Tag:

NASCAR

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Truck Series Charlotte 5/27

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Friday night under the lights from Charlotte! Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!! We have a huge weekend of racing ahead with the Truck Series kicking it all off on Friday. This week we only have 134 laps with that translating to just 93.8 dominator points. Because of this getting our dominators right will be key.

Speaking of dominators, this is another Kyle Busch ($14,400) Truck Series week. This will be Busch’s fourth truck race in 2022 and so far he is yet to win, in fact, he has finished 3rd in all three previous races. At his elevated salary and how he has performed this season, I see no reason for Busch to be a must-play and I will probably be underweight on him.

Once again practice and qualifying will happen after this article comes out so you will need to check discord on Friday afternoon for updates.

Roster Construction

If you fade Busch, then I would recommend going with one $10K+ driver and one $9K driver in the top tier. I don’t think there is much to like in the value tier this week. I want to get more exposure to the mid-tier this week over the value tier.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Zane Smith ($10,800)

Smith is having an outstanding 2022 season, last week notwithstanding. So far this season, Smith has three wins and seven top 10’s in nine races. In two career races at Charlotte, Smith has finished 3rd and 10th and has led 28 laps in those two races.

John Hunter Nemecheck ($11,500)

Nemechek has six straight finishes of 6th or better, four top 5’s, and a victory during that span. Outside of Zane Smith, Nemechek has been the best driver in the field on a weekly basis. For the salary, I would rather take the $700 savings with Smith, but both of these drivers should make value on Friday. JHN won this race last season and has three straight top-ten finishes here as well.

Ryan Preece ($9,300)

Preece has made four starts in the Truck Series this season and has finished 7th or better in every race. Last week at Texas, Preece started fifth and came home fourth when the checkers flew. Preece will probably be lower owned as he typically starts right around the top 10. I think Preece is the best $9K option on Friday.

Chandler Smith ($10,100)

Last season in his first race at Charlotte, Smith started 23rd but finished 6th. This season at 1.5-mile tracks, Smith has a win at Las Vegas, two fourth-place finishes, and an 8th. I look at Chandler Smith as a top 10 truck with top 5 upside on Friday night.

Other Options: Ben Rhodes ($9,800), Carson Hocevar ($9,500), Stewart Friesen ($9,100)

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

Colby Howard ($7,500) & Chase Purdy ($7,300)

For both of these drivers first and foremost, we need to see where they qualify. Looking at Colby Howard, he had his streak of top 20 finishes end at four last week at Texas. Moving over to Chase Purdy, he has been inconsistent in 2022, but he does have four finishes of 16th or better. Purdy has only one DNF so far in 2022 and only two finishes outside the top 20.

Both of these drivers are of interest because of their salary and their ability to make value. If we want to pay up for dominators, we need some good value and both these drivers present that.

Grant Enfinger ($8,700)

Enfinger is at his lowest price since the second race of the season even though he has finished 12th or better in seven straight races. In my opinion, Enfinger is underpriced and should be over $9K for this race on Friday night. Enfinger can be used in place of a $9K driver if you need the salary savings.

Other Options: Ty Majeski ($8,300 – too cheap), Christian Eckes ($8,900), Derek Kraus ($7,700), Austin Wayne Self ($7,100)

Value Tier (Under $7K)

Timmy Hill ($6,300)
Lawless Alan ($6,100)
Josh Reaume ($4,700)
Jesse Little ($5,900)
Tate Fogleman ($6,900)
Spencer Boyd ($4,800)

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series All-Star Race from Texas 5/22

Matt Vecchio 3 years ago

written by Matt Vecchio

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race! This week the series heads to Texas for a non-points race but a big-money race. Whoever wins the All-Star Race on Sunday night has a cool $1 million waiting for them. Only 20 drivers are currently qualified for this race but three more will advance from the NASCAR All-Star Open race and then the last driver is voted in by the fans. With only 24 drivers in the field worrying about ownership won’t be much of an issue. Our advantage will be waiting to build until after the open race is completed.

The format for this race is very different than a normal Cup Series. There are four stages as opposed to three and the stages are only 25 laps long until we get to the final stage where there are 50 laps. The winners of each stage will start in the first three positions of stage four and the fourth position will be determined by a pit road competition. There is a catch, if the drivers who win the first two stages do not finish in the top 15 in the following stages they lose their starting spot for stage four. I know, it’s a lot to follow

As far as roster construction goes, you can pretty much build however you want. Going with three drivers in the $9K range is a good place to start. Using one driver in the mid-tier is probably ideal, but you could fit 2 depending on how you build up top. I want to wait and see how the open shakes out to fill in my last two drivers.

NASCAR DFS: All-Star Driver Breakdown

Kyle Busch ($9,500)

Starting Position: 1st

Texas is one of Kyle’s best tracks and he should be at or near the front all night on Sunday. Since 2018, Busch has won here twice and has six top 10’s in seven races.

Denny Hamlin ($9,200)

Starting Position: 16th

Hamlin was the best car in the abbreviated practice session Saturday evening but did not post a good qualifying lap. We know this car is fast, and Hamlin should find his way up to the front early. Hamlin is the best place differential play of the 20 cars already qualified.

Ryan Blaney ($7,900)

Starting Position: 2nd

Blaney starts on the front row next to Kyle Busch and could push him for the lead early on. In Saturday’s practice session, Blaney posted the 4th best single lap speed and was the only driver to make a 20-lap run. Since 2019, Blaney has finished between 4th and 8th in every race and has led 170 laps.

