March 16, 2025
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned a starting position of 31st for this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will mark the third time this season that Stenhouse will start lower than 30th in the Cup Series. In 19 starts at Las Vegas in his Cup career, Stenhouse has eight top-20 finishes, including last year's March race at the site. After four races so far this season, Stenhouse has four finishes of 21st or better and gained positive Place Differential every time. In practice, Stenhouse ranked 22nd in overall lap averages and displayed top-20 speeds in comparison to the field in the 15 and 20-consecutive-lap average categories. Considering his extremely high upside and practice speeds, Stenhouse is one of the top value options of the week and will compete for a top-20 finish.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
23XI Racing's Riley Herbst will start 34th after qualifying for this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be his first time racing at the site in the Cup Series. In 11 previous Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas, Herbst has one win and six top-10 finishes while scoring positive Place Differential seven times. Through four races so far this season, Herbst has three top-20 finishes with positive PD earned. In practice, Herbst ranked 27th in 10 consecutive lap averages and 25th in overall lap averages. Based on his enormous upside, Xfinity history, and equipment, Herbst can be a sneaky DFS value play, especially as one of the cheapest drivers to add to lineups this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
One of the surprises during qualifying for this weekend's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was Ty Dillon, who will roll off the starting grid from 17th place when the fifth Cup Series race of the season goes green on Sunday. It was especially surprising because Dillon's No. 10 Chevrolet was one of the slowest cars in practice, ranking 35th-fastest out of 36 cars and over a second off the pace of the fastest driver, Ross Chastain. Now DFS managers have to ask themselves, is Ty Dillon worth the risk on Sunday due to his good track position to start the race? At just $5,100 on DraftKings, he may seem like a compelling dirt-cheap option, but considering he's never finished better than 20th in the Next Gen car at Las Vegas makes it hard to think that Dillon won't have a negative place differential on Sunday. You should use Dillon sparingly in your DFS lineups, if at all this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
March 10, 2025
Tyler Reddick never led at Phoenix on Sunday but he had strong speed as he moved into the top five on the 10th lap and remained there for most of the race, spending long portions of it running second to either William Byron or eventual winner Christopher Bell. However, in the third stage, his power steering began to go out and only functioned intermittently. Amazingly, he managed to continue to hold onto a top-three position until he sped in the pits under caution. However, by the time he restarted, his power steering was completely lost and he was well off the pace. The cautions came fast and frequent enough at the tail end of the race that Reddick still managed to salvage a lead-lap finish in 20th.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
March 10, 2025
After winning the pole for Sunday's race at Phoenix, William Byron led 83 of the race's 94 laps. Although it looked like Joey Logano was faster in the early stages of the race and they exchanged the lead four times, Byron began to dominate after Logano was penalized for jumping the second restart. However, Byron got passed by Austin Cindric when he had the advantage of the optional tires and then got beaten out of the pits by Christopher Bell on a caution-flag pit stop and he never led again. He made a bid for victory by taking his final set of optional tires sooner than most of the other contenders, but got caught a lap down when a caution came out for debris from Bubba Wallace's crash. Nonetheless, he made the best of a bad situation and recovered to eventually finish sixth, allowing him to expand his points lead from two points to 13.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
March 10, 2025
Josh Berry had one of the best runs for a Wood Brothers driver in years in Sunday's Phoenix race. After starting fourth, Berry ran in the top five for almost the entire first stage but fell to 29th after a loose lug nut during the race's fourth caution. Luckily, he managed to evade the multi-car pileup on the ensuing restart, which elevated him to 19th. After working his way back up to 10th at the end of Stage 2, he eventually worked his way up to a fourth-place finish, exactly where he started. This made him the first No. 21 driver since Matt DiBenedetto in 2021 to score a driver rating over 100, start and finish in the top five in the same race, and earn a top-five finish on a non-drafting oval. If Berry can stop crashing so much, he might be a playoff contender.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
March
10,
2025
Christopher
Bell
was
the
driver
to
beat
at
Phoenix
Raceway
during
the
Shriners
Children's
500.
Beginning
the
race
from
the
11th
position,
Bell
quickly
showed
that
he
had
one
of
the
top
cars
in
the
field
as
he
made
it
all
read more...
March
10,
2025
Hendrick
Motorsports
driver
Kyle
Larson
had
a
strong
performance
and
nearly
stole
the
victory
during
Sunday's
race
at
Phoenix
Raceway.
Beginning
the
race
from
the
17th
position,
Larson
kept
his
car
clean
and
quietly
ascended
through
the
field
during
the
first
read more...
