April 22, 2024

On Sunday afternoon, Kyle Larson finished 21st in the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Talladega weekend got off to a rocky start for the former Cup Series champion as he was not allowed to qualify, was forced to start in the back, and was made to do a pass-through penalty due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 5 Chevy Camaro. This penalty was particularly challenging because there was no practice this weekend, which meant Larson's first time on the track came during the race. Nevertheless, while fans of Hendrick Motorsports were undoubtedly disappointed by the 12-year Cup veteran's starting position, DFS players were excited. An elite-level driver starting a race with significant place differential upside, on a track that typically favors someone starting towards the back of the field, is the definition of a core play, and the ownership numbers reflected this. In the featured contest on DraftKings, Larson was the highest rostered driver at 53.19% ownership, over 10% higher than the second most rostered driver, Ross Chastain (42.65%). Despite the buzz for the 31-year-old, his 21st place finish only earned him 38.90 DraftKings points, which put him below value on his $9,000 salary. While additional consequences may still be issued for this penalty, Larson and his team will look to move past this weekend by turning their attention to Dover Motor Speedway for Sunday's Wurth 400.--Adam Erhardt - RotoBaller
Source: Jayski.com