NASCAR

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop breakdown for Circuit of the Americas (aka COTA)! This track is a 3.4-mile road track that produces some exciting racing. COTA is a 20-turn track with a large 133-foot hill in turn one. Last season in this race four of the drivers starting inside the top 5 finished there. Only six drivers finished off the lead lap and only two failed to finish the race altogether.

Roster Construction

COTA, as it at all road courses, is not a place to go hunting for dominator points. At this race on Saturday, there are only 41 laps so that means there are only 28.7 dominator points available. When building lineups for road courses you generally look to finishing position and place differential plays. Last season in this race it was a more balanced build that was the optimal lineup, but with Kyle Busch in the field for Saturday’s race, I think you will need more than one value play to fit him in. This will be one race where you can consider fading Busch at his $13K salary because he will need to lead all laps and win to make value. Now, that is certainly a possibility and something I think can happen but it’s not a guarantee.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Kyle Busch ($13,000)

Starting Position: 5th

This will be Kyle’s first-ever road course race in the Truck Series, but that isn’t really an issue. We know KB has a good truck and will be running up front all day. The real question is, can he pay off his salary in such few laps in this race? I believe he can, but it will be difficult.

Sheldon Creed ($10,600)

Starting Position: 1st

Creed is a road course expert. In five career races on this track type, Creed has never finished outside the top 5 and has an average finish of 3rd. In practice on Friday, Creed put down the single best lap time, which is not surprising to me. If you want to fade KB, then I think Creed is the best option to use as your potential dominator.

Kaz Grala ($9,900)

Starting Position: 18th

Kaz Grala will be in the Young’s Motorsports 02 on Saturday and he should be a contender for a top 10. This truck has fared well this season, unfortunately, the one time Grala was in it the engine went. Grala has run five road course races in his Truck Series career and has three top 10’s and an average finish of 10.2. Grala ran exceptionally well in this race last season starting from the front row finishing right where he started in second place putting him in the optimal lineup.

Other Options: John Hunter Nemechek ($10,400 – P11): Nemechek has one win in 8 career RC races and has an avg finish of 9.3. I think there is value in JHN on Saturday, but I just like the upside of the three drivers above more. I also believe that Creed will carry far less ownership than Nemechek. Grant Enfinger ($9,300 – P16th): Enfinger was fast in practice and was one of the few drivers to run 8 laps. Last season in this race Enfinger started 23rd but finished 4th. I anticipate a similar performance on Saturday, but I think Grala comes in at lower ownership in this price range. Ben Rhodes ($9,500 – P13), Alex Bowman ($10,100 – P3)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K-$8.9K)

Tyler Ankrum ($8,300)

Starting Position:10th

Last season Ankrum started this race from the pole and would end up finishing 3rd. Ankrum was in the top 10 in DKFP for that race as well. In his career at road courses (5 races), Ankrum is averaging 37 DKFP per race which is second most of all drivers in this race (Creed – 44.4). I know there are better PD plays in this tier, but they will be much higher owned and I anticipate Ankrum carrying extremely low ownership.

Matt DiBenedetto ($8,900)

Starting Position: 36th

Speaking of high-owned drivers, here’s Matt DiBenedetto. Listen, I don’t care for DiBenedetto as a driver but he has done ok in the Truck Series this season. Last week was a rough week for the 25 team, but DiBenedetto looks to have a better truck this week. In practice on Friday, Matty D was 7th in single lap and he has the best place differential upside in the race. The only downside to rostering DiBenedetto will be his incredibly high ownership. If you are playing SE contests, then I will implore you to roster him.

Parker Kligerman ($8,500)

Starting Position: 4th

Kligerman is a fantastic road course racer and showed some good speed and handling in practice on Friday afternoon. In four career Truck Series road course races, Kligerman has three top 10’s and a top 5 leading to an 8.5 avg finish. Going back to practice, Kligerman was the fourth fastest truck in single lap time and will be a low-owned pivot off the obvious chalk of DiBenedetto.

