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Sean Engel's NASCAR Cup Series DFS picks for the Viva Mexico 250. Check out his DFS sleepers and top plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for the Viva Mexico 250 (2025).
For the first time ever in NASCAR, the Cup Series heads down south and out of the United States to Mexico City for the Viva Mexico 250, taking place at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. This road course event will mark the first time the NASCAR Cup Series race has run outside of the United States since 1998, when they ran at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. It will be the first points-paying Cup race set outside of the States overall in NASCAR history.
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will be a challenging road course event for the Cup Series. It is only the second road course event of the 2025 Cup Series season, and there is no prior finishing data for this track outside of the four Xfinity Series races run at the site from 2005 to 2008, as well as the Xfinity Series race earlier in the weekend. With many unknown elements outside of practice, prior history at other road courses will mainly be used to help make all projections and picks for the week.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the Viva Mexico 250 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 6/15/2025 at 3:00 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Once you've read this article, be sure also to check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. You should also check out our NASCAR DFS lineup tools for the ultimate combination of DFS resources to help you win big, including our Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheet, Research Station, and more.
Disclaimer: All the drivers presented as picks for this week's race are meant to be some of my top DFS recommendations of the week. They are not originally intended to fit all into one lineup.
Shane Van Gisbergen
Starts 1st - DK: $10.5K, FD: $14K
When Trackhouse Racing decided to hire former three-time Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen for the 2025 Cup Series season, they knew that the No. 88 Chevrolet driver's biggest strength was the road course events. After all, SVG won in his Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course thanks to his road racing background.
Van Gisbergen is one of the most talented and best road racers in the field this week. This is evidenced by his five top-10 finishes in seven road course starts, including his last three appearances at the track type. At COTA earlier in the season, SVG led the second-most laps (23) before finishing sixth.
In the first practice, Van Gisbergen had the best five consecutive lap average, and during final practice, he had the ninth-best overall lap average of the entire field. Considering how he starts first, is fantastic at road courses, and looked strong in practice, it will not be a surprise to see SVG lead multiple laps and be one of the top favorites to compete for the win.
Shane van Gisbergen won the pole for the Cup race in Mexico and has Trackhouse teammates Ross Chastain starting third and Daniel Suarez starting 10th. What he said that indicates of the Trackhouse stable this weekend: pic.twitter.com/RuAhn16A59
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 14, 2025
Christopher Bell
Starts 31st - DK: $10.2K, FD: $12.5K
There are a couple of notable top-priced drivers in DFS this week who start deep in the field and carry plenty of upside. Christopher Bell might have the highest potential upside of all top-priced options who can actually capitalize on it and make a grand impact in DFS contests.
Bell is the most recent winner at a road course, winning at COTA earlier in the season while leading eight laps in the process. In 18 races at road and street courses since 2022, Bell has two wins, 10 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.2, ranking fourth-best of all active drivers.
Christopher Bell's Road Course wins have come from starting positions ...
COTA 2025 = 19th
Charlotte Roval = 8th
Daytona RC = 12thFurther back then this spring at COTA but I still wouldn't count him out. Strong road course racer and there will be field flipping.
— Ryan (@ifantasyrace) June 14, 2025
In first practice, Bell ranked fourth in five consecutive lap averages, while he also had the best 10 consecutive lap averages of all drivers during final practice. Bell also ran the Xfinity Series race earlier this weekend, where he ran inside the top five for most of the event and looked like one of the top contenders until his car suffered a mechanical failure.
Bell is one of the easiest drivers to recommend for DFS this week, as his upside, equipment, practice speeds, and road course history make him a no-brainer for all formats.
Chris Buescher
Starts 16th - DK: $8.4K, FD: $10K
When looking at the statistics of finishes of all drivers throughout all road course tracks, no driver has been as consistent in the field as RFK Racing's Chris Buescher. In 18 races at road courses since 2022, Buescher has one win (Watkins Glen 2024), 14 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver in that span, and an average finish of 8.7, which is best of all active drivers. At COTA earlier in the season, Buescher started 24th and finished seventh, scoring plenty of points from place differential in the process.
During first practice for this week's race, Buescher ranked 14th in five consecutive lap averages, while in final practice, he ranked sixth in five consecutive lap averages, third in 10 consecutive lap averages, and had the best 15 consecutive lap average. Buescher also has decent upside from his starting position for this week's race.
Our @FastenalCompany Body Guard isn’t starting where we hoped for but it’s still bad fast. Felt great in practice, just need to execute all day and put ourselves in position for the final stage 💪🏻 See ya tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/21XJhRgvYG
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) June 15, 2025
Expect Buescher to compete for another top-10 finish for this week's race at Mexico City. His salary for this week's race makes him a solid all-around choice to consider for any DFS lineup, especially with his history of top-notch consistency at road courses.
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Austin Cindric
Starts 20th - DK: $8K, FD: $7.2K
It's not often that Austin Cindric is the most expensive driver from Team Penske to add to DFS lineups for this week's race, but he makes for a better case as a favorable DFS option more than his two other teammates. Despite also liking Ryan Blaney (DK: $7.2K | FD: $6.8K) this week, Cindric has the skill set to more likely have a better finish and DFS performance than both Blaney and Joey Logano (DK: $7K | FD: $6.5K).
In 18 races at road courses since 2022, Cindric has 13 top-20 finishes with eight inside the top 10, while also having an average finish of 13.5. At the only road course race completed this season at COTA, Cindric started 36th and finished 25th, despite having the potential to finish higher if not for damage and being involved in crashes during the race.
During first practice for this week's race at Mexico City, Cindric ranked 22nd in five consecutive lap averages, while in final practice, Cindric displayed top-5 speeds in the five, 10, and 15 consecutive lap average categories. Cindric's favorable upside, equipment, and overall road course history make him a solid driver to consider rostering for this week's race at Mexico City in all formats.
Bubba Wallace
Starts 25th - DK: $6.8K, FD: $6.2K
All three of the 23XI Racing drivers participating in this week's race are worthy of attention for DFS lineups this week. Tyler Reddick (DK: $9.7K | FD: $13.5K) is an excellent alternative for a top-priced option with high upside, with great history at road courses while Riley Herbst (DK: $5.3K | FD: $3K) is so inexpensive this week with a history of being an underrated road course racer from his time in the Xfinity Series.
Bubba Wallace, however, should not be ignored, especially considering what he can deliver to fantasy players at this salary. In 18 races at road courses since 2022, Wallace has 12 top-20 finishes, including the last nine races at the track type. He also led four laps during the only road course event of the season so far at COTA.
In first practice for Sunday's race at Mexico City, Wallace ranked 19th in five consecutive lap averages, while ranking 13th in five consecutive lap averages during final practice. The No. 23 Toyota driver also has favorable upside from his starting position, making him a driver who should not be overlooked for this week's race at Mexico City.
Cole Custer
Starts 26th - DK: $5.6K, FD: $4K
The deep value sleeper to consider for this week's race, who should not be overlooked for DFS this week, is Cole Custer of Haas Factory Team.
In eight Cup races since 2022 at road courses, Custer has three top-20 finishes and collected positive PD in four of his last five appearances at the track type. This includes COTA earlier in the year when he started 30th and placed 23rd. Custer has also been improving in finishing with positive PD as the season progresses, since he also nabbed positive PD in six of the last eight Cup events in 2025.
In first practice for this week's race, Custer ranked 21st in five consecutive lap averages, while in final practice, he ranked 19th in five consecutive lap averages. Based on his equipment, practice speeds, and past experience of nabbing PD at road courses, expect Custer to compete for a top-20 finish.
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