. Prior to Texas where he wrecked, Wallace had finished 14th, 14th, and 16th at the 1.5-mile tracks. I expect Wallace to be a low owned car that finishes in the mid to high teens.

Other Options: Kurt Busch ($8,500 – P13): I really like Kurt Busch on Sunday, but because of his salary he doesn’t work in my three top tier driver builds and that’s why he’s in the “other” section. Over the last 4 at this track type, Busch has an avg finish of 7.3 and finished 4th and 8th at Michigan and Vegas respectively. Kevin Harvick ($8,900 – P11): When he’s not fighting with Chase Elliott, Harvick is having great races lately. In 6 of the last 7 he has finished in the top 10 and has an avg finish of 7.4 (4th best) since at the last 5 1.5-mile tracks. Ricky Stenhouse ($7,000 – P28): When he isn’t getting wrecked out of races, Stenhouse is finishing in the mid teens. If he can keep his car away from the carnage, I fully expect Stenhouse to be a huge PD play and finish in the mid to high teens.

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Matt DiBenedetto ($6,800) – P15: DiBenedetto is never priced this low, but it’s not for any reason other than DK’s algorithm is messed up (as usual). I don’t love this play on FD, but on DK he is a great option. Matty D has an avg finish of 11.9 and an avg running position of 12.8. I see DiBenedetto as a low teens driver on Sunday.
2. Chris Buescher ($6,300) – P21: Buescher, like DiBenedeto, is underpriced for his upside in this race. In his last six races here, Buescher has finished 16th or better four times and finished 8th here in the spring. I view Buescher as a high teens driver on Sunday.
3. Erik Jones ($6,100) – P17: Jones start’s high, but his price reflects it on both sites. I see Jones as a mid to low teens driver on Sunday based of recent performances. Last week at Texas (a similar track), Jones ran great and finished 12th. At 3 of the 5 low tire wear tracks in 2021 he’s finished between 10th and 16th.
4. Daniel Suarez ($6,400) – P16: Suarez finished top 10 last week at Texas and has been running really well in the playoffs. In 5 of the 7 playoff races so far, Suarez has finished 17th or better and I expect him to be a mid teens driver with top 10 upside again.
5. Ryan Preece ($5,700) – P32: I don’t love this pick, but the upside is here Preece has not been running well of late, but he is in a good car that could easily pull a top 20 on Sunday. I expect Preece to be popular, so fading him and going with the next driver on the list may be a good idea.
6. Anthony Alfredo ($5,600) – P29: Alfredo ran well here in the spring finishing 23rd. At the 8 1.5-mile tracks this season, Alfredo has finished 27th or better in seven of those races. I see Alfredo as mid 20’s car again on Sunday and with some attrition on our favor maybe even a low 20’s finish is in the cards.
7. Cole Custer ($6,000 – P22: Custer is a mid teens to low twenties driver at this track type typically and I expect that to continue. There really isn’t much to say about Custer, but he is cheap industry wide and will be a pivot off the other $6K drivers in this race. Custer is a GPP play only and you will need some luck to get a huge number out of him, but it can happen. In a wrecked filled race in the first Kansas race of 2020 he came home 7th, so the potential is there.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then you know the drill, but if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content, welcome! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

Ding Ding Ding, Round 3!

Sunday kicks off the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with only eight drivers remaining for the final four spots. Texas is a low-tire wear 1.5-mile track that usually runs clean. Last year at this race there were only four cautions for wrecks and only five cars that didn’t finish the race. This is a long race with 334 laps so we will want to get dominators in our lineups. My advice would be no less than 2 in any lineup, but at the same time, don’t try to unnecessarily try to fit more than 3 in and be stuck with three value drivers. This week the mid-tier is absolutely loaded in such a way that building one value driver lineups is entirely too easy.

There will be some chalky builds, but if things happen as they did on Saturday, the chalk will dominate, and you will need to just eat the good chalk. I will, of course, find those few plays with a big upside that won’t be as popular, but will also try to lead you away from the bad chalk.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier

Kyle Larson ($10,500)

Starting Position: 1st

I mean, come on, are you really surprised Larson is the top driver in this race? Well, if you’ve been here all season then you shouldn’t be at this point. When it comes to 1.5-mile track nobody has been better than Larson in 2021. When it comes to total speed rankings at 1.5-mile tracks nobody even comes close to Larson’s 2.57 avg rank. At 1.5-mile low tire wear tracks, yep you guessed it, Kyle Larson is tops there too (avg ranking of 2nd). I know Larson is going to be the highest owned driver, but listen, he’s going to score over 100 points on Sunday, win this race, and lead the most laps. Can you get a takedown on Sunday if you don’t roster Larson? Highly unlikely.

