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Are you ready to make some left- and right-hand turns? NASCAR is!
The top three national touring series' return to Daytona International Speedway this weekend to tackle the road course, for just the second points race. For the Cup Series, 21 drivers had a test session at the track just last week, competing in the Busch Clash.
As for your fantasy lineups, don't overthink this one, as a couple of drivers have separated themselves as current road course aces in the Cup Series. Do anything possible to get those accomplished ringers on your team!
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
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Chase Elliott
(DraftKings $10,700 | FanDuel $14,000 | DK SportsBook +200 )
No shocker here, Elliott is the overwhelming favorite for Sunday's race. After all, the No. 9 Chevrolet has been victorious in four straight road course races, dating back to August 2019 at Watkins Glen International.
Let's not forget about the lone Cup race on the Daytona road course last fall. To no surprise, Elliott dominated the event, leading 34 of 65 laps from seventh starting position. This weekend Elliott starts first, and could score you a massive amount of points by leading early and often.
One tip of advice: choose the No. 9 car this weekend, and have your lineup centered around Elliott.
Martin Truex Jr.
(DraftKings $11,000 | FanDuel $13,500 | DK SportsBook +450)
If Elliott has been the best road course racer on the circuit since scoring his first Cup Series win in 2018, Truex is just behind. In fact, he's literally finished right behind the No. 9 car in two of those races.
Flashback to last Tuesday, it was Truex who had the best car in the Busch Clash. He started from 18th, rocketed to the lead before having to serve a penalty for missing the frontstretch chicane. Even still, the No. 19 Toyota soared through his competitors, regained the lead, only to wipe out in backstretch chicane.
Of course, it will be very difficult to have both the Nos. 9 and 19 on the same roster and get some sort of return out of the back half of the lineup. But remember, Truex starts 19th on Sunday, and I doubt he finishes there.
Ryan Blaney
(DraftKings $10,400 | FanDuel $12,700 | DK SportsBook +1000)
Who probably should have won the Busch Clash? Blaney, hands down. The No. 12 Ford had fresh tires at the end, but was conservative on the final lap and Elliott got to his door in the final turn and spun his ally out. Not ideal for either driver, handing the win to Kyle Busch.
But Blaney has been a sport road course racer in his Cup career, scoring the inaugural win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Take his 31st-place finish last year at the Daytona with a grain of salt, as he had four consecutive top-10 finishes on road courses prior to the mishap.
Why's Blaney so expensive this weekend? Not only is he a solid road racer, but the No. 12 will start from 27th after a disappointing Daytona 500. Surely, he'll gain you points by marching through the field.
AJ Allmendinger
(DraftKings $10,200 | FanDuel $12,000 | DK SportsBook +1500)
Making his first Cup start since the 2018 season finale, Allmendinger is an underdog pick for the win. Let's face it, he's one of the best road course drivers over the past decade in NASCAR.
Yes, the California native is focused on Saturdays this year, running full time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series, but he's no slouch on road courses. Neither is Kaulig.
Of course Allmendinger is expensive, starting from 34th position. But he would be great value to your roster.
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Chase Briscoe
(DraftKings $8,400 | FanDuel $8,700 | DK SportsBook +4000)
OK, so I know thus far I've given you the four most expensive drivers. Oops. So let's go off the beaten path here.
Ever since running the first Xfinity race at the Charlotte ROVAL, Briscoe has proved his worth in road course races. Yes, the Hoosier native won that race, but he's been victorious sense, too. Think back to the first race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last July. It was Briscoe that captured the checkered flag. In the Xfinity race at Daytona last August, Briscoe led half the race before falling victim of a late crash.
The Cup rookie knows how to get it done on road courses, and I don't expect that to change just because he moved up. Look for a standout performance in just his second Cup start, as the No. 14 team has proved in the past in can put together a capable road course car with Clint Bowyer at the helm.
Matt DiBenedetto
(DraftKings $8,100 | FanDuel $8,300 | DK SportsBook +6000)
It wasn't that long ago that people were clamoring over DiBenedetto's craftiness as a road course races. Driving for Leavine Family Racing in 2019, he earned a pair of top-six finishes, and finished no worse than 11th in three road course starts.
In the Clash, DiBenedetto was nowhere to be found, placing 10th. The No. 21 car also finished just 15th last year at the Daytona road course. But coming off a terrible Daytona 500, expect Matty D to come back with vengeance.
Michael McDowell
(DraftKings $6,800 | FanDuel $6,500 | DK SportsBook +6600)
McDowell's had a big week, hasn't he?
The 2021 Daytona 500 champion will lineup second for Sunday's race, which raises a cause for concern. It's highly unlikely the No. 34 team repeats at Daytona, however, one of McDowell's four top-10 finishes in the 2020 season came on the Daytona road course. And that car was fasttt, driving up to inside the top five at one point.
Despite lining up for the green flag on the front row, McDowell is undervalued this weekend as an exceptional road racer. Let's not forget, he taught many of the current Cup drivers how to be better at road courses.
Daniel Suarez
(DraftKings $5,700 | FanDuel $4,500 | DK SportsBook +25000)
Trackhouse Racing has a lot to prove this year, but aside from Elliott, this is the easiest choice of the weekend, in my opinion.
Since entering Cup in 2017, Suarez has proven to be a respectable road racer, winning his first stage at Watkins Glen International, holding off Truex. In 2018, he backed up his third-place finish from his rookie campaign with a fourth-place effort. In three starts at Sonoma Raceway, he has an average finish of 16th while the ROVAL has treated him unkindly.
But for the price, Suarez is severely undervalued this weekend. Essentially, he's running chassis from Richard Childress Racing and the No. 99 car starts 35th. Expect the Mexico native to move up the scoring pylon.
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