Bubba Wallace ($6,500)

Starting Position: 17th

Wallace was top 10 in practice speed on Saturday and similar to Hamlin didn’t have a good qualifying lap. A lot of the drivers who qualified later in the session had better times as the track had cooled down which led to faster cars. Wallace has had a top 10 car for a few weeks and he has been improving on this track type in 2022 so I expect him to finish in the top 10 on Sunday.

Ross Chastain ($8,600)

Starting Position: 6th

Chastain has been the class of the series in 2022 and he should be considered a favorite to win this race. In practice, Chastain had the 6th best single lap as well as posting the 6th best qualifying time. This team has found ways to improve their car each and every week and Sunday should be no different.

In reality, every driver is in play, but these are just a few of the drivers I have higher interest in than others. Make sure you are around after the open to who transfers in.

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Xfinity Series Texas 5/21

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Xfinity Series race from Texas! Traditionally Texas is not a fun track, it is one of the least exciting mile and a half tracks on the circuit. That being said, we could still get a good DFS day out of Texas on Saturday. There are decisions to be made at the top with William Byron and Tyler Reddick running in this race. Last season we saw Kyle Busch dominate this race leading over 50% of the laps. There is a possibility that this happens again with one of these drivers. At the same time, we could have a full-time Xfinity driver dominate this race ahead of them.

Last season in the fall race at Texas, every driver who started inside the top 10 finished inside the top 10. That is something extremely rare for racing, especially in this series. There were no Cup drivers in this race (Cup drivers can not drop down in playoff races) so that was not a reason. John Hunter Nemechek did lead 92 of 200 laps in that race on his way to winning in the #54 car that Ty Gibbs will be in on Saturday.

Roster Construction

This week we go with two dominator builds. Looking at previous races here, two drivers seem to dominate the LL and FL points. You can go with 2-3 mid-tier options, especially with the two chalk drivers we have in this tier. There are some good value plays this week to round out our builds

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Ty Gibbs ($10,700)

Starting Position: 7th

Gibbs is in the same car that JHN dominated the fall race at Texas with and Gibbs should be in a similar spot on Saturday. In practice on Friday, Gibbs posted the 8th best single lap time and had the best 10-lap average speed. With other drivers garnering much of the ownership in this tier, Gibbs could go overlooked on his way to victory lane on Saturday.

William Byron ($11,000)

Starting Position: 15th

Byron is going to be the chalk play of this race and with good reason. Even though he is in a JRM car, Byron will have his Cup Series HMS pit crew for this race (one of the best in the series) and JRM cars get their engines from Hendrick. Essentially, Byron is driving a Hendrick car (it literally says so on his hood) and could dominate this race. There is a good amount of value where you can take Gibbs/Byron as your dominators and build comfortably.

Justin Allgaier ($10,300)

Starting Position: 6th

Allgaier is the more popular play among the Xfinity regulars in this tier and with good reason. In practice, Allgaier was the second-fastest in single-lap speed and has a great track record here in Texas. In eight races since 2018, Allgaier has finished 12th or better six times (he has issues in the other two races) and has led a series-best 193 laps in those races. Allgaier is one of the hottest drivers in the Xfinity Series and if you are playing cash games he is a lock, but in GPP’s you can go here if you want to fade Byron.

Noah Gragson ($10,500)

Starting Position: 1st

Gragson is your pole-sitter for Saturday’s race, but could still see some ownership. I think people are starting to realize that in the lower series, playing pole-sitters is just fine. Usually, the top teams start near the front and finish there as well and Gragson is no exception. Gragson has started top five in two of the last three races in 2022 and finishes top 5 in all three. Gragson was top 5 in practice on Friday and even though I don’t think he wins this race, a fourth straight top 5 is a relatively safe bet. In his last three races at Texas, Gragson has finishes of 2nd, 7th, and 3rd.

Other Options: Tyler Reddick ($10,000 – P2), Josh Berry ($9,600 – P8), AJ Allmendinger ($9,700 – P13), Ryan Truex ($9,200 – P5)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K – $8.9K)

Landon Cassill ($8,300)

Starting Position: 38th

Cassill will be the chalkiest of chalk plays, but I don’t know if you can get a takedown without him. Cassill is in the Kaulig #10 car this season and has shown speed each week in 2022. This car has top 10 upside and if he reaches that potential, you probably won’t be in contention for a big day without him. In 11 races this season, Cassill has only finished a race outside the top 15 once (31st at COTA) if you don’t count Fontana where his car went up in flames 6 laps in. I am not looking back at track history here because Cassill has never had a car that is this good while racing here.

Anthony Alfredo ($7,600)

Starting Position: 37th

Another super chalky play will be Alfredo. Now, if you wanted to fade one of the chalkiest plays on the slate, Alfredo would be my pick. His upside is not as great as Cassill’s, but his ownership could be 10-12% lower. I will take the higher score over the lower ownership because you can be different in other ways. With all this being said, Alfredo is still one of the top Fpt/$ plays on this slate. In the fall 2020 race here, Alfredo did finish 3rd in the RCR #21.

Riley Herbst ($8,700)

Starting Position: 10th

There is another chalk play in this tier, but I will save him for the “other options” section and instead give you a pivot off the chalkier plays in this tier. Herbst could be in the low teens to single-digit ownership for this race and could be the difference in a chalky race like this. Herbst finishes 12th in both races at Texas last season, but more importantly, he has been on a roll recently in the 2022 season. Coming into the weekend, Herbst has finished 9th or better in five straight races and six of the last season. Included in those races are three top 5 finishes at well. With him being completely overlooked today, Herbst is my favorite mid-tier pivot for Saturday.

