RADIO
Sean's NASCAR DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2025). His top NASCAR daily fantasy lineup plays and DFS sleepers.
NASCAR goes road racing for the final time in the 2025 season, as the Cup Series heads back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America ROVAL 400, taking place on the Charlotte Roval course. The Charlotte Roval is a unique road course, as its layout is part road course and part oval, making it one of the biggest challenges for drivers to face over the year since NASCAR first raced at this track back in 2018.
This is an elimination race for the Round of 12 in the Cup Series playoffs. After this race, the playoff field trims down from 12 drivers to only eight left to compete for the 2025 title. Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott are locked into the next round due to their wins at New Hampshire and Kansas, while Kyle Larson only has to score a few stage points. Everyone else still needs to race their way into the next round. Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin have large point gaps to the cut line, so they're safe unless there's a new winner below the cut line and they have problems early, while others like Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace must recover many points or win to advance. It is essential to pay attention to the playoff narratives, especially. They will affect driver and team strategies for this week's race and DFS.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 10/5/2025 at 3:00 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.
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 2nd - DK: $12.5K, FD: $14.5K
Anyone who has been following NASCAR all season long knows that when a road course event comes around, it's time to address Shane Van Gisbergen. For those who are not familiar with what SVG has accomplished at this point in the season, he has more than earned his reputation as the top road racer of the season, considering he's not just won, but dominated four of the five road course events in 2025.
VIDEO: Shane Van Gisbergen pre-race press conference from Charlotte Motor Speedway
🎥 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/fDF2eHCAki
— Speedway Digest (@speedwaydigest) October 4, 2025
Van Gisbergen has never raced at the Charlotte Roval in the Cup Series before, but he does have one prior appearance at the site in the Xfinity Series. The Trackhouse Racing driver raced for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2024 at the Charlotte Roval in his only appearance at the site, where he led seven laps and finished in third position.
In practice for this week's race, Van Gisbergen ranked third in overall lap averages, fifth in five consecutive lap averages, and first in 10 consecutive lap averages among all drivers. He is the overwhelming favorite to win this race, and there is a gap in salary on both sites compared to the rest of the field to add him to rosters this week. SVG is well worth having some exposure to for this race, due to his extensive road racing background, success at the track type this season, and fast practice speeds capable of winning this race.
Christopher Bell
Starts 7th - DK: $10.2K, FD: $13K
At the Roval, Bell has been the best driver from Joe Gibbs Racing, and it is by a sizable margin overall in terms of stats. Salary-wise on both DraftKings and FanDuel, the No. 20 Toyota driver is also more expensive than the other JGR drivers by quite a lot, but he is also one of the best drivers who can go against Van Gisbergen at the Roval. After all, Bell is the only other driver to win a Cup Series road course event this season, doing so at COTA. He also finished in the top five in four of the five road racing events this year.
CHRISTOPHER BELL IS IN. KYLE LARSON IS OUT.
Retweet to congratulate the No. 20 team on their Charlotte Roval WIN!#NASCARPlayoffs | https://t.co/U4a0xtLVoj pic.twitter.com/apju8Qgiq6
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 9, 2022
In five Cup starts at the Charlotte Roval, Bell has one win and three top-10 finishes with an average finish of 10.0. Bell has especially been solid in the last three Cup events at the Roval, being one of only four drivers in the field with two top-10s and never finishing lower than 15th at the site in that span.
In practice, Bell ranked 10th in overall lap averages, fourth in five consecutive lap averages, and fifth in 10 consecutive lap averages among all drivers. Considering how Bell also has a points cushion to the playoff cut line, expect him to go for the win in this week's race.
A.J. Allmendinger
Starts 9th - DK: $9K, FD: $9K
Back in the Xfinity Series, the Charlotte Roval was A.J. Allmendinger's personal playground. Anyone who raced in the Series when he was full-time in the Series knew he was the driver to beat, especially because nobody else ran better at that track. In five Xfinity starts at the Roval, Allmendinger has four wins and a second-place finish.
REPOST TO CONGRATULATE AJ ALLMENDINGER ON HIS CHARLOTTE ROVAL WIN! https://t.co/YVb4q95mjF pic.twitter.com/tJkQjQZ92H
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 8, 2023
The Dinger's Xfinity stats are noteworthy to mention because they also translated to his Cup Series success at the Roval. In five Cup races at the Roval, Allmendinger has one win, four top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 11.2. Allmendinger is also the only driver in the field to place in the top 10 of the last three Cup races at the Roval, never finishing below sixth since 2022.
