NASCAR

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

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and is the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

This week all three of the top NASCAR Series head to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas! This is the first time ANY of these Series will run here so there is no data for us to go back to, we just need to rely on past road course history for the drivers in these races

NASCAR DFS: COTA Breakdown

COTA is a fairly new track, less than 10 years old, and has hosted many of the world’s top series from Formula 1 to IndyCar and even motorcycle races. NASCAR is choosing to run the full 3.426-mile course which means there are not a lot of laps being run. In fact, the three series are running 42, 44, and 68 laps respectively, so dominator points will be at a premium in all three races. Typically, we look more at place differential and finishing position for points when we have races like this with very few laps.

Two of the most dominant road course racers in the Cup Series are also the highest priced drivers on the slate today, Martin Truex Jr. ($10,600 P17) & Chase Elliott ($10,500 P8). Truex is a four-time road course winner and Elliott won four straight road course races coming into the season until he was unseated by Christopher Bell ($8,300 P10). Both Truex and Elliott should be anchors for lineups today.

NASCAR DFS: Dominators

Like I mentioned in the open both Truex and Elliott are the dominant road course racers in the field and should still be considered for GPP’s even though they will be highly owned. For GPP’s I would probably lean Elliott because he was the better car in practice on Saturday. In cash games, I want to play them both together and you will still have over $7.2K left per driver which is plenty of salary based on the value we have in this race.

Kyle Larson ($10,200)

Starting Position: 2nd

Larson was potentially going to take the lead and win earlier this season at the Daytona RC when he wrecked late and finished 30th. In that race, Larson was 4th fastest in total speed and was 8th fastest in late run speed. On Saturday Larson was third fastest in practice, one of three Hendrick cars in the top in overall speed (Byron- 1st, Elliott- 5th).

Kyle Busch ($9,900)

Starting Position: 4th

Kyle all but dominated the Xfinity race on Saturday and that track time will definitely help him on Sunday. While the competition will definitely be tougher, I still think the 18 could be in for the win when all is said and done on Sunday. In practice on Saturday, Busch pushed his car in the heavy rain and ended up 4th fastest.

William Byron ($9,200)

Starting Position: 5th

Byron is currently a top 10 machine and comes in with 11 straight top 10’s and back-to-back 4th place finishes. In Saturday’s rain-soaked practice, Byron was the fastest car by over half a second (that’s a lot for NASCAR) and should easily find himself in contention for a third straight top 5 on Sunday. Before his wreck at the Daytona road course earlier this season Byron has three straight top 10 finishes at road courses (6th, 6th, 8th).

Remaining Top Tier drivers:

Kevin Harvick ($9,700) P11: Harvick had a good day in the Xfinity race on Saturday and has a shot at the win on Sunday

Joey Logano (9,500) P6: Logano has the second-best avg speed ranking behind Elliott over the last two seasons at road courses. I would look for Logano to be in contention for the top 5 on Sunday

Denny Hamlin ($10,100) P19: Hamlin had a power steering issue in qualifying, but they believed they fixed the issue. If Hamlin’s car is fine then he will be one of the top plays in this race. Hamlin has PD upside and is a good bet for a top 5 at COTA

Ryan Blaney ($9,100) P9: Blaney is starting exactly where he ran in practice on Saturday and should be a contender for a top 10. Blaney has finished 12th or better in all but two road course races since 2017 and has a 6.4 average finish.

Brad Keselowski ($9,300) P24: Keselowski was bad in practice and bad in qualifying. These were not his first laps here because he did test at COTA earlier this year with Truex and Elliott, but unless he is playing possum, Keselowski doesn’t seem like a top play today

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Christopher Bell ($8,300)

Starting Position: 10th

Bell won the only other road course races this season and will definitely be a threat for another top 5 on Sunday. In practice, Bell ran the 6th best practice lap which was 1.3 seconds off the top lap run by Byron. Bell seems underpriced for his upside on Sunday. I also think that Bell doesn’t get too much ownership and he will be viable in cash and GPP.

AJ Allmendinger ($8,500 – P7) & Austin Cindric ($8,700 – P3)

I think both Dinger and Cindric are solid mid tier plays for this race. They both raced in the Xfinity race on Saturday and performed well so they have track experience which is key. I wouldn’t roster them both together because of the volatility of they’re cars. My preference would be AJ for cash/SE and Cindric for GPP’s.

