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Austin Dillon Decent At Las Vegas, But Not Worthy Of DFS Play
Austin Dillon has a decent record at Las Vegas, even though he hardly ever leads there. In 19 starts, he has finished in the top twenty 14 times and has been reliably consistent on a very low level, which suggests he will probably improve somewhat from his 22nd place starting position. However, he has only led 12 laps there (all before the advent of the Next Gen car), so it seems highly improbable that he will score much in the way of points for leading laps or fastest laps. Furthermore, Justin Alexander isn't his crew chief this year and he always runs worse without him than with him. He'll probably gain a couple positions, but not enough to make him a valuable pick for DFS especially since he costs closer to $7,000 than $6,000.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference
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Kyle Larson Can Cruise to Third Championship
It's going to take a miracle for Kyle Larson to not be the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. The Hendrick Motorsports driver holds a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell with one race to go, and Larson can lock up the title by scoring nine points in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. He could be able to do that in the first Stage this weekend. With that being said, it will be interesting to see just how aggressive Larson is, as him hitting the wall early in the race could doom his day. He did scrape the wall several times in practice this weekend, but nothing too major. Larson will roll off the starting grid from fourth for this weekend's race, and appeared to have (at least) a top-10 car in practice. He's a two-time winner at Homestead, and both fo those wins have came in his last four starts here. Over his last 10 at this track, Larson has posted six top-five finishes.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Tyler Reddick Qualifies Third at Homestead After Wrecking in Practice
At the end of practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, there was an interesting situation on pit road, as Tyler Reddick ran right into the back of Zane Smith's No. 38 Ford, causing major damage to both race cars. Reddick wasn't able to correctly gauge how slow Smith was going and slowed down too late. The damage was a shame because Reddick had a great car during practice, ranking second-best in 30-lap average, with the 23XI Racing driver saying it was one of the best cars he's ever had at this track. Reddick is a previous winner at Homestead (back in 2024) and he has finished fourth or better in four of his six starts here. He also has eighth- and a 35th-place finishes to his credit. As far as expectations this weekend, don't be surprised if Reddick still challenges for the race win. Despite damage from practice, he qualified third on Saturday, which hints that the No. 45 Toyota should be a contender come race day.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Ryan Blaney Has a Ton of Speed Once Again at Homestead
Last year at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ryan Blaney was the class of the field--until he blew an engine. In that race, the No. 12 Ford led for 124 laps and also had 54 total fastest laps, both of which were the most among all drivers in the race. In other words, without his mechanical issues, Blaney likely would have won that race. Flash forward to this weekend, and the Team Penske crew brought a similar race car for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. The No. 12 Ford was blazing fast in all practice metrics on Friday, ranking best in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. In qualifying, Blaney ended up ninth-fastest, which means he has a little bit of Place Differential upside in DFS games as well. For DraftKings, Blaney ($10.5K) is an elite pick to make on Sunday.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Chase Briscoe on the Pole at Homestead
Chase Briscoe looks to continue his intermediate track hot streak at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, and he got off to a great start by putting the No. 19 Toyota on the pole with a lap of 166.687 mph. He narrowly edged his teammate, Denny Hamlin, for the top spot in qualifying. Intermediate tracks have been great for Briscoe as of late, as he won at Charlotte and Las Vegas in the Chase, while also finishing fourth at Kansas. Don't forget, Briscoe also won at Chicagoland this summer. Homestead specifically has been a decent track for Briscoe, as he finished fourth here last year after starting in the same spot. As far as DFS goes, Briscoe ($9.9K on DraftKings) has to be considered for a dominator position due to his starting spot and race-winning potential. He's a solid fantasy pick for any type of build.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Austin Cindric, Still Confused About Hocevar Incident, Has Speed at Homestead
Austin Cindric has been a pleasant surprise on intermediate tracks this season, and that seems to be happening again this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No. 2 Ford ranked eighth or better in all major lap-average categories (10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average), and then Cindric went out and qualified fifth for this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Saturday. As far as track history goes, Cindric has never finished better than 12th at Homestead, but that coudl very easily change this weekend, especially considering he finished fourth at Las Vegas and second at Kansas in the Chase this year. As far as DFS goes, Cindric ($8.5K on DraftKings) is a very risky option due to his limited Place Differential upside and should only be considered sparingly in tournament-style lineup builds.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Brad Keselowski Will Start Last in Final RFK Start