Other Options: Jeffrey Earnhardt ($7,900 – P35) – Earnhardt is the other chalky play I mentioned above. This car has top 20 upside as shown in practice. Sheldon Creed ($8,100 – P21), Daniel Hemric ($8,900 – P11), Brandon Brown ($7,000 – P23)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier (Under $7K)

JJ Yeley ($6,500) – P14: JJ Yeley starting P14 in the Carl Long #66 is the top value play? Surely this is a typo you must be saying, but hear me out. Yeley ran the 5th fastest lap in practice on Friday so there is speed in this car. Why is there speed in this car? I am glad you asked, this car is an Xfinity car Carl Long purchased from Penske and was used by Austin Cindric in 2021 where he finished top 5 in both races.
CJ McLaughlin ($4,700) – P36: McLaughlin is in the second Sieg car this week which has been running well this season. Combine the low price and PD upside and it’s hard to pass on this play.
Alex Labbe ($6,800) – P32
Jeremy Clements ($6,200) – P19
Timmy Hill ($5,500) – P33
Ryan Vargas ($5,700) – P31
Ryan Ellis ($6,700) – P28
David Starr ($5,200) – P29

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Truck Series Texas 5/20

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the NASCAR Truck Series from Texas! Unfortunately, Texas is traditionally not an exciting track. Last season only four trucks failed to finish the race, which sounds good but the more trucks out the better chance of our value plays moving up and picking up more points. Also, only 12 trucks finished on the lead lap and ten more finished between 1 and 3 laps down. All this usually makes for a very boring race and Friday night should be no different.

In 2021, two drivers led 74.1% of the laps in this race. This is not a one-off event either, in the first race here in 2020, two drivers led 74.2%. In the second 2020 race, Sheldon Creed led 86.2% of the laps. Looking at these stats over the previous three races, it will be pertinent to get 1-2 of the dominators correct.

Roster Construction

Similar to last week, there is a group of drivers that are in a class of their own. I will want to roster two of those drivers and then fill in with a lower-priced top-tier driver. Lastly, we should look to round out with 2 values and a mid-tier depending on salary. Unfortunately, this article is being written pre-practice and qualifying so things may change after we see how that shakes out.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Zane Smith ($10,600)

Starting Position: 15th

If you haven’t been paying attention then you may not realize that Zane Smith is the best driver in the Truck Series in 2022. So far this season, Smith has three wins, has finished top 10 in EVERY race, and is top five in five races. Smith is averaging 59 DKFP per race, nearly 17 points more than the next driver ( Ben Rhodes), and has 117 more total points than Rhodes as well. Texas has been a good track for Smith in his short truck career. In three races, Smith has led 38 laps here and has finished 6th and 3rd in the last two races. It’s probably safe to assume that Smith will qualify towards the front and will be a threat to dominate this race and lead a lot of laps.

Ryan Preece ($9,200)

Starting Position: 5th

Preece has run three races in this number 17 DGR truck in 2022 and has not finished any worse than 7th. This truck has three top 10’s in 2022, and all three were when Preece was behind the wheel. Preece is my favorite option in the low $9K tier, but depending on how qualifying finishes there are two other great options in this range.

Ben Rhodes ($10,100)

Starting Position: 8th

As you already saw, the only driver who has been better than Rhodes is Smith in 2022. Rhodes hasn’t been great at Texas, but he has shown speed in every race this season and similar to Smith, has five top-fives in eight races. One thing that puts Rhodes ahead of someone like John Hunter Nemechek is his propensity for qualifying poorly. In eight races this season, Rhodes has qualified 13th or worse in five races and has finished top 5 three times and top 10 four times.

Other Options: John Hunter Nemechek ($10,900 – P1) – Will potentially be low owned starting from the pole. JHN has the potential to lead a lot of laps on Frida., Carson Hocevar ($9,400 – P20) – I expect Hocevar to carry some ownership, but the upside here is almost too good to pass up. Corey Heim ($9,000 P2) – Like last week Heim is risky, but if he can avoid the carnage he could threaten for his second win on the season. Chandler Smith ($10,000 – P7) – Smith is fast every week and will be again on Friday.

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

Chase Purdy ($7,300)

Starting Position: 19th

Purdy has been good in his two races at Texas in the Truck Series. In two career races here, Purdy has finishes of 12th and 17th. In eight races this season, Purdy has never qualified better than 14th and qualified 28th in both of his Texas races. I expect Purdy to be a mid to low-teens driver after qualifying in the low 20’s (my guess).

Stewart Friesen ($8,500)

Starting Position: 3rd

Friesen seems to be up and down when it comes to Texas. In his career in the Truck Series, Friesen has raced here nine times but has wrecked in four of those races. If you take out his wrecks, Friesen has never finished lower than 14th and has an average finish of 6th. If you have the salary or want to go two mid-tier plays over a low $9K driver then Friesen is my favorite play.

Other Options: Matt Crafton ($8,700 – P21), Ty Majeski ($8,900 – P10), Todd Bodine ($7,700 – P24), Matt DiBenedetto ($8,000 – P33) – I do not, I repeat DO NOT like Matty D as he has not been good this season, but it’s hard to pass on an $8K truck starting 33rd with top 20 practice speed.