March 10, 2025
RFK Racing's Chris Buescher placed fifth after a quiet yet productive performance at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Starting from the 13th position, Buescher did not make many moves during the first stage but kept his car clean and out of trouble. He would end the first stage in the 12th position, falling short of earning stage points. In the second stage, Buescher continued to quietly ride along with the rest of the field, keeping his car in one piece and avoiding further issues. The No. 17 Ford driver placed 12th at the end of stage two, failing to earn stage points once again. In the final stage, it was much of the same for Buescher, who finally utilized the option tires in the latter parts of stage three to make moves. Buescher then climbed up and competed for a top-5 finish on the race's final restart. Buescher accomplished just that and placed fifth overall, earning his third career top-5 finish at Phoenix.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 10, 2025
Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports ended Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 in the seventh position after an up-and-down day. Bowman began the race from the 32nd position, and after an early pit stop, he made up some ground and placed 17th by the end of the first stage. In the second stage, Bowman got involved in a multi-car accident and obtained some damage, but he could continue. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver would end the second stage in the 16th position, failing to score stage points for the entire day. In the final stage, Bowman shuffled his position up and down, running as high as third by lap 217 or falling back towards the back half of the top 20 during pit stops. Bowman eventually would take option tires during the final stage, allowing him to pass other cars and make it to the top 10. After the race's final restart, Bowman ended the race inside the top 10 with a finish of seventh, his highest at Phoenix since 2016.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 10, 2025
Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith quietly obtained one of the best results of his Cup Series career during Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Starting the race from the 26th position, Smith made up positions during the first stage but was also involved in a crash during lap 10. The No. 38 Ford driver was able to continue on and went on to place 20th at the end of the first stage. Smith kept himself out of trouble during the second stage but did not progress much further as he ended the stage in 18th place. In the final stage, Smith kept his quiet momentum up and effectively used tire strategy to take option tires during the stage. Eventually, after passing up other drivers who were on regular tires during the race's late runs, Smith wound up with a ninth-place finish after fighting and holding off other drivers, gaining the best finish of his Cup career to date at Phoenix.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 9, 2025
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will start sixth for this week's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This will mark the fourth time since 2022 that Elliott will have a top-10 starting position at Phoenix. In 17 races at the site, Elliott has one win and nine top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place finish in his last appearance during the November 2024 Cup event. In practice, Elliott ranked 19th in overall lap average and displayed top-20 speeds in all other categories. Despite the promising qualifying run and Elliott's solid stats at Phoenix, his practice speeds and lower upside combined with a high salary ($9,500 on DraftKings) make him best suited for tournament lineups only for DFS.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 9, 2025
Team Penske's Joey Logano will start on the outside lane of the front row this week for Phoenix as he qualified second for the Shriners Children's 500. This will be the eighth time in his Cup career that Logano will start in the front row in a race at Phoenix. In 32 races at the Arizona track, Logano has four wins and 17 top-10 finishes. Logano is the most recent race winner at the site, having won the November 2024 race to win the 2024 Cup Series championship. In practice, Logano ranked fifth in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in all other categories, including third in the 25 and 30-consecutive lap average categories. Phoenix is one of Logano's better tracks, and based on his practice speeds and track history, he should be expected to compete for the win.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 9, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin will start 10th for this week's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Hamlin is the highest qualifying entry from JGR this week at Phoenix with his second top-10 starting spot obtained this season so far. In 39 Cup starts at Phoenix, Hamlin has 22 top-10 finishes, with his last one being earned during the November 2023 Cup event at the site. In practice, Hamlin ranked 33rd of all drivers in overall lap averages and did not approach the top 10 in any of the other categories based on speed. Although historically, Hamlin has been a great driver at Phoenix, he is difficult to recommend outside of tournament games as he has low upside from his start position, a high salary ($9,700 on DraftKings), and uninspiring practice speeds.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 9, 2025
Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar will start third for this week's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This marks the second week in a row where Hocevar has a top-5 starting position, and he is the top qualifier of all three Spire entries this week. In three Cup starts at Phoenix, Hocevar has finished no better than 15th and only gained positive Place Differential once. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver also has two top-10 finishes in five starts at the Arizona track in the Truck Series. In practice, Hocevar ranked 21st in overall lap averages while ranking as high as 11th in 25 consecutive lap averages. Hocevar's track history has not been greatest at Phoenix, and his practice speeds indicate that he might fall out of the top 10. Despite his solid salary below $7K on DraftKings, Hocevar is too much of a DFS risk to lose upside while also not having an ideal track history, making him a driver to fade this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
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