Welcome back race fans. We are now three races away from the Playoffs and with the way the points have separated at the bubble, it appears those on the outside looking in will need a win to advance into the postseason which will only increase the pressure and intensity down the stretch. This week the Monster Energy Cup Series heads to the Last Great Coliseum, Bristol Motor Speedway, for the first short track race since April.
For fantasy, our focus should be squarely on targeting dominator drivers to build our lineups around as there are a whopping 500 laps in the race. There have been at least two drivers to lead 100 or more laps in each of the last six races and three drivers doing so in the Spring race here. Also, looking at the qualifying results from yesterday there are some place differential values at all price ranges to tie it all together. Let's jump into the picks.
Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks - Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Kyle Busch(DK-$12,300 FD-$13,500)
You could say this is Kyle Busch's playground as he comes back here with back to back wins and leads all active drivers with seven career wins at the track. He will start third this week and showed a ton of speed in practice ranking 7th in opening practice(2nd in 10-lap averages) and was fastest in Happy Hour(6th in 10-lap averages). He should push Larson as the top dominator this week and with all the value in the mid-tier and value tier he is a great play in all formats.
Kyle Larson(DK-$11,400 FD-$12,000)
Larson doesn't have the track history here at Bristol but has gotten better with every start he has made. He has three straight Top 10's here including a runner-up this Spring and in those three races has a series-leading 472 laps led. He was second in opening practice with the sixth fastest 10-lap average and while he dropped to 16th in Happy Hour, he was fastest when looking at 10-lap averages. Starting from the pole, he will have a shot at leading a ton of laps once again and picking up his first career victory at Thunder Valley.
Alex Bowman(DK-$7,200 FD-$8,000)
Bristol was not kind to Bowman in 2014 and 2015 as he finished 32nd three times and 20th once while driving for BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing. He is now in much better equipment driving the #88 for Hendrick Motorsports and has already shown it makes a difference as he started 8th in the Spring here and finished 5th. This week he provides us with some place differential upside starting 22nd and showed some top short-run speed ranking 3rd and 7th in the two practice sessions. He is a nice mid-tier value that is safe in all formats.
Matt DiBenedetto(DK-$5,300 FD-$5,500)
Dipping down into the punt range this week, I like a few drivers but the one that stands out ahead of the rest is Matt DiBenedetto. He is starting 29th and while he didn't show better speed in practice he comes back to Bristol having outperformed that starting position in six of his seven career races here with two Top 20's and a Top 10.
NASCAR DFS Cheat Sheet
Don't have the time to search multiple sites looking for NASCAR stats and data?
Check out my DFS NASCAR cheatsheet which includes Track History(2-Year Trend & Career), Track Type History(2-Year Trend), Current Form, Practice/Qualifying Data, and a weighted system to get an overall rank for each driver each race. Check out it now while it's still in BETA mode and FREE to everyone. Also, be sure to check out the Race by Race Trends Sheet.
DFS & Fantasy NASCAR Chat Room
If you have any questions leading up to the race hit me up in the chat below!
[iflychat_embed id="c-59" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
The Keys to Weekly NASCAR DFS Success
NASCAR is back, and it's time for you to win more with RotoBaller! Our DFS NASCAR Premium Package features several heavy hitters and proven winners.Jordan McAbee anchors the team with his exclusive NASCAR picks, DFS projections and algorithm-predicted finishing order! In 2022 DFS contests, Jordan had a +33.92% profit margin good for +$10,467.06 profit and qualified for the Fantasy Racing World Championship.
Four-time NASCAR Racing Writer of the Year finalist and fantasy industry legend Scott "The King" Engel is also in the crew, bringing you his weekly strategies and lineup picks. Set your winning DFS lineups with our award-winning team.