Value Tier (Under $7K)

Colby Howard ($6,900) – P34: Howard was putting up top 10 speed in practice, I know he will be highly owned but the upside is crazy here.
Lawless Alan ($6,100 ) – P35: Alan has top 25 potential here, so like Howard he is hard to pass up with +10 PD upside
Timmy Hill ($5,400) – P32
Austin Wayne Self ($6,800) – P23
Tyler Hill ($5,000) – P30
Tate Fogleman ($6,500) – P29
Jesse Little ($5,100) – P22

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR Premium

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series Kansas 5/15

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome back to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Sunday’s race from Kansas Speedway! In what seems to be a regular occurrence in the Cup Series now, we have three drivers who were unable to make a qualifying effort. All three of Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, and Ricky Stenhouse had tire issues in practice that caused them to damage their cars. Since practice immediately precedes qualifying, they didn’t have time to get their cars ready and therefore weren’t able to make a lap in qualifying. If you are playing cash games on Sunday, all three of those drivers should be your core to start building with. They will have good cars, well at least better than 36-38th place cars, and should find their way through the field early on.

If you want to read more about this track and race, you can read my weekend preview

Roster construction

With how qualifying worked out and with how this season has worked out I think going heavy on PD might be the path to success. Trying to pick the right dominator weekly has proven difficult. Getting good drivers starting near the back who move through the field has been much easier. I will still try and get a dominator into all my lineups, but loading up on the PD plays has seemed to be the way to go in 2022.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier (Dominators) ($9K +)

Joey Logano ($9,600) [Proj. ownership: 38%]

Starting Position: 34th

I may not like Joey Logano or agree with how he raced William Byron last week, but I do like winning money so I will look past all that and roster the hell out of Logano today. There is a chance that this car gets you some fastest lap points and maybe even lead some laps, but with his PD upside, he doesn’t have to. Logano will drive through the field and pick up his 3rd top ten in his last four races at Kansas.

Kyle Busch ($9,800) [ Proj. Ownership: 20%]

Starting Position: 6th

Kyle Busch had one of the fastest cars all day on Saturday in practice and there is still some more speed to find in that car. Busch starts 6th, but he could easily find his way to the lead by lap 5. Both Reddick and Bell had incredibly fast cars as well, so it won’t be easy to get passed them. Busch is the defending winner of this race and in his last 14 races at this track, he has two wins and ten top 5’s. Busch is my pick to win this race and lead the most laps.

Ross Chastain ($9,700) [Proj. Ownership: 33%]

Chastain is having the best season of his career at any level in NASCAR and he is mispriced by DK once again. FD has him priced up at least. Chastain was set for another top 5 finish last week before he was caught up in a wreck late in the race. In 12 races this season, Chastain has two wins, seven top 5’s and has only finished a race outside the top five two times (the remaining three races he wrecked). Chastain is finally getting attention from bettors and DFS players and this cheap price it’s hard to fade him.

William Byron ($9,900) [Proj. Ownership: 21%]

Starting Position: 13th

After Chastain, William Byron is probably have the next best season in this series. Byron is tied with Chastain for the most wins in the series at 2 and trails only Chastain in top 5’s and top 10’s over the last ten races. In that same span, Byron blows away the field in average laps led per races at 52.7, nearly 20 more than the net best driver (Chase Elliott). Byron also only trails Elliott and Chastain in average FD fpts/r and average fastest laps. Lastly, Byron is only behind Elliott in average DK fpts/r. William Byron is my GP pivot off a semi-chalky Chastain today at $200 more in salary and starting two spots further back.

Other Options: Kyle Larson ($11,100 – P3) : Larson is always a good play, but with how poor this team has been and at this salary it’s to go there when there are better plays $1.5K less. Chase Elliott ($10,900 – P14): You saw how much I mentioned him in my Byron paragraph…enough said. Denny Hamlin ($10,200 – P18): Hamlin is another great driver at Kanasas but similar to Larson has just had some bad runs of late. Also hurting Hamlin is he will be dropping to the rear for unapproved adjustments. He should still factor in and have a good day, but I would rather use the $9K options over him. Ryan Blaney ($9,100 – P10): Cheap, has top 5 upside, and was fast in practice. Blaney is a solid play if you need the savings and want to fit a third top tier driver in.

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K – $8.9K)

Kevin Harvick ($8,700) [Proj. Ownership: 34%]

Starting Position: 23rd

Harvick is the fourth driver I would use in cash. He is another driver who traditionally runs well here and should find himself finishing in the top 10 at days end. Harvick has won here three times and in the last four races here he has finished between 2nd and 4th in all four races and has a series best 2.8 average finish. In the last ten races in 2022, Harvick has one of the best place differential averages, a +5.9 per race, which is second to Chastain’s 6.1 for series regulars. I know Harvick will be high owned, but he is one of the best plays in this race today.

Christopher Bell ($8,400) and Tyler Reddick ($8,900)

Starting Position: 1st and 2nd

Both of these drivers showed incredible speed and were 1-2 on the speed charts throughout the practice sessions. As long as their pit crews give them good stops, they should stay near the front throughout the day today.

Aric Almirola ($7,200) [Proj. Ownership: 4%]

Starting Position: 7th

I am really high on Almirola this week when nobody else will be.This play is not with risk and is more likely to bite me in @$$ then it is pan out but I am willing to run that risk today. Almirola had good speed in practice placing 11th and 6th in 5 and 10 lap averages respectively on Saturday. Since moving to SHR in 2018, Almirola has five finishes of 13th or better in eight races here at Kansas. In the most recent 1.5-mile race at Las Vegas (similar track type), Almirola finished 6th.