Michael McDowell ($7,400)

Starting Position: 23rd

McDowell is an excellent road course racer and could push for a top 10 today. In his last four road course races, McDowell has finished 12th or better in three of them. McDowell was 10th in practice on Saturday and looked really good in the rain, which there is a chance we get some rain during this race

Other Options: Kurt Busch ($8,100 – P13) – Busch had his best finish (4th) this season at the Dayton RC, maybe gets right here. Alex Bowmn ($8,900 – P12), Cole Custer ($7,800 – P14), Matt DiBenedetto ($7,900 – P21)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Ross Chastain ($6,000 P20) : Chastain ran a top 10 practice lap on Saturday and has PD upside. Great cash play as well.
2. Chris Buescher ($6,900 P28) : Buescher is another great road course racer who will probably go underowned today. In his last three RC starts, Buescher has an avg finish of 12th
3. Chase Briscoe ($6,400 P27): Briscoe is another good road course racer and has won at lower levels. If you need the $500 I don’t mind dropping down to Briscoe over Buescher one bit.
4. Daniel Suarez ($6,600 P15): Suarez and the 99 team seem to be getting better every week. Earlier at Daytona RC in 2021 Suarez was 16th
5. Ricky Stenhouse ($6,200 P22): Stenhouse is an average road course racers, look for him to finish top 20, maybe top 15 if he catches a break or two
6. Ryan Newman ($6,700 P34): Newman can’t really hurt you at this price, but expect him to be highly owned
7. Ryan Preece ($5,700 P36): Preece had a top 10 at the Daytona RC earlier this season, but don’t expect that. Look for Preece to finish top 20
8. Ty Dillon ($5,500 P33): Dillon was 19th in this car at the Daytona RC earlier and I expect a similar finish on Sunday
9. James Davison ($5,000 P32): Davison is a solid road course racer who will go overlooked. Davison was fast in practice finishing with the 20th best lap

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!

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

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and is the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

This weekend NASCAR’s premier circuit heads to “The Monster Mile”, Dover International Speedway in Dover, Deleware. One of the coolest things about this track is the Monster trophy the winner receives. Dover is a track that is extremely difficult to pass at and where having the right dominators in your lineup is very important.

Last season at Dover we had two different type of races in regards to dominators. In the first 2020 Dover race, Denny Hamlin led the most last with 115 which is just 37%. In race number two it is more what we usually see with Kevin Harvick leading 223 laps (71.7%). What you need to decide when building your lineups on Sunday is if you need 1, 2, or potentially 3 dominators. I will probably keep my lineups to just two dominators personally, but if the salary works I don’t see any issues going with three, but do not force it.

NASCAR DFS: Dominators

Martin Truex Jr ($11,900)

Starting Position: 1st

Truex is on the pole for Sunday’s race and should dominate this race early. Over his last four races here, Truex has three 2nd place finishes and a win. Last season in the first Dover race, Truex led 88 laps and had 33 fastest laps while finishing 2nd. With how well the number 19 team is performing this season I would not be surprised to see Truex lead over 200 laps and winning this race. I anticipate Truex being among my highest-owned drivers on Sunday.

Kyle Larson ($11,500)

Starting Position: 4th

Larson is another previous winner here at Dover and should be in the running for a win on Sunday. In the Fall 2019 race, Larson won and dominated in the process. Larson has finished in the top five at Dover in 50% (6) of his races here and in the top ten 75% (9) of the time. I know he is expensive, like Truex (they are the top two priced drivers) but I think the prices could keep their ownership down some.

Denny Hamlin ($11,100)

Starting Position: 2nd

Early on in his career, Dover was one of Hamlin’s worst tracks, but now it has become another track where he dominates. In his last ten races here at Dover, Hamlin has seven top 10’s including winning here in the first race last year. In the second race, Hamlin was running in the top 5 (3rd) but had to make an unscheduled pit stop because of a loose wheel which led to him finishing 19th. Denny has yet to win this season and Sunday could be the day this winless streak ends for Hamlin and he joins his JGR teammates with victories this season.