In practice for Sunday's Cup race, Allmendinger ranked ninth in overall lap averages and second in five consecutive lap averages. Based on his past history at the Roval throughout his NASCAR Cup career, DraftKings and especially FanDuel seem to have undervalued his potential to have a strong run this week. Be sure to highly consider the No. 16 Chevrolet driver in all DFS formats.
Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS NASCAR subscription? Like what you read today? You can show your support for Sean -- save 30% with code NEW when purchasing any NASCAR Premium Pass. Gain exclusive access to all of our expert Premium NASCAR articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer! Be sure to check out screenshots of NASCAR DFS winners and testimonials from RotoBaller readers and writers who have been winning using RotoBaller's Premium NASCAR tools.
Great day today thanks for some extra help from @RotoBaller @FanRacingOnline @JoeNicely pic.twitter.com/mAIMTaEYWc
— brent buckner (@tenndolly2) August 7, 2023
Chris Buescher
Starts 5th - DK: $8.7K, FD: $9.5K
Chris Buescher of RFK Racing remains one of the most underrated and consistent road course racers in the Cup Series. Buescher is still on an incredible streak of 21 consecutive Cup events on road courses with a top-20 finish, and has three top-10 finishes in five events at the track type this season.
In seven races at the Charlotte Roval, Buescher has seven top-20 finishes, including three inside the top 10, with an average finish of 12.6. The No. 17 Ford driver also collected positive Place Differential in each of his last four Cup starts at the Roval, including a finish of 17th after starting 29th in last year's race.
“This is probably the happiest I’ve been on the ROVAL.” 🔊
A strong qualifying effort for @Chris_Buescher rewards him with his best start ever of P5 at the ROVAL! 📈 📈 📈 pic.twitter.com/nY3GNmC5Cz
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) October 4, 2025
In practice for this week's race, Buescher ranked eighth in overall lap averages, seventh in five consecutive lap averages, and third in 10 consecutive lap averages. Although he does not offer much upside, meaning that he is more suited for tournaments than cash games, Buescher's Roval history and fast practice speeds make him one to highly consider for DFS this week.
Alex Bowman
Starts 25th - DK: $7.8K, FD: $7.5K
If it seems like there are not many high upside DFS options this week, that is not a coincidence. The Charlotte Roval is not the easiest track for drivers to make passes unless they have a car better than most or are very proficient in terms of running well at the track. This generally favors drivers starting in the upper half of the field for DFS, but there will still be drivers who can make their way through the field, such as Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman.
Bowman is another driver whose skill at road courses often goes unappreciated, and the Roval is one of his better road courses. In six races at the site, Bowman has five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 11.7. Bowman's only terrible result at the road course was last year, when he was counted as finishing 38th after being disqualified for failing to meet minimum weight. He led five laps and was slated to finish 18th, which would have improved his average finish to about 8.3, ranking fourth-best of active drivers without the disqualification.
In practice, Bowman ranked 14th in overall lap averages, ninth in five consecutive lap averages, and eighth in 10 consecutive lap averages. Due to his practice speeds, upside, and overall favorable history at the Roval, Bowman is a great DFS option to consider for all formats.
Ty Dillon
Starts 16th - DK: $5K, FD: $4.8K
Looking for a driver to save on cap flexibility for this week's race may prove to be the biggest challenge for DFS. This is not because of a lack of options, though, as there are a couple of capable driver options who can be promising picks. One of the more notable standouts for this week's race, however, is Ty Dillon of Kaulig Racing.
In five Cup starts at the Charlotte Roval, Dillon has four top-25 finishes and an average finish of 23.2. The No. 10 Chevrolet driver also gathered positive PD in four of his five appearances at the site and also won the first stage in the October 2020 race. Notably, Dillon also gained positive PD in four of the five road course events this season.
In practice for Sunday's race, Dillon ranked 23rd in overall lap averages and 21st in five consecutive lap averages. Considering his history of acquiring positive PD both this year at road courses and at the Roval in the past, while also factoring in his practice speeds, Dillon is a solid value option to consider despite not offering as much upside as others in the value range this week.
More Fantasy NASCAR Analysis
The Keys to Weekly NASCAR Success
NASCAR is back, and it's time for you to win more with RotoBaller! Our NASCAR Premium Package for DFS and betting features several heavy hitters and proven winners.
Jordan McAbee anchors the team with his exclusive NASCAR DFS and betting picks, DFS projections and algorithm-predicted finishing order! Jordan had a 60+ unit betting profit in 2024 NASCAR, and a 25% average annual profit since 2018. He won the FSWA Racing Writer Of The Year award in 2023, and has been nominated for DFS Writer Of The Year in 2024.
Five-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. He has been nominated once again in 2024 for this award.