Other Options: Austin Dillon (8,000 – P21) : WAYYYYY too cheap on FD today, lock cash play there. Erik Jones ($7,700 – P22), Daniel Suarez ($7,500 – P19)

Value Tier (Under $7K)

Chris Buescher ($6,700) – P35
Ricky Stenhouse ($6,800) – P36
Harrison Burton ($5,400) – P26
Michael McDowell ($5,300) – P25
Bubba Wallace ($6,400) – P24
Justin Haley ($5,900) – P15
JJ Yeley ($4,500) – P27
Todd Gillilad ($4,900) – P31

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Truck Series Kansas 5/14

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop breakdown for the Truck Series from Kansas! Matt Crafton ($8,400) has the distinction of being the only driver to have previously won at Kansas in the field for Saturday night’s race. Crafton is also the only driver to compete in all 23 previous Truck Series races at this track. Clearly, Crafton holds an experience advantage over the other drivers in the field, but that does not make him the automatic favorite. DraftKings did well to price up the top three drivers in the series this week making it nearly impossible to roster all three for this race. For more on this race, check out my weekend preview.

Stewart Friesen ($8,800) was stuck in Laguardia airport overnight as his flight was canceled to get into Kansas. Because of this, he missed practice and qualifying but hopes to be there for the race. As of this writing, Friesen had landed in Chicago and was waiting to get a flight to Kansas. Bubba Wallace did practice and qualify Friesen’s truck for him. I am only mentioning this because this truck was fast in practice and if for some reason Friesen cannot get to Kansas and Wallace does race this truck, he could be a great play (If DK adds him).

Roster Construction

This is a pretty simple formula this week:

2 of the top 3 (JHN, Zane, Rhodes)

Then one of a group of 4-5 drivers right below them

1 mid-tier driver

2 value

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

As you read above, there is a group of three drivers that are dominating the series in 2022. This season, the combo of Ben Rhodes ($10.4), Zane Smith ($10.6), and John Hunter Nemechek ($11.3) have combined to win four of seven races this season. They have also finished with 12 top 5’s, and 15 top 10’s, and have led a combined 415 laps in 2022. I want to start any build today with two of these three drivers. Even though they are priced up they are worth the money. With Rhodes starting from P15 and being the cheapest of this group he will be the chalk. Rhodes was a top 5 truck in practice so there is no need to worry about him getting upfront. After Rhodes, Nemechek will probably be the next highest owned followed by Zane. Smith had the best truck in practice and will be hard to pass once he gets into clean air upfront. In cash, I would go Rhodes/JHN but in tournaments, I would switch Nemechek to Smith.

The middle of the top tier:

There is a group of four, or five, drivers that are just a little behind the top group mentioned above but are great compliments to those drivers.

Chandler Smith ($10,200 – P6) – Smith is just below that top echelon group and with a second win today could push himself into that group. In his two previous races at Kansas, Smith finished 5th and 11th. In practice on Saturday, the #18 Toyota Tundra showed speed and was 9th best in 10-lap average.

Carson Hocevar ($9,700 – P16) – Mr. 2nd Place, Carson Hocevar is coming off back-to-back 2nd place finishes at Bristol (dirt) and Darlington. Hocevar also has finished runner up for the championship in 2020 and 2021. In Saturday’s practice session, Hocevar was top 10 in single lap and 4th in 10-lap speed. I think Hocevar finally exercises his 2nd place demons and earns his first career victory.

Christian Eckes ($9,400 – P17) – Kansas is one of Eckes’s best tracks throughout the past two seasons. In four races here, Eckes has never finished lower than 13th, has three straight finishes of 6th or better, and has led at least 3 laps in every race here.

Other Options: Corey Heim (9,200 – P2): Has a really fast truck but is also super risky. Heim has won a race this season, but in his other two finishes, he has a 23rd and 32nd. Grant Enfinger ($9,900 – P21): Enfinger is always a solid play, but he will be high-owned. I would be higher on him, but because of the ownership, I’d rather look elsewhere for tournament plays. Enfinger is still a great cash play. Riley Herbst ($9,000 – P7)

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

Matt Crafton ($8,400)

Starting Position: 10th

As I mentioned in the open, Crafton is the most experienced driver at this track in the field. Crafton’s truck was one of the top trucks in practice placing 4th in single-lap speed and second in the 10-lap average. Crafton may not win this race, but he has a top 5 truck and should be near the front when the checkers wave.

Tyler Ankrum ($8,200)

Starting Position: 20th

Ankrum is another driver in this tier who has a fast truck, not as fast as Crafton, but the upside is definitely here with the 16. Coming into this race, Ankrum has three straight top-ten finishes on pavement (finished 31st on the dirt at Bristol) and he has finished lower than 17th since Daytona (on pavement) this season.

Other Options: Ty Majeski ($8,600 – P3), Tanner Gray ($7,400 – P9)

Value Tier (Under $7K)

Tate Fogleman ($6,300) – P35: Fogleman is the optimal play for cash, and is still viable in tournaments
Timmy Hill ($6,100) – P26
Tyler Hill ($5,000) – P33: Don’t confuse your Hill brothers!
Matt Mills ($5,100) – P28
Austin Wayne Self ($6,800) – P23
Spencer Boyd ($5,000) – P30
Dean Thompson ($6,500) – P19

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR Premium

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop Weekend Preview: Kansas 5/14-5/15

Richard Masana 3 years ago

written by Richard Masana

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop weekend preview for Kansas! This week the Cup and Trucks Series head to Kansas Speedway for the first time in 2022. This is the first true 1.5-mile tri-oval since the March 4-6th races at Las Vegas. Kansas is one of the NASCAR-owned tracks built-in 2001 during the track building boom in the late ’90s.