Chase Elliott ($10,700)

Starting Position: 8th

Elliott is like Hamlin in that he hasn’t won a race in 2021 and is the only driver in the Hendrick stable of Chevy’s without a victory. Elliott is the reigning NASCAR Cup champion and it has to be eating him up that he hasn’t found success in 2021. Dover is one of Elliott’s best tracks as he has seven top 10 finishes in ten races here. In the first Dover race last season, Elliott led 27 laps and had 41 fastest laps, and finished 5th. I like Elliott for a top 5 finish on Sunday.

Other Top Tier Plays:

• Kyle Busch ($10,00) – P6: Busch has 3 wins at Dover and is averaging a finish of 5.5 in his last 5 races (minus Talladega)
• Kevin Harvick ($9,800) – P5: Harvick is a Dover ace and should compete for the win here. I really like pairing Harvick with one of the $11K drivers for a double dominator stack
• Brad Keselowski ($10,300) – P15: Keselowski has place differential upside and has finished between 8th and 12th in his last four races here. Also, Keselowski called the Xfinity race on Saturday which during this season has worked out well for drivers.
• Alex Bowman ($9,200) – P16: If Bowman can finally end his streak of bad races he could be in line for a top 5. Bowman has three top 5’s in his last 4 at Dover

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

Kurt Busch ($8,700)

Starting Position: 28th

Busch was also in the booth with Keselowski on Saturday and like Bowman, he is also trying to end a streak of poor finishes. In his last six races at Dover, Busch has finished between 5th and 13th five times. I know a lot of people will avoid Busch and I think his ownership should be around 20% and will make for a great large field GPP play.

Cole Custer ($7,700)

Starting Position: 30th

Custer is another driver that has not had a great run of late in the Cup Series but is due for a good run. Last year at Dover, Custer had finishes of 10th and 11th. In the second race here, Custer finished 10th while averaging a 10.1 average running position and had the 9th total speed ranking.

Ryan Blaney ($8,400)

Starting Position: 7th

I honestly think Blaney is underpriced for the value he can present on Sunday. Blaney hasn’t been outstanding at Dover, but he has top 10 upside here. In the second Dover race, Blaney led 37 laps, had the 5th best average running position and had the 5th best total speed ranking, and finished 12th. Blaney also has finished top 11 in five of the last six races this season and will probably carry sub 20% ownership.

Other Options: William Byron ($8,900 – P3), Aric Almirola ($8,200 – P32), Matt DiBenedetto ($7,800 – P18)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Chris Buescher ($6,600) – P10: Buescher will be low owned again, but with how well he has been driving this season I will take the risk in tournaments
2. Bubba Wallace ($6,900) – P22: Wallace has never finished better than 20th here, but he has been better of late and a top 20 isn’t out of the realm of possibility
3. Daniel Suarez ($6,300) – P24: Suarez had an average finish of 8.6 at Dover prior to 2020 and had never finished worse than 14th
4. Ross Chastain ($6,500) – P19: Chastain and the 42 team have been improving weekly this season and have finishes of 17th or better in 5 straight races
5. Ryan Newman ($6,800) – P13: Newman is an experienced driver who knows his way around the track. I like Newman for a top 20 on Sunday
6. Chase Briscoe ($6,100) – P17: We saw Briscoe have his best finish last week, but temper expectations. I see Briscoe finishing right around where he started
7. Ryan Preece ($5,900) – P25: Preece has never finished better than 19th at Dover, but he has outdriven expectations all season, so don’t be surprised with a top 15 on Sunday
8. Josh Berry ($5,300) – P29: Berry has had a great weekend at Dover, but this will be the worst equipment he has driven all week. I don’t expect much more than a high 20’s finish though
9. Michael McDowell ($6,200) – P21: McDowell is a mid 20’s driver at Dover and that’s where I anticipate he finishes on Sunday
10. Anthony Alfredo ($5,500) – P27: Once again, Alfredo is in play if you need the salary relief, but he isn’t going to finish better than mid 20’s

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!

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

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and is the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

The Cup Series will complete the throwback weekend from Darlington on Sunday with the Goodyear 400! This weekend we will have plenty of teams running variances of old-school paint schemes(See them all here). This is another high tire wear track that makes pit strategy, caution timing, and driver experience extra important. It is important to use history at Darlington and other tracks like it when deciding which drivers to choose. Typically a driver who has never driven or has never had success at the track “Too Tough To Tame” won’t on Sunday either.