Kyle Busch ($9,800)

Starting Position: 3rd

Oh, look, another Kyle. Last season at this race, Kyle Busch dominated leading 90 laps on his way to his fourth career Texas victory. Since the start of the 2020 NASCAR playoffs, Kyle Busch has finished top 10 in nine of nine races at 1.5-mile low tire wear tracks. Busch also has the third-best total speed ranking at this track type in 2021. On Sunday, Busch has the potential to lead 90 laps again and finish top 3 in this race and he is severely underpriced for his upside.

William Byron ($9,600)

Starting Position: 12th

Byron has been one of the series’s best drivers at this track type in 2021. On the season, Byron ranks second behind Larson in total speed at low tire wear 1.5-mile tracks. The last time the series raced at this track type (Vegas #2), Byron was the fastest car but ran into some late-race carnage and ended up 18th one lap down. Byron will most likely be one of the lowest owned drivers in this race and could be a great pivot off Busch.

Other Options: Ryan Blaney ($9,500 – P4): Blaney has an avg finish of 6th at this type in 2021, but I would only play him on DK. Kevin Harvick ($10,900 – P24): Texas is one of Harvick’s best tracks, but I don’t think he can make value at this salary. He is a top ten threat but he isn’t a threat to lead too many laps. Chase Elliott ($10,100 – P6): Elliott has an avg finish of 4.8 at similar track types in 2021 and has finished top 8 in every race.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Kurt Busch ($8,700)

Starting Position: 17th

Kurt Busch is usually a solid driver at Texas Motorspeedway in his career. Since this track was repaved in 2017, Busch has finished between 7th and 9th in every race, and he is only one of two drivers to finish in the top 10 in all four races since 2019. Since Charlotte, Kurt Busch has an average finish of 4.3 at this track type. At Las Vegas (similar track type), Kurt Busch finished 8th.

Tyler Reddick ($7,700)

Starting Position: 9th

Here’s another driver that nobody ever wants to roster. Reddick is having the best year of his short career in 2021 and should be a top 10 contender again on Sunday. Over the last four races at 1.5-mile tracks, Reddick has finished between 6th and 9th in all four and has the third-best average finish (7th).

Brad Keselowski ($8,500)

Starting Position: 7th

Keselowski is another driver I expect to carry low ownership even the numbers dictate he should be highly owned. This season at this track type, Keselowski has finished 11th or better in all four races as well as having an average finish of 5.8. Keselowski also has an average running position of 8.2 in the same four races. At non-road courses in the playoffs this season Keselowski has an average finish of 7th. Basically what I’m saying is that Keselowski has fared well at this track and similar tracks like it in 2021 and should be considered for your lineups on Sunday.

Other Options: Christopher Bell ($8,300 – P11), Austin Dillon ($7,500 – P15): Dillon has finished 14th or better in each of the last 5 Texas races including a win here last summer. Ricky Stenhouse ($7,200 – P27): Stenhouse, like in most of his races, either wrecks or finishes in the top 16. Let’s hope for a top 16 on Sunday.

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Daniel Suarez ($6,900) – P19: Suarez is a fringe mid tier option at this price. In the last 6 races at 1.5-mile tracks in 2021, Suarez has finished 17th or better in five of them.
2. Bubba Wallace ($6,400) – P18: Wallace is almost a mirror image of Suarez this week in salary and starting position. In the last three races at this track type, Wallace has finished 14th (twice) and 16th. I believe we will see Wallace finish right around the top 15 again on Sunday.
3. Cole Custer ($6,200) – P20: At this race last season, Custer was able to finish 14th. Custe has not been outstanding at this track type in 2021, but he is cheap and has small place differetial upside.
4. Corey Lajoie ($5,700) – P29: Speaking of place differential upside, Lajoie is probably the safest bet for that on Sunday. Texas hasn’t been one of Lajoie’s best tracks, but he does have top 20 upside.
5. Anthony Alfredo ($5,600) – P28: Alfredo is pretty much a lock for a finish between 23rd and 27th. That is where he has finished at every 1.5-mile track in 20201. Alfredo is plenty cheap enough and seems safe on both sites.
6. BJ McLeod ($4,500) – P35: Love the salary and starting position. Remember though, there isn’t typically a lot of cars falling out of the Texas races so he might need some attrition to make value, but it can happen.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then you know the drill, but if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content, welcome! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

Elimimation Sunday from The Roval!