The Truck Series will be racing Saturday night this weekend while the cup Series will take to the track on Sunday afternoon. Qualifying and practice for the Truck Series will be early in the afternoon on Saturday, followed but the Cup Series P&Q at 5 pm eastern. My article for the truck race will be out after qualifying on Saturday and the Cup article will be out Sunday morning.

NASCAR DFS: Truck Series

Laps: 134 (93.8 dominator points)

Previous Winner: Kyle Busch

DraftKings did well with the Trucks Series pricing this week, at least with the top tier. Nemechek, Zane Smith, and Rhodes are the highest-priced drivers and are the best in the series. Riley Herbst ($9,000) will be in the #17 for DGR and in my opinion, is underpriced. Herbst drove this truck to a 12th place finish at Daytona and Ryan Preece has three top 10’s in the truck in 2022.

We also have six drivers at or under $5K so that will be key to getting exposure to 2 of the top three drivers into your lineups. With only 93.8 dominator points it will not be necessary to get 3 top tier drivers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t. I believe that we will be looking at a more balanced build this week as opposed to the stars and scrubs approach we used last weekend.

NASCAR DFS: Cup Series

Laps: 267 (186.9 Dominator Points)

Previous Winner: Kyle Larson

Last fall at Kansas, Kyle Larson dominated this race on his way to victory. This week, Larson is the highest priced driver on DraftKings, but there is a good chance he is a complete fade. This team has not been good this season, at all. I feel that paying down in the top tier may be the best course of action on Sunday. Another thing to look at this weekend is the potential payback coming from Byron to Logano. This is probably unlikely to happen and we will need to look at what is said during the weekend leading up to the race.

Looking over the salaries again, there are a few drivers in the low $8K to mid $7K range that appear underpriced, again. One of those being Aric Almirola. Before last season where he finished mid 20’s, Almirola has six finishes of 13th or better in the previous 7 races. Almirola is having a great season in his final full-time Cup season and should be a good low end mid tier play on Sunday.

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR Premium

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Cup Series Darlington 5/8

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome back to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for Sunday’s race from The Track too Tough to Tame, Darlington! This race is going to be a fun one and it will be interesting to see if the veteran top-tier drivers starting at the back can get through the field clean and contend for the win. For a further track preview, you can check out my weekend preview.

Roster construction

Like it has been all weekend, the best approach for building this week is a stars and scrubs style approach. While building remember what type of contest you’re playing. In GPPs you need to look for two of the chalky plays with four lower owned plays. In cash or SE you can use the opposite approach with 3-4 chalk plays and the remaining plays being lower owned.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier (Dominators) ($9K +)

Chase Elliott ($10,600) – [ Proj. Ownership: 47%]

Starting Position: 34th

Elliott will be in a backup car on Sunday so it may take some time to get the car right but he should be a top 10 car at the end of the day. Last Sunday at Dover, Elliott earned his first win of 2022 and while Darlington is not one of his better tracks, Elliott has huge upside because of his place differential upside.

Kyle Larson ($11,000) – [ Proj. Ownership: 31%]

Starting Position: 2nd

Larson has never won at Darlington, but he does have three straight 2nd place finishes here and led an average of 66.7 laps per race and 45.7 fastest laps. In practice on Saturday, Larson had the 6th best 5-lap average and 5th best 10-lap average. Based on his history at Darlington and how his car looked Saturday, Larson is my pick to win and be the top dominator in this race.

Denny Hamlin ($10,300) – [Proj. Ownership: 30%]

Starting Position: 22nd

Hamlin has been one of the best drivers at The Lady in Black over the past two seasons. Hamlin is the only driver with multiple wins (2) in that span. We all know that Hamlin has been having a terrible season so there is a lot of risk in this play. Hamlin MAY need to start at the rear because of an issue that the team found after practice, this won’t change my opinion on him but could lower his ownership.

Ross Chastain ($9,700) – [Proj. Ownership: 22%]

Starting Position: 8th

Chastain is having a career year and will be rocking one of the best throwback paint schemes this weekend. In the last nine races of the 2022 season, Chastain has two wins, six finishes of 3rd or better, and only two finishes outside the top 5. Chastain finished third here in the fall last season after starting 23rd and was the fastest car on the track in the last stage. Last week at Dover, Chastain led 86 laps and came home third.

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,500) – [ Proj. Ownership: 19%]

Starting Position: 4th

Truex won this race in 2021 and has three top 10 finishes in the last four Darlington races. Since 2020 (4 races), no driver has led more laps here than Truex. In those four races, Truex is averaging 115.3 laps led per race and 47.5 fastest laps. Using Truex with Larson as the two top dominators in this race with a chalky Hamlin or Elliott could be a great way to build on Sunday.

Other Options: William Byron ($10,100 – P9), Joey Logano ($9,200 – P1), Kyle Busch ($9,900 – P5), Tyler Reddick ($9,000 – P10)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K – $8.9K)

Kevin Harvick ($8,800) – [Proj. Ownership: 56%]

Starting Position: 35th

Harvick had an issue in practice with a flat tire and a damaged diffuser. Because of this, Harvick did not get to attempt a qualifying lap while his team was fixing the car. Harvick is another driver who runs exceptionally well so I am not concerned with the issues and feel that Harvick will get back up near the front early on. In the last five races here, Harvick has won twice, has finished in the top 6 every race, and has the best average finish among drivers who raced in all five (3.2).