NASCAR DFS: Dominators

Kyle Larson ($11,400)

Starting Position: 14th

Larson has been spectacular at Darlington during his career. In his last four races (missed all three in 2020) he has three finishes of 3rd or better and has an average finish of 5.5. Larson also loves to run the high line at tracks like this with high tire wear, which in most races is usually the faster line. We saw that be the case in both of the previous races this weekend so Sunday should be no different. I know his price is steep, but I think there is just enough value to get Larson into your lineups on Sunday.

Kevin Harvick ($9,600)

Starting Position: 2nd

Throughout the 2021 season, people have been questioning if Harvick was done and what happened to Stewart-Haas Racing. I was one of those people, but of late Harvick has been one of the best drivers on the track each week. Harvick is coming to Darlington on back-to-back top 5 finishes and three top 10’s in the last four. Now coming off four solid weeks we get to a track where Harvick has been virtually unbeatable lately. Last season at Darlington, Harvick won twice, lead an avg of 67 laps P/R, and had an average finish of 1.7. In his last ten races here, Harvick has nine top 5 finishes as well.

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,300)

Starting Position: 4th

Like the two drivers on this list before him, Truex has to be considered a driver who can win this race and dominate it. At high tire wear tracks like Darlington, Truex has the 2nd best speed rating. Last fall Truex dominated this race after winning both of the first two stages and having the fastest car. He had a misleading 22nd place finish because as he was chasing down Chase Elliott, he got caught up with him and forced him into the back of the pack. In that race, Truex also led 196 laps and had 90 fastest laps.

Alex Bowman ($9,400)

Starting Position: 19th

Bowman is one of the best high tire wear track drivers in the entire field, and he owns two wins at two of these tracks (Chicagoland and Auto Club). This season at high tire wear tracks Bowman owns a 3rd place finish at Atlanta and a 9th at Homestead. Bowman is a bit risky and is a GPP only play with how he is currently running in 2021. Over his last five races, Bowman has only finished better than 18th once, his win at Richmond.

Denny Hamlin ($10,600)

Starting Position: 7th

Hamlin is a three-time winner at the track “Too Tough To Tame” including winning the one race that Kevin Harvick didn’t win last year. It is very surprising that Hamlin hasn’t found his way to victory lane yet in 2021, and even though he leads the series in points, Hamlin needs that win and it could come on Sunday. Hamlin should have been a factor here last fall but made a crucial mistake on pit road that took him from 3rd to the last teens and he ended up in 13th.

Remaining Top Tier Drivers (Ranked):

1. Kyle Busch ($9,800) – P3
2. Brad Keselowski ($10,000) – P1
3. Chase Elliott ($9,200) – P6
4. Ryan Blaney ($9,000) – P16
5. Joey Logano ($11,100) – P12

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

William Byron ($8,800)

Starting Position: 5th

I love Byron again this week, even though the projections don’t. Byron has a top 10 finish in nine straight weeks and has an average finish of 6th in those nine races. Byron did not fair well in the first Darlington race last season where he finished 35th thanks to an early wreck. In the next two Darlington races, Byron redeemed himself with 12th and then 5th place finishes. Byron should make this 10 straight weeks with a top 10 on Sunday.

Kurt Busch ($8,400)

Starting Position: 15th

This is a spot where I trust a driver who has been here before and performed well. Busch has not had a good 2021 season, he has been fast but just can’t get it done. In a complete 180 to Byron, it has been 8 races since Busch has a top 10, but at Darlington this could come to an end. In five of his six last Darlington, Kurt has finished between 3rd and 8th. Busch is a very risky play, obviously, but like I said in the open you want to trust and use drivers who have had success at Darlington, and that is Kurt Busch

Austin Dillon ($7,500)

Starting Position: 9th

Dillon hasn’t races many times at Darlington (9 races) but he has had success here. Dillon has finished top 12 in six races here, and in three of the last four he has finished 11th or better. Last fall Dillon finished 2nd to Harvick. This season at high tire wear tracks Austin finished 6th at Atlanta and 12th at Homestead.