This Sunday is the last race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and only eight of the remaining 12 drivers can advance. Looking at what needs to happen, both Alex Bowman ($8,900) and William Byron ($9,700) must win to move on so their strategy will be different. Christopher Bell ($8,400) probably needs to win, but if it falls apart for one of the drivers ahead of him he could sneak in. Lastly, Kevin Harvick ($8,200) can get in if either Elliott or Kyle Busch falter, which is unlikely so it looks like Harvick may need Ryan Blaney to have a bad race which is more likely for Harvick to move on. I mention all this because some of these drivers will make different decisions when it comes to pitting to pick up stage points.

As for the race itself, there is a good chance we have some slight carnage on Sunday afternoon. NASCAR has decided to, smartly, remove the black and yellow bumps along the backstretch that caused a lot of problems on Saturday. This should lead to fewer cars getting torn up and leave us with a cleaner race.

The Elite (No, not Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks)

Three drivers are ELITE when it comes to road courses and I plan on having plenty of exposure to all three and will try to fit two of them in every lineup. If you are a NASCAR fan or have been here all season you know who I am talking about:

Kyle Larson ($10,300 – P10), Chase Elliott ($10,700 – P8), and Martin Truex Jr. ($10,100 – P5

NASCAR DFS: Dominators

AJ Allmendinger ($11,200)

Starting Position: 33rd

Do not adjust your screens, you are not reading the Xfinity Series article, Allmendinger is also the top play (outside of the Elite) on this slate as well. Elliott projects as the highest owned driver, but Allmendinger is right behind him (40% PO). Nobody on this slate has more upside and is as safe as Allmendinger. I know it is sort of a habit in DFS to fade chalk on occasion, but when you have a driver in NASCAR who will probably be the highest-scoring driver on the slate you cannot fade him. Allmendinger has won three straight Xfinity races at this track and that experience will undoubtedly help him get through the field on Sunday.

Ross Chastain ($9,300)

Starting Position: 23rd

Chastain has been solid at road courses since joining Chip Ganassi this season. While he does have two top 25’s here at The Roval, those were in much worse equipment, now that he’s in the 42 I expect a top 10 from Chastain on Sunday. If you remove his two poor finishes (wrecks) at Indy and Daytona RC, Chastain is averaging a 7.5 finishing position.

William Byron ($9,700)

Starting Position: 11th

Byron is coming into this race with back-to-back 6th place finishes at this track and will need more than that to move on. Now, Byron has not been great at road courses this season, but he does have the 7th best total speed ranking at this track type which tells me he has speed, bt has just run into some bad luck. I see Byron as a top 10 candidate this week if he can stay out of trouble.

Other Options: Kyle Busch ($9,900 – P9): Kyle has been an outstanding road course racer this season and projects at sub 20% ownership. Denny Hamlin ($9,500 – P1): Hamlin is racing stress-free and is good enough on this track type to lead some laps early.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Tyler Reddick ($7,800)

Starting Position: 29th

Reddick is going to be semi-popular (>30% PO) and with good reason. Not only does he offer up some big-time place differential upside, but Reddick also has been a good road course racer. Last year at this track Reddick finished 16th. This season at road courses, Reddick has an average finishing position of 17.5 with three top 10’s. I see Reddick as a top 15 driver with a top 10 upside.

Matt DiBenedetto ($7,900)

Starting Position: 30th

It is pretty much a 1 and 1a situation with Reddick DiBenedetto on Sunday. Both project for similar ownership and points. In the last three road course races this season, Matty D has finished between 5th and 11th and has the fourth-best average finish in the Cup Series (8.7). DiBenedetto is probably a lock for a top 15, and like Reddick has top 10 upside as well.

Chase Briscoe ($7,600)

Starting Position: 22nd

Briscoe is one of the top road course racers in the Cup Series and as he gains experience he could become elite. This is Briscoe’s first Cup Series run at the Roval, but not his first time here. Briscoe won the first Xfinity race here in 2018 and led 33 laps. In 2019, Briscoe led 21 laps and finished 9th, and in 2020 Briscoe should’ve won but after leading 23 laps he spun with two laps to go in the rain and finished 18th. This season in the Cup Series, Briscoe has an average finish of 16th and has three top 10’s at this track type.

