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Justin's NASCAR Cup Series DFS picks for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Check out his sleepers and top plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for the race.
The NASCAR Cup Series is in Texas this weekend. This race used to be in the fall, but it's been moved out of the playoffs this year and is being run in April. Last year, William Byron won the only race here.
Speaking of Byron, the No. 24 car won last week at Martinsville, giving him his third win through the first eight races of this season. Despite that, he's just fourth in the point standings right now. Kyle Larson is the current points leader, holding a 14-point lead over Martin Truex Jr.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 4/14/2024 at 3:41 p.m. EST. If you have any questions or want to talk about NASCAR, you can find me on Twitter at @juscarts.
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Kyle Larson
Starts First - DK: $11,000, FD: $13,000
Kyle Larson's run three races at Texas since joining Hendrick Motorsports. In 2021, he qualified on the pole and led 256 laps on his way to a victory. In 2022, he led 19 laps and finished a solid ninth. Then last year, he led 99 laps but crashed out of the race, finishing 31st.
How does he do it? He's so calm, cool and FAST in qualifying.
Another pole for Kyle Larson. We talk with him after Texas qualifying!#NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/D5yPqMpy3E
— Jamie Little (@JamieLittleTV) April 13, 2024
The finishes haven't always been there, but Larson's always a contender here. This year, he's on the pole, giving him a great shot at earning a second Texas victory. Of course, anything can happen. In this new generation of NASCAR car, Texas has become a very pass-happy track. Last year, we saw 57 lead changes here, and the polesitter didn't lead a single lap.
Still, Larson should be the favorite to pull off the victory. If he can get a good launch, he can lead a decent number of laps early on, and he's routinely run up front here. It's also worth noting that he won at Vegas earlier this season.
Ryan Blaney
Starts Seventh - DK: $10,200, FD: $12,000
While Ryan Blaney hasn't won here in the Cup Series, he's led 20 or more laps in three of the last five races at Texas Motor Speedway, including leasing 150 laps in 2020.
Looking at average running position really showcases why I like Blaney this weekend. Last year, his average running position in this race was just 13th, but before that, he had an average running position in the top 10 in four consecutive starts here. His 2023 race was a bit of a disaster, but that shouldn't scare you away from the No. 12 car.
Ty Gibbs
Starts Second - DK: $8,500, FD: $10,500
It seems like I say this every week, but a win is coming for Ty Gibbs. He hit a little rough patch over the past two races, but even that rough patch was solid, with finishes of 16th and 19th. Gibbs has three top-five finishes already this season, including a fifth at Vegas.
Cup qualifying results from @TXMotorSpeedway
P2 - @TyGibbs
P3 - @CBellRacing
P9 - @MartinTruex_Jr
P11 - @dennyhamlin #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/G9jncsyMqs— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) April 13, 2024
The No. 54 car starts on the front row, so Gibbs should be in the mix to lead laps in this one. Texas has a lot of lead changes these days, so I'd be shocked if Gibbs doesn't take a few turns at the front of the field.
Gibbs has struggled here in his two Cup Series starts, but he does have a third-place finish at Texas in the Xfinity Series from the 2022 season.
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Chris Buescher
Starts 19th - DK: $8,000, FD: $8,500
Texas is Chris Buescher's home track, but he hasn't had great luck at it. He's made 14 starts here in the Cup Series and has totaled exactly zero top 10s. It's hard to really slice that as a positive.
Still, Buescher has shown speed lately. This is the fifth time in a row he's qualified in the top 20 here, with the best qualifying mark coming last year when he started second. He finished 14th in that race, a new best finish at the Fort Worth track.
Buescher has been really good this season though, posting five top 10s already. Intermediate tracks have been Buescher's weak point, but his improved performance across the board suggests that there are 10-ish spots of place differential upside for the No. 17 car on Sunday.
John Hunter Nemechek
Starts 30th - DK: $6,500, FD: $5,200
I love the place differential upside with John Hunter Nemechek on Sunday. The Legacy Motor Club No. 42 car starts way back in 30th. His performance has been hit or miss this season, but he has an average finish of 20.4. He was 22nd at Vegas, the other intermediate track.
John Hunter Nemechek has three wins (two in Xfinity, one in trucks) at Texas Motor Speedway. Why he feels it has suited his style (also FYI, no resin or traction compound being put on the track this weekend). pic.twitter.com/69Q9yhX523
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 11, 2024
Nemechek has found a lot of success here in the lower series. In the Xfinity Series, Nemechek has won twice at this track and led double-digit laps in his past three starts. He's also won here in the Truck Series as well.
Justin Haley
Starts 32nd - DK: $5,300, FD: $3,500
Justin Haley had a couple of bad results in the past two races, finishing 32nd and 30th, but before that the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing had three consecutive top-25 finishes.
RWR has shown definite improvement this season. Not to the point that the team isn't still going to be one of the lowest finishers in points, but there's some upside here because there are weeks when the team hits the right marks and gets a decent result. At the salary point, he's at on DraftKings and FanDuel, there's a lot of value in playing Haley and hoping this is one of the weeks when things click.
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