Christopher Bell ($8,300) – [ Proj. Ownership: 17%]

Starting Position: 3rd

Bell was good here in both races last season, but he had issues in both that led to misleading results. In the fall race, in particular, Bell was running right outside the top 5, but he had a tire issue on la 252 that put him down a lap and he only managed to get back up to 20th. Bell has five top 10s in the last seven (non-superspeedway) races this season.

Kurt Busch ($7,300) [Proj. Ownership: 12%]

Starting Position: 6th

Kurt is not safe by any means, and I honestly expect him to have a negative place differential on Sunday. Busch’s car did look fast in practice with the 12th best 5-lap average and 10th best 10-lap average. Busch has finished 8th or better in six of the last eight Darlington races.

Other Options: Austin Dillon ($8,500 – P14), Chase Briscoe ($8,100 – P13), Daniel Suarez ($7,800 – P20)

Value Tier (Under $7K)

Chris Buescher ($6,900) – P18
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,700) – P26
Cole Custer ($6,300) – P28
Justin Haley ($5,900) – P29
Bubba Wallace ($6,500 ) – P17
Corey Lajoie ($4,900) – P30
Ty Dillon ($5,100) – P21

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Xfinity Series Darlington 5/7

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Xfinity Series race from Darlington! This track typically eats up the youth and inexperienced but there are some extremely talented young drivers that have little to no experience here and will do well. If you want more info about this race and the track, check out my weekend preview.

Because qualifying was rained out on Friday, Chase Elliott will not be racing on Saturday. Now, there is a chance that JRM pays one of the other teams to withdraw from the race so they can race or use their # and paint scheme so he can run.

Roster Construction

Similar to the truck race on Friday, I think we need to use the experienced and/or talented drivers up top for finishing position and dominator points while filling out the remaining spots with cheap mid tier or value plays. There will be two cars that are the chalk in the top tier, but I think they need to be in your lineups. You can be different with your four remaining drivers to balance out those plays.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

Tyler Reddick ($10,000)

Starting Position: 34th

Tyler Reddick represents the first of those two chalky plays. Reddick will come off 34th thanks to the formula and the fact the car he is in, the #48 BMV Chevy, has not been good in races. That will change on Saturday as I assume RCR will give some help to this team to make sure Reddick runs well. In the Xfinity Series, Reddick has never finished lower than 16th in four races at Darlington and has two top 3 finishes as well. Reddick has some dominator potential, but this will be a safe CHALKY place differential play that I think should be the first button you hit on Saturday when building.

Josh Berry ($9,800)

Starting Position: 2nd

Berry is great at shorter tracks and he is coming off his first victory in 2022 last week at Dover. In his second career Darlington race last season, Berry started P20 but finished 2nd in this same #8 JRM Chevy. Berry has four top 5s in ten races this season and six finishes of 11th or better.

Justin Allgaier ($10,200)

Starting Position: 3rd

If Berry or Gibbs slip up early and give Allgaier some room he could push to the lead. Allgaier is no stranger to winning races at Darlington as he won this race last season while only leading 10 laps. Since 2017, Allgaier has six top 10’s in seven races at Darlington including his aforementioned win. After starting out hot in the first four races, Allgaier spuddered with no top 10’s in the next five but last week he returned to form with a second place finish after leading 67 laps and having 41 fastest laps.

John Hunter Nemechek ($9,400)

Starting Position: 23rd

There are two drivers who will be chalky on Saturday, I already mentioned Reddick, and Nemechel would be the second on those two. Reddick will probably be higher owned, but I trust the car that JHN will be in more. So far this season Nemechek has raced four times in the Xfinity Series, twice in this #26 Toyota where he finished 12th and 5th. Three weeks ago in Richmond, Nemechek was in the JGR 18 and led 135 laps while finishing second. On Friday, Nemechek was dominant in the Truck Series race earning his first victory of 2022 so that experience will only help him on Saturday.

Other Options: Noah Gragson ($10,800 – P4), Ryan Truex ($9,000 – P28), Ty Gibbs ($10,500 – P1)

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier ($7K – $8.9K)

Ryan Sieg ($7,500)

Starting Position: 9th

Ryan Sieg is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Xfinity Series, he gets no respect. Sieg is having one of the best seasons of any driver in this series in 2022 and he still is priced well under his value. The one good thing is that no one will play him at this price either because of where he starts. In 2022, Sieg has finished lower than 11th one in ten races and has an average finish of 11.9. In four races at Darlington since 2020, Sieg has finished between 3rd and 11th in all four and I view Sieg as a top 10 car again on Saturday.

Brandon Jones ($8,800)

Starting Position: 6th

Jones has been a solid performer at Darlington in the past and will be a contender for a top 5 on Saturday. In five races since 2019, Jones has finished 7th or better three times, including a win in the fall race here and a 3rd in this race last season. Jones is risky because he can wreck out as he is an aggressive driver starting up front. The upside in this play is we know Darlington does not scare Jones and he has an outside chance at the win here.

Other Options: Brandon Brown ($7,000 – P17), Sam Mayer ($8,600 – P7), Austin Hill ($8,200 – P12), Anthony Alfredo ($7,200 – P14), Jeb Burton ($7,700 – P15)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier (Under $7K)

Alex Labbe ($6,400) – P18
Tommy Joe Martins ($5,400) – P36
Josh Williams ($5,100) – P25
Myatt Snider ($6,800) – P19
Jeremy Clements ($6,700) – P22
Kyle Sieg ($5,500) – P26
Josh Biicki ($5,900) – P37
Timmy Hill ($5,300) – P38
Kyle Weatherman ($6,000) – P31

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

NASCAR

NASCAR DFS Pit Stop: Truck Series Darlington 5/6

rmferenc@gmail.com 3 years ago

written by rmferenc@gmail.com

Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop breakdown for the Truck Series from Darlington! This should be a great weekend of racing with NASCAR celebrating the past for Throwback Weekend from the Lady in Black. You can read more about the track in my weekend preview article.