Things can only go up for Brad Keselowski in what's likely to be his final start for Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing. During qualifying on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Keselowski spun out on his hot lap, brushing the inside wall in the process. He didn't cause any major damage to his No. 6 Ford, but had the slowest time of the session, meaning Keselowski will start from last (40th-place) for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. For DFS purposes, this makes Brad a solid Place Differential play, as he has massive upside in the daily fantasy game. He ranked ninth-best in 20-lap average during practice this weekend, too, so it's not like the race car is too bad. Keselowski is a safe play on DraftKings this weekend (salary of $7.1K) with huge Place Differential upside. Don't be afraid to pick him.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
William Byron Dominates Martinsville for First 2026 Cup Win
William Byron ended Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway as the winner. Byron began the race from eighth and did not have much of a presence initially, but was among the first drivers to head to pit road midway through the first stage on lap 65. Some drivers stayed on track for track position and elected to run the whole stage without pitting, but Byron ended up leading the group of drivers who moved up after getting tires and fuel. As the stage progressed, Byron passed every driver and gained the lead by lap 125. He went on to win the first stage. In the second stage, Byron started to dominate the race even through pit stops as he kept remaining in first throughout the entire stage. Despite challenges from Ryan Preece and his teammate, Chase Elliott, Byron went on to lead nearly every lap of the second stage and win it. The final stage, much like the second, was also dominated by Byron. Although lap traffic in the late stages of the race kept Elliott in contention against Byron, Byron's car was too quick for Elliott to get close and make a move. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver went on to get his first win of the 2026 season and the fourth of his Cup career at Martinsville. Byron's victory on Sunday moved him to ninth in the championship standings, with only next weekend's Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway left for the 2026 season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Elliott Finishes as the Runner-Up at Martinsville
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott finished as the runner-up in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Elliott started ninth in the race and was one of several drivers to hit pit road midway through the first stage on lap 66 for tires and fuel. Although this put him behind in track position initially, Elliott rallied and made it up to 10th by the end of the first stage. In the second stage, Elliott did not make much progress to the front initially, but he did avoid pit road until a lap 199 caution for Carson Hocevar spinning. Elliott cycled to the front of the pack behind his teammate William Byron as a result and went on to finish the second stage behind him. In the final stage, Elliott ran second almost the entire stage behind Byron. Although lap traffic got Elliott close to Byron in the final laps, he could not get close enough to make any moves on Byron, while more traffic caused Elliott to fade behind Byron late on the final lap. After Martinsville, Elliott moved up to 10th in the championship standings with only one race left for the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin Finishes Sixth at Martinsville
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin finished in sixth position during Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin started the race from the pole position, but quickly lost the lead to his teammate Ty Gibbs on lap three as he overshot one of the corners. By lap 46, however, Hamlin regained the lead from Gibbs and held it until lap 85, when lap traffic slowed him down to the point where Ryan Preece passed him. As other drivers went to pit road for fresh tires and fuel midway through the stage, Hamlin ran the entire stage without pitting. This caused him to lose positions on older tires until he ended the first stage in 17th and without stage points. In the second stage, Hamlin struggled to regain his track position, but tried to pit midway through the stage. He was a lap down when the caution came out on lap 199, but he took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. However, after the next restart, Hamlin spun after contact with Christopher Bell and Joey Logano on lap 216. Hamlin tried to regain further positions for stage points, but fell short of earning any at the end of the second stage as he placed 12th. In the final stage, Hamlin kept his car clean and avoided further mistakes, allowing him to move up through the field as the race progressed on a longer green flag run. He made it up to his eventual finishing position of sixth, falling short of a top-5 finish. After the 35th race of the year, Hamlin is still alive in the championship fight as he is 70 points behind Kyle Larson in the standings. However, he is a long shot to win the title as he is the furthest back of the three drivers remaining for the championship, but he can easily be eliminated after the first stage.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Kyle Larson Almost Clinches the 2026 Title at Martinsville