Other Options: Ty Majeski ($7,700 – P19), Matt Crafton ($8,100 P20), Tanner Gray ($7,400 – P28)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier (Under $7K)

1. Austin Wayne Self ($6,900) – P15
2. Hailie Deegan ($6,600) – P23
3. Tate Fogleman ($5,700) – P31
4. Dean Thompson ($5,500) – P33
5. Timmy Hill ($5,200) – P25
6. Jack Wood ($6,000) – P27
7. Will Rodgers ($5,800) – P34
8. Matt Jaskol (4,900) – P35

Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help directly from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/).

There were a lot of changes in the cars and what driver is in what car/truck in 2022, check out my What’s new in 2022 article (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-whats-new-in-2022/)

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop breakdown for Atlanta! I am not going to lie, I have no idea what to expect from this track. If anyone out there in the industry tells you they know how Atlanta will race this weekend they are lying. Nobody really knows what to expect from this track (not even NASCAR and their drivers) after it was completely ripped up and a new track was installed. Speedway motorsports repaved and reconfigured this track after the July 2021 race here. The 1.5 oval was reconfigured to have 28-degree banking from 24 degrees, which is higher than any other 1.5-mile track. The front stretch was widened as well. These changes were done to promote a superspeedway style of racing similar to Daytona and Talladega.

What the drivers are saying…

Kurt Busch stated that “Once we got out there in a group the pace picked up by over a second having the cars draft together… things were amplified way more than what we expected when we had just three cars drafting with each other”. Ross Chastain also said that you will “need friends to navigate the draft”. Both of these drivers tested tires for Goodyear at Atlanta back in January.

Roster Construction

My suggestion for this weekend will be to play light and build multiple lineups. If you are not an avid NASCAR DFS player, maybe sit this weekend out. There are two schools of thought here, one being that the drivers will race like Daytona and it could turn into a wreck fest where we need to stack the back. The second one is that the drivers will just drive around single file trying not to wreck and maybe push for a win in the late stages of the race. I think that the second strategy will be more likely to happen in the Cup Series where the drivers are more experienced and don’t want to tear up their cars.

For this race, I think we take a hybrid stack-the-back approach. I don’t think you’ll need to select six drivers starting in the 30s, but I think the best bet would be to take 3-4 drivers starting towards the back, look for 1 potential race dominator and fill out the rest with whoever best fits the salary you have remaining. I’m sorry I can’t be more precise and give better advice, but if I did give out firm advice it would be me lying to you and that’s not what I do. I want those of you who read my articles to be successful and I am not just looking for clicks.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Ross Chastain ($10,700)

Starting Position: 36th

Chastain is back in the Truck Series this weekend in the Niece Motorsports #41. Will Chastain be chalky? Probably. Will he be worth ignoring that fact? Yes. Chastain has had a great season in the Cup Series so far and he should run well here on Saturday. This is a pay-up spot that can’t really hurt you with Chastain starting dead last and I view Chastain as a core play on this slate.

Zane Smith ($9,600)

Starting Position: 25th

Zane Smith has two top 2 finishes this season and he gets a $600 price decrease this week. Smith starts 25th and potentially has the chance to be the best play on this slate. I will have plenty of exposure to the 38 truck this week.

John Hunter Nemechek ($11,100)

Starting Position: 12th

Nemechek has wrecked in both truck races this season so there is potential that people shy away, especially with there being a few drivers in this tier worth using on Saturday. With Chastain most likely carrying the highest ownership, Nemechek could be significantly lower owned than he usually is.

Other Options: Ben Rhodes ($10,000 – P15), Ryan Preece ($10,200 – P11)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K-$8.9K)

Jordan Anderson ($7,600)

Starting Position: 33rd

Anderson will be the mid-tier chalk play on Saturday but this time I am ok if you choose to fade him. I will have exposure to Anderson in my builds because I am prioritizing the top tier in this race. Anderson fits perfectly in a Chastain/Smith/JNH build with two value plays.