Other Options: Kurt Busch ($8,700 – P13): Busch has an avg finish of 6.6 (minus COTA where he wrecked in the rain) on road courses in 2021. Justin Haley ($7,400 – P38), Joey Logano ($8,100 – P3)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Cole Custer ($5,700) – P23: Custer is an above average road coure racer and has a 9th place here last year. Custer has an avg finish of 21st, but that’s skewed because of his 36th finish at COTA, he does also have three top 20’s this seaosn at this track type.
2. Ryan Preece ($6,000) – P31: Preece is probably going to be the popular play in this tier, but not chalky (there is a difference). I expect to see Preece around 25-30% owned. In his two races at the Roval, Preece has an avg finish of 17.5.
3. Joey Hand ($6,200) – P36: Hand has never raced in a NASCAR event, but he is a road course ringer. Hand will be in the RWR #52 car, but this car will be prepped by Stewart-Haas so he should be somewhat competitive. I expect a mid twenties finish from Hand on Sunday.
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($5,600) – P18: Stenhouse starts high this week, but he has been good at this track type in 2021. Stenhouse has an avg finish of 16.4 (minus Sonoma where he had engine issues) at road courses and has back to back 17th place finishes here.
5. Corey Lajoie ($5,500) – P26: Lajoie has finished top 24 in all but one road course race (Daytona) and if you take that out of the equation he has an avg finish of 19.8. Lajoie is a mid to low 20’s driver in my opinion on Sunday.
6. Scott Heckert ($5,900) – P35: This season Heckert has run two races on road courses in 2021 in the #78. Heckert has finished 26th and 28th in his two races.
7. Timmy Hill ($4,900) – P39: Hill starts last on Sunday, but he will be in the slowest car in the field. We know it can wild here at the Roval, so if he can stay on the track long enough he could pick up 3-5 spots and make value. Previously this season on this track type, Hill has finished 27th and 29th both of those would suffice for his salary.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then you know the drill, but if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content, welcome! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.

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/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

Weekend FInale from Talladega!

As expected Saturday’s doubleheader was full of big wrecks and plenty of cars hitting the junkyard. We did have two drivers getting their first career wins, which was not expected was great to see. Sunday will be much of the same, but I don’t expect to see a first-time winner, but you never know.

Looking back at how the spring Talladega race went we can expect plenty of cars coming from that back to finish with great days. In April only three drivers starting in the top 10 would finish there and nine drivers starting 21st or lower finished inside the top 20. While we will want to load up on drivers starting towards the rear getting 1-2 drivers starting towards the front will be a good idea. Looking back over the last nine races at Talladega no driver starting lower than 12th has won the race and the last time someone outside the top 20 has won was 2014 (Denny Hamlin – P34).

Even though we are looking for some drivers starting towards the front, we still aren’t chasing dominator points. In the first race this season here, 17 of 40 drivers led at least one lap and the driver with the most laps led (Hamlin – 43) finished 32nd.

NASCAR DFS: Dominators

Justin Haley ($9,400)

Starting Position: 38th

I expect Haley to be one of the highest-owned drivers, but there is a chance that he is good chalk. Haley will not be in his usually #77 Spire Chevy, but instead, he is in the Kaulig #16. Kaulig always has good cars in Superspeedway races in both Xfinity and Cup Series. Kaz Grala has driven this car the previous three Superspeedway races in 2021 and he wrecked twice but did finish 6th at Talladega. I expect Haley to have a similar day to Grala at Talladega on Sunday.

Aric Almirola ($9,200)

Starting Position: 20th

Aric Almirola and Superspeedways are a match made in heaven. Two of Almirola’s three career wins have come on Superspeedways. Almirola has also finished top 10 at Talladega in eight of his last ten races, but he did finish 15th here earlier this season. That finish was also when his team was still trying to figure things out, but recently the 10 team has been hitting on all cylinders with nine straight top 20 finishes.

William Byron ($9,800)

Starting Position: 10th

Byron is another driver who is becoming something of a Superspeedway whisperer. Over the last three Talladega races, Byron has an average finish of 5.7, a series-best, and has finished 11th or better in each race. Byron finished 2nd here earlier this season and 4th at this race last season. It may be a long shot, but I think Byron wins this race on Sunday.