Kyle Larson's performance in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway was full of challenges, but he recovered for a top-10 finish by the end of the event. Larson started the race from third, but immediately fell to fifth. He continued to run inside the top 10 until drivers started pitting around lap 63. Larson continued to stay on track and ran the whole stage on older tires. This proved to be detrimental for his track position as he fell back to 23rd by the end of the stage and fell off the lead lap. For most of the second stage, Larson tried to get back to the lead lap, but was unable to do so until a lap 217 caution for Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin spinning. Despite making it back to the lead lap, Larson was unable to make it back to the top 10 to score any stage points as he finished the second stage in 13th. In the final stage, Larson quietly kept his car clean and ran without further issues, eventually going from the top 15 to finishing the race in ninth. As a result, Larson maintained the championship lead, but failed to clinch the title at Martinsville. With Homestead as the final race of the season, Larson can win the 2026 championship with eight points or a finish of 28th or better.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Christopher Bell Keeps his Title Hopes Alive After Placing 10th at Martinsville
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing finished 10th in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, but could have potentially scored a better finish. Bell began the race from 14th position and only made it up to 11th before his first pit stop on lap 62 for fresh tires and fuel. Other drivers stayed out on track at this time, allowing Bell to take advantage of his fresher tires to pass other drivers quickly and move to the front. The No. 20 Toyota driver ended the first stage in fourth and scored seven stage points. In the second stage, Bell ran third behind William Byron and Ryan Preece until he elected to move to pit road on lap 199 right as a caution was called. During this pit stop, however, Bell was tagged with a speeding penalty and lost his track position. From there, Bell restarted in the top 15, but then a few laps later spun on track thanks to Joey Logano. After this spin, Bell recovered to end the second stage in 10th and earn one extra stage point. In the final stage, Bell made it up to as high as sixth before dropping back positions over the course of the stage as others were better over the final long green flag run. Bell placed 10th for his 19th top-10 finish of the 2026 season. With this performance, Bell moves to second in the championship standings, with a slim chance of fighting for the title next week at Homestead, as he is now 67 points back from leader Kyle Larson.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Is Ryan Blaney Worth Rostering for DFS at Martinsville?
Ryan Blaney of Team Penske will start in 13th for this week's race at Martinsville, the Xfinity 500. Blaney continues to miss out on a top-10 starting position at Martinsville since April 2024. In 21 Cup starts at Martinsville, Blaney has two wins, 14 top-10 finishes, and an active driver series-leading average finish of 8.0. With 34 races completed so far this year, Blaney has three wins, 22 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.4. In practice for this week's race, Blaney ranked as high as 10th in 10-15 consecutive lap averages. Compared to most drivers, Blaney has more upside, great track history, and solid practice speeds. Fantasy players should consider Blaney as a favorable option in all lineups this week at Martinsville.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Joey Logano Offers DFS Appeal for Tournaments at Martinsville
Team Penske's Joey Logano qualified fifth for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, marking his first top-five start at the site since October of 2025. In 35 Cup starts at Martinsville, Logano has one win and 23 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 10.4. Through 34 Cup races so far this season, Logano has three wins, 15 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.8. In practice for Sunday's race, Logano ranked 16th in 10 consecutive lap averages and 17th in 30 consecutive lap averages. Although Logano has been a highly consistent top-10 finisher with 14 straight top-10s at Martinsville going into this week's race, he is a DFS risk based on starting position and practice speeds. Logano is best recommended for tournament lineups, but makes for a solid contrarian option in that DFS format.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Christopher Bell Has Favorable Upside for Martinsville DFS Lineups
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start 14th after qualifying for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the third race in a row at Martinsville where Bell will start in the top 15, but not inside the top 10. In 13 Cup starts at Martinsville, Bell has one win, six top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.2. After 34 Cup races completed this year so far, Bell has one win, 18 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.8. In practice for this week's race, Bell displayed top-5 speeds in the 10-25 consecutive lap average categories. Considering his upside, positive track history, and highly favorable practice speeds, Bell is one of the top DFS options to recommend for all formats this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should Fantasy Managers Roster Chase Briscoe for Martinsville Lineups?
Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe will start in 11th for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. In 11 Cup races at Martinsville, Briscoe has six top-10 finishes with an average finish of 14.6. Through 34 races completed in the 2026 season, Briscoe has three wins, 18 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.4. In practice for this week's race, Briscoe ranked eighth in 10 consecutive lap averages and 11th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Based on his practice speeds and overall track history, Briscoe is a top-10 contender worth consideration for all DFS formats this week at Martinsville.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Could Ty Gibbs Be A Martinsville Contender for the Win?
Ty Gibbs will start on the front row for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway after qualifying second on Saturday. This is the third time that Gibbs will start in the second position at Martinsville, but he has never scored the pole position at the site in his Cup career. In eight Cup races at Martinsville, Gibbs has one top-5 finish, but it was earlier this season at the site where he finished in fourth. He also has an average finish of 16.9 in his Cup career at Martinsville. In 34 races so far this year, Gibbs has two wins, 19 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.0. During Saturday's practice, Gibbs ranked as high as fourth in 10-20 consecutive lap averages while ranking fifth in 25 consecutive lap averages and eighth in 30 consecutive lap averages. Due to his starting position at the front, Gibbs has the potential to be a dominator early on and also compete for the win based on his fast practice speeds.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should Fantasy Managers Roster William Byron at Martinsville?
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start eighth for this week's race at Martinsville Speedway, the Xfinity 500. It will be the fifth consecutive Martinsville race with a top-10 starting position for Byron. In 17 Cup races at Martinsville, Byron has three wins, 10 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.6. He is also the defending winner of this week's Cup race. In 34 races completed this season, Byron has 16 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.0. Through practice on Saturday, Byron ranked as high as 12th in 25 consecutive lap averages. With Martinsville being one of his better tracks statistically, Byron is a driver capable of placing in the top 10, especially based on equipment.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Elliott May have A Strong Result at Martinsville
Chase Elliott will start in the ninth position for Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. With his top-10 result in qualifying, Elliott will start in the top 10 for his sixth Martinsville race in a row. In 22 races at Martinsville in his Cup career, Elliott has two wins, 15 top-10 finishes, and 1,359 laps led with an average finish of 10.8. After 34 races so far this year, Elliott has two wins, 12 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.2. In practice for this week's race, Elliott showed plenty of speed on longer green flag runs as he ranked as high as fourth in 30 consecutive lap averages. Martinsville is one of Elliott's best tracks, and he has placed in the top five in each of the last five races at the site. Fantasy players should heavily consider Elliott for DFS this week, as he is likely to have a great result at this track.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Josh Berry Carries Top-10 Finishing Potential at Martinsville
Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing will start in 10th for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. With this starting position, it will be the first time in Berry's Cup career that he will start in the top 10 at Martinsville in back-to-back races. In five Cup starts at the site, Berry has two top-10 finishes, which he scored in his last two races at the track. He also has an average finish of 18.6 in his Cup career at Martinsville. With 34 races completed so far this season, Berry has 10 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 21.6. In practice for this week's race, Berry displayed top-10 speeds in the 10, 15, 25, and 30 consecutive lap average categories. Since his racing background comes from short-track racing, Martinsville is one of Berry's better tracks to race on in the Cup Series. Although he does not carry as much upside as some drivers, Berry has a higher chance of placing in the top 10 than most, making him worth consideration for all DFS formats this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should Fantasy Managers Consider Bubba Wallace at Martinsville?
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace qualified 15th for this week's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This matches the same exact position Wallace qualified in for the previous race at the site back in March 2026. In 17 Cup starts at Martinsville, Wallace has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.3. Through 34 races so far this season, Wallace has 15 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 16.2. In practice for this week's race, Wallace ranked as high as 22nd in both 20 and 25 consecutive lap averages. Overall, Wallace's track history has been decent at Martinsville, and he has the equipment needed to maintain a top-15 finish. Fantasy players can consider him a respectable DFS option for all formats this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