Matt Crafton ($8,300)

Starting Position: 3rd

With this race being so unpredictable, it might not be a bad a idea to take a chance on a driver who could lead laps early in GPP’s. Crafton is a veteran driver, one of the few in the field, who will be best equipped to handle this track as the rest of the field learns how it races. With Smith and Friesen starting in front of him, Crafton could easily get out in front early and lead some laps.

Hailie Deegan ($7,100)

Starting Position: 27th

Deegan is a driver similar to Anderson where as she might be semi-chalky and I will not argue if you fade her but she also fits perfectly in three top tier lineups. Deegan started out the season well in Daytona with a 17th place finish, but she wrecked in Las Vegas and came home 34th. The 17th place finish Deegan earned in Daytona is more like where I think she will run all season and a top 20 is what I expect on Saturday.

Other Options: Corey Heim ($8,500 – P19th), Chase Purdy ($7,200 -P20), Derek Kraus ($7,500 – P18)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier (Under $7K)

1. Jesse Little ($5,300) – P34: Little was 6th at Daytona, but I do not expect that type of finish on Saturday. Realistically a top 30 is more likely but he will still make value if he does that.
2. Kris Wright ($5,400) – P21: Wright is a riskier play, but he has finished top 20 in both races this season. I can see that happening again on Saturday.
3. Brennan Poole ($6,400) – P35: Poole doesn’t offer much upside, and is riskier than Little even though he start one spot behind him. But if this is a wreck fest, than Poole could be a top 10 truck. Either way, if you have the salary and want to stack the back Poole is a good play.
4. Jack Wood ($6,900) – P22: If this ends up being a drafting race then Wood has a chance at a solid day. Wood is in a GMS truck which means he is teammates with some of the top drivers in the field. Wood could pull a top 10 with his teammates.
5. Timmy Hill ($6,100) – P23: Timmy Hill is someone we NEVER roster in the Cup Series, but in the Truck Series it’s a completely different situation. Hill has finished top 20 in both races this season and his truck is usually one of the better ones in the field. Hill is experienced enough to navigate the field and if this is a drafting race he is smart enough to avoid the potential big ones.
6. Matt Jaskol ($5,000) – P31: Jaskol is the cheapest driver in the field and starts near the back. At Las Vegas, Jaskol drove this truck to a 22nd place finish and a top 25 is not out of the question.

Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help directly from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/).

There were a lot of changes in the cars and what driver is in what car/truck in 2022, check out my What’s new in 2022 article (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-whats-new-in-2022/)

Welcome to the first Kyle Busch Invitational of 2022!

This week the Truck Series makes its return to Las Vegas, Kyle Busch’s hometown, and his first of five races in this series of 2022. There’s always a decision to be made of how to treat him when Kyle does run in a truck race. DraftKings does the right thing and prices him astronomically high but I do feel he can be used comfortably on Friday. I will go into more in the next paragraph about that.

Last season at this race, John Hunter Nemechek led 70.3% of the laps while nobody else led more than 11% (Busch). I expect this race to be similar with JHN and Busch dominating this race again.

Roster Construction

There are two ways to build for this race, with or without Kyle Busch. If you are doing multiple lineups then you can build both ways, but if you are only doing one lineup you need to decide. I cannot tell you which way you want to go, but I will show you both paths and let you decide. You can build a good lineup with both Busch and Nemechek but that will mean sacrificing the mid-tier completely. Whenever Busch races in the Truck Series it is a difficult build because you have to decide to play him or fade him. Last season Busch finished 1st or 2nd in all five races he ran, led 223 laps (44.6 per race), and had 134 fastest laps.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Kyle Busch – $15,000 (P2)

John Hunter Nemechek – $12,000 (P1)

Whether you decide that you want to use Kyle or not I think it will be necessary to roster one of either Busch or Nemechek on Friday night. These are the two drivers who will spend the majority of the night up front. Last season at times when Busch was racing in the Truck Series he did “let” Nemechek pass him, lead laps, and win stages (Kyle owns the truck JHN drives) and I could see something similar happening this weekend. I will have multiple lineups and at least 2 will have a Busch/Nemechek build and I expect to have one of them in each of my remaining lineups as well.

