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This weekend marks the end of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. And boy, we've got a dandy with the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
Over the previous three ROVAL races, there has been chaos, carnage and surprises. Remember when Jimmie Johnson made a bonsai move on Martin Truex Jr. in the frontstretch chicane on the final lap in the inaugural race, only for Ryan Blaney to scoot by for the win? What about in 2019, when Chase Elliott drove nose deep into the Turn 1 wall, only to come back and win.
The ROVAL has become a can't-miss event. But, it's still a race where the road course regulars are going to run up front. Let's see which ones stick out this weekend.
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Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles, rankings and and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. Just a reminder, qualifying isn't until Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET, just four hours before the scheduled green flag.
AJ Allmendinger
(DraftKings $11,200 | FanDuel $12,000 | DK SportsBook +1800)
The last time AJ Allmendinger competed in the Cup Series, he won. No, the No. 16 Chevrolet didn't have the dominant car on the afternoon, but as road course racers typically do, he found himself up front towards the end of the race. When all hell broke loose between Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin, insert Allmendinger to the race lead.
Plus, Allmendinger is coming off a win in Saturday's Xfinity Series race, where he dominated the final stage. At one point in the closing laps, he was nearly 10 seconds ahead of second place Austin Cindric, only for a late caution to come, setting up an overtime restart.
Look, there's a reason why Allmendinger is the most expensive player in DraftKings this weekend: He starts 33rd. Don't expect the Kaulig Racing team to stick there long, and if you're looking to put some money down for the overall winner, the No. 16 car isn't a bad choice with 18-1 odds. After all, he's won the last three Xfinity races at the track.
Chase Elliott
(DraftKings $10,700 | FanDuel $14,500 | DK SportsBook +220)
But, if Allmendinger is going to contend for the win, he's likely going to have to beat Chase Elliott straight up. Quite frankly, I don't see that happening this weekend.
Like Allmendinger did in the Xfinity Series, Elliott enters the ROVAL with consecutive wins at the track. He's mastered the 17-turn, 2.32-mile road course in just three races. And have you seen Hendrick Motorsports on a road course this season? Dominant.
Of course, Elliott is going to be expensive this weekend, and he's by far the favorite to win the race. With the No. 9 Chevrolet starting eighth, you may want to look elsewhere in FanDuel, only because he would take up a good chunk of your spending money. He is, however, my pick to win.
Martin Truex Jr.
(DraftKings $10,100 | FanDuel $11,500 | DK SportsBook +700)
When all was looking bleak during the summer months, Martin Truex Jr. still had the road courses to fall back on. And he ran well in the majority of them this season.
Since the inaugural race at the ROVAL, though, Truex hasn't showed winning speed with a pair of seventh-place finishes. While that's a good finishing position, it likely won't do much for your fantasy team this weekend, as the No. 19 Toyota rolls off fifth.
With that said, Truex is a guy that can show up at any road course on the Cup schedule and win. You'll likely want at least Joe Gibbs Racing driver on your team, and it's got to be a tossup between two of them (more on that later).
Alex Bowman
(DraftKings $8,900 | FanDuel $9,800 | DK SportsBook +2500)
Alex Bowman has had a playoffs to forget this season. Entering Sunday's race at the ROVAL, it's a must win if he's going to advance out of the Round of 12.
And if the Cup circuit was going to any other road course on the schedule, I would tell you don't you dare put him in your lineup. But at the ROVAL? He's stellar, earning a runner-up finish to Elliott in 2019.
In fact, Bowman has never finished worse than eighth in the three ROVAL races. The No. 48 team is going into the race with one mission: Win. While the checkers or wreckers mentality might not be ideal for your fantasy team, Bowman is no slouch at the Charlotte road course. Starting 12th, I like his chances of finishing above where he starts for the price he's listed at.
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Kurt Busch
(DraftKings $8,700 | FanDuel $10,500| DK SportsBook +2800)
Kurt Busch might have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but don't count him out of winning on a road course. For a good portion of the season, road courses were Chip Ganassi Racing's bread and butter.
Of the six road course races thus far, Busch has four top-six finishes this season. At Circuit of The Americas, the No. 1 Chevrolet was running inside the top 10 when he slipped in the wet racetrack. Those numbers are comparable to Busch's success on the Charlotte ROVAL, as he has two top-five efforts in three starts.
On Sunday, Busch will lineup 13th for the race (first non-playoff driver). If past records are any indication, the No. 1 car will likely be battling for a top five spot. Statistics prove, he's worth the price this weekend.
Christopher Bell
(DraftKings $8,400 | FanDuel $8,700 | DK SportsBook +1500)
If you want a driver that might be undervalued at the ROVAL, look no further than Christopher Bell. Compared to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, the No. 20 team has had a mediocre season. But Bell is quite competitive on road courses.
Sure, Bell kicked off the road course season with a win at the Daytona road course in the second race of the year. But the No. 20 car has a runner-up finish at Road America and was running top three at Watkins Glen International when he was spun by Kyle Larson. In his lone Cup start at the ROVAL driving for Leavine Family Racing, he finished a lousy 24th after leading a handful of laps.
Like Bowman, Bell is on the cusp of having to win the ROVAL in order to advance to the Round of 8. While Bell starting fourth doesn't do you many favors, he might be someone to put a few bucks behind for the overall win (15-1 odds).
Chase Briscoe
(DraftKings $7,600 | FanDuel $9,200 | DK SportsBook +3500)
The last time the Cup Series visited a road course, Chase Briscoe had his breakout run at his home racetrack, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately for the No. 14 team, it ended by being parked, when he passed Denny Hamlin for the lead while cutting the course. He went on to dump the No. 11 car a few corners later.
Yet, Briscoe showed tenacity that race, leading 12 laps. He also won the inaugural Xfinity Series race on the ROVAL in 2018, running a partial schedule for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Quite frankly, most drivers are priced quite high this weekend. You could throw Briscoe into that category on FanDuel, as betting sites watched his performance at Indy. There's reason for Briscoe to be on it, though, as the No. 14 Ford has a trio of top 10s in the six road courses this year. It's been the one bright spot for the team. Another plus, he starts 22nd.
Daniel Suarez
(DraftKings $7,000 | FanDuel $4,500 | DK SportsBook +10000)
As noted above, it's going to be difficult to select which driver you will want to round out your lineup. It's ultimately going to come down to how much you spend at the top half of your lineup. But at $4,500 on FanDuel, you could do worse than Daniel Suarez.
On road courses this season, the new Trackhouse Racing team has had all types of failures, finishing multiple laps down at COTA, Road America, Watkins Glen and Indy. The positive is, Suarez has shown speed.
Also, the No. 99 Chevrolet will take the green flag from 25th position. Based on road course finishes this year, it's a bold choice. However, Suarez has won a stage at Watkins Glen in the past, en route to a top-five effort.
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