Roster Construction

With there being a fair amount of laps in this race, we will want to get 2 dominators into your builds. We saw that this strategy worked in previous Darlington races and should hold true here. I want to pay UP and get 2-3 MINIMUM top salary guys and take the cheap guys with PD upside in this race.

NASCAR DFS: Top Tier ($9K +)

John Hunter Nemechek ($11,200)

Starting Position: 1st

With three straight poor starts where JHN finished in the mid-20s to start the season he has rebounded nicely since. In his last three races, Nemechek has finished 2nd, 4th, and 3rd consecutively. It appears that whatever issues were ailing the 4 team have been fixed and he is back in championship form. In two races at Darlington in 2021, Nemechek finished top 10 in both races including a 2nd place finish in the fall. Nemechek also led 104 laps combined in those two races. I expect Nemechek to be up front in this race if he can avoid the eventual carnage, and be in contention for the win.

Grant Enfinger ($9,100)

Starting Position: 3rd

Enfinger is once again underpriced, as he is most weeks. Similar to Nemechek, Enfinger did not start strong but has since finished between 8th and 12th in four consecutive races. Darlington is a track that has been so difficult for so many, but not Grant Enfinger. In his three career races here, Enfinger has never finished lower than 6th and has two top 5’s in his other two finishes. The only downside I can see with Enfinger is he has never led a lap here, but if he can manage another top 5 on Friday he can be your third top tier play and do just fine as that.

Ben Rhodes ($10,600)

Starting Position: 15th

If you are looking for another driver with dominator potential, then let me introduce you to Ben Rhodes. No driver in this series has been as consistent as Rhodes has in 2022. The 2021 series champion has started his road to repeating with five top 5’s and 166 laps led in six races this season. The last time we saw Rhodes all he did was lead 95 laps, have 39 fastest laps, and win the Bristol Dirt Race two weeks ago. Rhodes already has a victory at Darlington (2020) and is another driver I can see pushing for the win on Friday night.

Zane Smith ($10,300)

Starting Position: 4th

If Ben Rhodes isn’t the hottest driver in the series, then Zane Smith is. Smith is the only driver in the series to have a top 10 in all six races this season and has two victories already solidifying him as the favorite for the championship early on. Smith has finished 2nd two years in a row for the title and is determined to win this season and it’s showing early on. Experience matters at Darlington, and while Smith hasn’t been outstanding here, he does have three races under his belt and finished 9th in the fall race here in 2021. I don’t think Smith comes out on top in this race, but I see no reason he can’t lead laps, he’s led at least 3 laps in 4 of 6 races in 2022, and get his seventh straight top 10 to start the season.

Other Options: Ross Chastain ($10,900 – P10), Chandler Smith ($9,800 – P28) – Smith is going to be the chalkiest play on the slate. I love this play but he projects near 60%. , Stewart Friesen ($9,300 – P23) – Friesen projects are near 35% LESS ownership than Smith is $500 cheaper, seems like the obvious tournament pivot. Friesen also has two top 10’s in three Darlington races.

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

Carson Hocevar ($8,100)

Starting Position: 6th

Hocevar has raced at Darlington twice in his career (both in 2021) and held his own here. At this race last season, Hocevar started 14th and came home with a 3rd place finish. In the fall, Hocevar wasn’t as good, but he did manage to finish 11th. In 2022, it has been a roller-coaster type season, but Hocevar does have three top 10s including his 2nd last race on the dirt at Bristol.

Chase Purdy ($7,100)

Starting Position: 22nd

Purdy is having a pretty solid season thus far and had a good race here at Darlington last fall. Since we want to potentially stack two $10K drivers, we need some savings somewhere and Purdy fits that role perfectly. Last season at this race, Purdy crashed about halfway through the race and finished 36th. When the series came back in the fall though, Purdy finished 15th and looked strong throughout. So far in 2022, Purdy has finished between 13 and 16th in four of his five races. Purdy looks to be a mid-teen driver on Friday with low teens to top 10 upside.

Tyler Ankrum ($7,700)

Starting Position: 12th

Ankrum, Purdy’s teammate, is probably the most consistent driver at Darlington in this tier. In three career races here, Ankrum has finished between 11th and 18th but similar to Enfinger he has never led a lap here. Also similar to Enfinger, he is not someone we need to lead laps to make value. Depending on you build your lineups, you could come up from Purdy to Ankrum as I believe he has a greater upside.

Other Options: Tanner Gray ($7,500 – P17), Christian Eckes ($8,300 – P11), Parker Kligerman ($8,500 – P9)

Value Tier (Under $7K)

Austin Wayne Self ($6,600) – P31
Spencer Boyd ($4,900) – P32
Timmy Hill ($6,400) -P24
Tate Fogleman ($6,700) – P34
Josh Reaume ($4,600) – P36
Dean Thompson ($5,400) – P33
Akinori Ogata ($4,700) – P35
Danny Bohn ($5,600) – P29
Lawless Alan ($5,800) – P26

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/)

3 years ago 0 comments

Newer Posts

Older Posts