Ryan Blaney ($10,700)

Starting Position: 4th

I like that DraftKings priced Blaney up for Sunday’s race, because of this his ownership should be extremely low. Blaney has been of the top Superspeedway drivers in the Cup Series for years now. Blaney won this race back in 2019 and then followed it up with a win in the spring race in 2020. At this race last year, Blaney got caught up in a late wreck, but he was back to his usual Superspeedway self with a 9th place finish.

Other Options: Denny Hamlin ($10,500 – P1), Kurt Busch ($10,000 – P14), Ross Chastain ($9,600 – P23)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Ryan Newman ($7,500)

Starting Position: 25th

I know, I know you guys don’t want to play Newman but at this salary on both sites and where he starts, he is a solid play. Newman may not be the driver he used to be, but at Superspeedways, he can still get it done. In his last five at Talladega, Newman has three finishes of 7th or better and finished 13th earlier this season here. In the last race at this track type, Newman finished 3rd at Daytona in August.

Chris Buescher ($7,400)

Starting Position: 24th

Buescher is one of the top Superspeedway drivers in the Cup Series and it is showing with his recent success at this track type. Before NASCAR penalized the 17 team at this race in 20202, Buescher had finished 6th, giving him back-to-back 6th place finishes. Buescher also ran well at Daytona in August where he finished 2nd. Buescher should be seen as a threat for a top 10 on Sunday.

Joey Logano ($7,900)

Starting Position: 8th

Joey Logano is a quality Superspeedway racer even though he hasn’t had the finishes to show for it. Earlier this season Logano did summersaults through the backstretch. Before this poor three-race stretch, Logano had five great races at Talladega where he averaged a 5th place finish. During this five-race stretch, Logano finished no worse than 11th, had one win, and had four top 5’s.

Other Options: Landon Cassill ($7,200 – P40), Austin Dillon ($7,100 – P16)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Ryan Preece ($6,700) – P27: Preece projects as the highest scoring driver on this slate. At first glance that seems odd, but when you look at his history at Talladega I can see why. In his five career races here, Preece has never finished lower than 18th and finished 10th at this race last fall.
2. Erik Jones ($6,500) – P26: Jones traditionally does well at this track type. Earlier this season he was running top 10 when he was caught up in a last lap wreck taking him down to 27th. In two races here in 2020 Jones had two top 5 finishes. In August at Daytona, Jones finished 11th.
3. Ricky Stenhouse ($6,000) – P21: Stenhouse is one of the top Superspeedway racers in NASCAR. Yes, he may race too hard and that does result in his getting caught up or causing wrecks, but he also has had plenty of success at this track type. Stenhouse has wrecked in the last two Dega races, but prior to that he has three top 5’s and four top 10’s in five races.
4. Cole Custer ($6,800) – P28: Custer has finished 11th and 10th in the last two Superspeedway races this season. Custer is really only a play on DraftKings, his price is just unreasonably high in FanDuel
5. Bubba Wallace ($5,900) – P19: Wallace has 7 races at Talladega and if take out the two times he’s wrecked, his average finish is 18.4. As we’ve seen Wallace has been running much better and at Daytona in August he finished 2nd. Wallace is only playable on DK since FD’s algorithm is broken and priced him up like Kyle Larson on a 1.5 mile track.
6. Tyler Reddick ($6,400) – P13: Reddick is an under the radar top SS driver all of a sudden and he has back-to-back 7th place finishes at Talladega. If Reddick can manage another top 10 finish, he should make value at this price, on both sites.
7. Corey Lajoie ($6,900) – P29: Lajoie is a low 20’s driver at Superspeedways. Over his last five Talladega races, Lajoie has four finishes of 22nd or better.
8. Chase Briscoe ($5,600) – P17: Briscoe showed out well in his first Cup Series trip to Talladega with an 11th place finish. As the season has progressed, Briscoe has become more comfortable with his new car and team and I expect another top 15 from Briscoe with top 10 upside.

Lastly, if you want to employ our full #StacktheBack strategy there are a few of the real cheap guys that you can run. All of BJ McLeod ($4,700 – P32), Garrett Smithley ($5,200 – P37), Quin Houff ($4,500 – P35), Joey Gase ($4,900 – P36), and James Davison ($5,500 – P39) offer up some huge upside if this turns into something similar to what we saw happen in the Truck Series where more than half the field wrecked out.

Thank you for reading my weekly NASCAR DFS Pit Stop articles and 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 NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!