Other Options: Christopher Bell ($8,600 – P21), Erik Jones ($8,200 – P26), Ricky Stenhouse ($7,600 – P28), Aric Almirola ($8,000 – P28), Ryan Newman ($7,200 – P20)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Chris Buescher ($6,500) – P11: Buescher has had some low to mid teen finishes at Darlington and has had good runs at high tire wear tracks this season
2. Ross Chastain ($6,300) – P18: Chastain is a mid teens upside driver since this is where he lands every week.
3. Ryan Preece ($5,900) – P29: At best Preece should be a low 20’s play on Sunday.
4. Daniel Suarez ($6,700) – P21: Suarez and 99 team have been competitive every week, don’t be surprised if they pull out a low teens finish
5. Michael McDowell ($6,100) – P13: McDowell is probably going to end up in the mid to high teens. He is cheap enough to make value if he can pull that off. GPP only
6. Chase Briscoe ($6,800) – P22: Pretty good chance Briscoe finishes just about where he starts. There isn’t much upside but he does have a win in the Xfinity Series here so he does have a feel for the track
7. Corey Lajoie ($5,700) – P30: Will need some attrition to make value which is not entirely out of the question on Sunday
8. Anthony Alfredo ($5,400) – P25: Cheap, but VERY risky. Play at your own risk this week.

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!

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

Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial as well to make sure you are ready and have an understanding of how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site that has contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and is the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.

Yes, that is the real name of this race

One of the first things you will notice this week is the obscure and comical name this race has, so welcome to my breakdown for the Buschy McBusch Race 400! Yes, that is the real name of this race thanks to a fan vote by sponsor Busch Beer. Can you really expect anything less from the internet in 2021 though?

Kansas Speedway Breakdown

Kansas is a progressive banking 1.5-mile track that has very little to minimal tire wear. I will be focusing on those types of tracks when doing my breakdown, so just be prepared to read the words “low tire wear” numerous times throughout this article. Like I mentioned in discord last week after Talladega, we will WANT drivers starting towards the front this week.

There are plenty of place differential plays, but we will want drivers starting up front as well. In the last three Kansas races, eight different drivers have average finishes between 5th and 8.3. Last fall eight of the top ten finishers at Kansas started inside the top 10.

NASCAR DFS: Dominators

Brad Keselowski ($9,700)

Starting Position: 1st

Like I mentioned in the open, we want drivers starting towards the front and you don’t get much closer to the front than the polesitter. Keselowski is coming off a win at Talladega last week and is at another track he has a great history with. Over the last four races, Keselowski has three top 5’s, meanwhile, no other driver in the field has more than 2. Earlier this season at Las Vegas (a very similar type of track with low tire wear), Keselowski has the fastest total speed ranking and finished second. Keselowski should be fast on Sunday and will compete for the win again.

Denny Hamlin ($10,8000)

Starting Position: 20th

Denny is one of the best drivers at Kansas, and just in general as well. Hamlin has won two of the last three races at Kansas and has four top 5’s in his last 7. Dating back to 2020 at 1.5-mile tracks where tire wear is low, Hamlin has an average finish of 7.75 and has the 7th fastest total speed ranking. I don’t see Hamlin as a threat for the win this week, but he doesn’t need to starting from P20. If he can manage a top 5 and pick up some dominator points he will make value.

Kyle Larson ($11,300)

Starting Position: 32nd

Larson has been the best driver at mile and a half tracks this season, and even though he starts towards the rear of the field I think he can still manage to win this race and lead a ton of laps. In 2021 at 1.5-mile tracks, Larson has an average finish of 2.3, an average running position of 3.2, and has averaged leading 125.7 laps. Larson might be chalky because of his PD upside, but at his price, there are some good plays that are much cheaper.

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,000)

Starting Position: 15th

Truex is another driver who has a great track history at Kansas and should be someone competing for the win on Sunday. In his last eight races at Kansas, Truex has two wins, five top 5’s and has only finished lower than 9th once. Earlier this season at Las Vegas, another low tire wear track Truex finished 6th.

Ryan Blaney ($9,500)

Starting Position: 7th

Blaney earned his first win at a 1.5-mile track with low tire wear this season when he won at Atlanta. Last fall at Kansas, Blaney was one of the most dominant cars but had a misleading 7th place finish. In that race, Blaney finished 4th in stage 1, 3rd in the second stage, and had a 4.5 average running position. Blaney also had the third-best total speed ranking and the second-fastest green flag average speed.

