NASCAR

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/)