Chandler Smith ($9,900)

Starting Position: 3rd

Welcome to the KBM Show from beautiful Las Vegas! All three KBM trucks start 1-2-3 in this race and Smith may be the secret weapon tonight. Smith was third fastest in both single lap speed and 10 lap average in practice on Friday. All the KBM trucks are fast this week and I would not be surprised to see them all finish top 5 Friday night.

Ty Majeski ($9,200)

Starting Position: 10th

Majeski looked really fast in practice and has the best place differential upside of all the drivers in this tier. Looking at Friday’s short practice session, no one was faster than Majeski. Not only did Majeski have the best single lap speed, but he was also 8th best in 10-lap average. Majeski finished 13th in his only race here in 2020, but he is now in a Thor Sports truck, his best equipment to date, and should be a contender for the top 5 in this race.

Other Options: Christian Eckes ($9,600 – P9), Zane Smith ($10,200 – P6)

Again, it comes down do you feel comfortable rostering Busch at $15K and that decision is yours alone. I will have 50-60% exposure to him if not higher. If you feel better fading him and hoping for a wreck, I can totally understand that as well.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K-$8.9K)

Matt DiBendetto ($8,900)

Starting Position: 15th

I don’t love the idea of playing DiBenedetto, but DraftKings priced him much better this week and his truck did show some speed in practice. Matty D starts 15th and ran the 14th best single lap in practice but he did not run 10 consecutive laps. DeBenedetto is a potential top 10 truck and if you want to run a Busch lineup, he is a great fringe top tier play that could run up front.

Grant Enfinger ($8,700)

Starting Position: 11th

Enfinger ran a top 5 lap in practice, but he wasn’t great in the long run (17th 10-lap avg). I am not worried, this is one of the top teams in this sport and they will fix that as the race progresses. If it’s not a KBM truck that wins this race on Friday night, I could definitely see Enfinger in victory lane. Enfinger has a win here at Vegas, has three straight top 10’s, and has only finished lower than 12th twice (wrecked both times).

Stewart Friesen ($8,200)

Starting Position: 17th

Friesen ran much faster in practice than he did in qualifying, which we know means that truck is set up to race, not qualify. In his career at Las Vegas, Friesen has been outstanding and this track s arguably one of his best. Friesen has four straight top 10’s here and has three top 5’s in the last six races. In practice, Friesen was 9th best in single-lap speed and had the 5th best 10-lap average.

Other Options: Bret Holmes ($7,400 – P32) – Holmes had top 25 speed in practice. Matt Crafton (8,500 – P7) – This is Crafton’s 500th career start, narrative alert? Tyler Ankrum ($8,000 – P14), Todd Bodine ($7,500 – P23)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier (Under $7K)

1. Hailie Deegan ($6,500) – P20: Deegan was top 20 in both single-lap and 10-lap avg in practice.
2. Jack Wood ($6,900) – P24
3. Matt Mills ($5,100) – P27: Wasn’t fast in practice, but he is cheap and helps build those KB/JHN lineups
4. Austin Wayne Self ($5,900) – P18: There is minimal upside here, but Self is usually a safe driver that manages to hang around at the end. Top 15 is the high end projection
5. Lawless Alan ($5,200) – P26: Another driver who has limited upside but gets you those KB/JHN builds
6. Timmy Hill ($5,000) -P28: Too cheap for where he starts.
7. Dean Thompson ($4,600) – P29
8. Spencer Boyd ($4,700) – P35

Make sure you head to the Win Daily Sports Discord for up-to-date info and help directly from our pros! Head over to Twitter and give the @WinDailySports account and me (@MVecchio81) a follow for all things Fantasy Sports! You can find more FREE NASCAR content over at WinDailySports.com!

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/).

There were a lot of changes in the cars and what driver is in what car/truck in 2022, check out my What’s new in 2022 article (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-whats-new-in-2022/)