Remaining top tier driver rankings:

• Alex Bowman ($10,200) – P25
• Chase Elliott ($10,400) – P17
• Joey Logan ($11,100) – P29
• Kevin Harvick ($9,100) – P4

NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier

William Byron ($8,800)

Starting Position: 2nd

Byron might be my favorite play in the field this weekend. This team has been great in practically every race this season. Since leaving Daytona the 24 team has not finished lower than 8th in any race and has earned dominator points in every one of those races as well. At 1.5-mile tracks this season, Byron has an average finish of 5.7 which is the second-best in the field. Byron is my pick to win this race and has a Hendrick Motorsports top 2 with Larson finishing 2nd behind him.

Ricky Stenhouse ($8,200)

Starting Position: 23rd

I promise I am not drunk (especially since I don’t drink), but Ricky Stenhouse is a viable cash/SE option this week. No, really, he is, I swear. Stenhouse and the 47 team have been a bright spot in NASCAR this season and he has done very well at these types of tracks this season. In his last 4 spring races at Kansas, he has three 11th place finishes and a 13th place. At 1.5-mile tracks in 2021, Stenhouse has finishes of 11th,12th, and 13th, needless to say, Stenhouse is a model of consistency at these types of tracks.

Christopher Bell ($8,000)

Starting Position: 8th

Bell is a good driver at these types of tracks and is a candidate for a top 10, and if things fall his way, a top 5. Over his last three races at 1.5-mile tracks, Bell has an average finish of 6.6, including his 7th place finish at Las Vegas earlier this season. Bell is averaging a top 10 finish since March (minus Bristol).

Austin Dillon ($7,500)

Starting Position: 6th

Dillon is one of the top GPP plays in the field, but is not a great option for SE or cash. While he has run well at 1.5-mile tracks with low tire wear he doesn’t have finishes that inspire a better than average outcome. In his last 13 races at similar tracks, Dillon has finished between 6th and 14th ten times. Dillon has an average finish of 16.6 in his last 8 Kansas races, which is worrisome but he has top 5 upside with how well he has driven this season. In a nutshell, play Austin at your own risk.

Other Options: Kyle Busch ($8,600 – P9), Matt DiBenedetto ($7,700 – P5), Ryan Newman ($7,400 – P14), Aric Almirola ($8,400 – P18)

NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings

1. Chris Buescher ($6,100) P16: It was a toss-up for me between Buescher and Reddick for the top spot in this tier, but I am leaning Buescher because of the salary savings. Buescher has also been really solid at 1.5-mile tracks in 2021 and a top 15 is definitely likely on Sunday
2. Tyler Reddick ($6,900) P11: Reddick will be running up against the wall all day on Sunday which could lead to disaster. In three Kansas races, Reddick has finished 13th and 9th, but did wreck last fall and come home 25th.
3. Austin Cindric ($6,700) P38: Finally, DK has priced Cindric at a price that he is actually a viable option. He is a mid-20’s at best option, but at this price, I can finally justify rostering him.
4. Ross Chastain ($6,500) P24: Chastain has been driving much better of late and has finished between 14th and 19th in his last in 6 of his last 8 races. At 1.5-mile tracks in 2021, Chastain has an 18th place average finish.
5. Ryan Preece ($5,600) P12: This tier is not great this week, but we will need some salary relief to get the tippy top-tier guys, and Preece is one guy I like for that. Preece manages to stay clean in most races and has run in the mid-teens all season at 1.5-mile tracks. We can expect a top 20 from Preece on Sunday
6. Anthony Alfred ($4,500) P22: I do NOT love this play, but once again, salary relief is the role for Alfredo on Sunday. If he can manage to finish around where he starts, he will be the top value play…but that’s a big if.
7. Daniel Suarez ($6,300) P21: Suarez has top 20 upside and will need to if we want him to make value.
8. Chase Briscoe ($6,000) P19: Upside is very limited with Briscoe, but he did race the truck race Saturday night so he has a feel for the track. I don’t love the play and I will probably have zero exposure, but he could surprise and get a top 20.

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