July 13, 2025

Justin Haley's season has been somewhat disastrous thus far, but if he has any hope of turning around, it could happen at Sonoma. Last year, Corey LaJoie had one of his best runs of the year in the No. 7 car at Sonoma, where he finished 11th and had an average running position of 15th. However, Haley does not have as strong a record at Sonoma as LaJoie does, as he only finished in the top 20 once, earning a 12th-place finish in 2022 when he drove for Kaulig Racing. If Spire Motorsports' road-course cars are as fast as they seemed to be last year (especially at Watkins Glen), Haley may be an excellent dark-horse selection to earn place-differential points. The speed Michael McDowell showed last week at Chicago is certainly promising, but ultimately he's been running too poorly everywhere to be seriously considered for DFS play.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 13, 2025

After backing into the Round of 16 in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge because he finished both of the first two races while his heavily-favored opponents Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski both crashed, Ty Dillon's run will likely end on Sunday now that he is facing Alex Bowman, a driver who has earned top-10 finishes in all three of his road/street-course starts, while Dillon has never had one in his career. At $5,000, Dillon is one of the most inexpensive drivers in the field, but in five Sonoma starts, he has never finished better than 23rd. The fact that he had his best qualifying run on Saturday and starts a career-best 26th indicates he's even less likely to gain place-differential points than he was in previous years. There are plenty of drivers who are available relatively cheaply who should be considered before him.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 13, 2025

Haas Factory Team driver Cole Custer will start 27th for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 after qualifying. Custer has never qualified lower than this position in his entire Cup career at Sonoma Raceway. In two Cup starts at Sonoma, Custer has two finishes of 21st or better, but has only scored positive Place Differential once. With 19 races completed this season, Custer has five top-20 finishes, with his only top-10 being claimed at Mexico City, another road course venue. The No. 41 Ford driver also has finished with positive PD in two of the three road course events this season. In practice, Custer ranked 18th in overall lap averages and 25th in five consecutive lap averages. Based on his practice speeds and overall results at road courses this season, Custer is one of the more favorable DFS value options to consider for all formats this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

July 13, 2025

Erik Jones of Legacy Motor Club obtained a starting position of 31st after qualifying for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Jones is the lowest-qualifying Toyota driver of the week for Sunday's race and is matched up against his teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, in the In-Season Tournament. In seven prior starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series, Jones has four top-20 finishes, an average finish of 17.7, and gained positive Place Differential six times. Through 19 races so far this season, Jones has 12 top-20 finishes, including a 17th-place run at Mexico City, and an average finish of 18.8. In practice, Jones ranked 36th in overall lap averages and 26th in five consecutive lap averages. Although Jones has not been a standout performer at road courses this season outside of Mexico, his starting position offers plenty of upside with a car capable of moving up a couple of positions into the top 25. With his salary being $5,500 on DraftKings, Jones is a decent value tier choice for all DFS formats this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

July 13, 2025

Cody Ware of Rick Ware Racing will start 36th after qualifying for this week's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Ware is the lowest-qualifying Ford driver in the field for this week's race. In four previous Cup races at Sonoma, Ware has never finished better than 32nd, but he also scored positive Place Differential in three of his starts at the site. After 19 races completed this season, Ware has one single top-20 finish and an average finish of 29.1. In practice, Ware ranked 24th in overall lap averages, 30th in five consecutive lap averages, 16th out of 17 drivers in 10 consecutive lap averages, and ninth of nine drivers in 15 consecutive lap averages. Ware is never usually the fastest driver, regardless of track type, to recommend on any given week, but his track history at Sonoma has been lackluster compared to others. While Ware likely will not kill a lineup as he usually finishes races, he does not gain many positions unless others do not finish, meaning that it is hard to recommend him over others with better speed and track history this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

July 8, 2025

After a missed cut at the U.S. Open and a poor T45 finish at The Travelers, Sepp Straka is an easier name to forget about, even though he's a top 10 player in the world. A short stint of hot putting has withered to a point that he's averaged -1.47 strokes gained putting over those two starts. Accuracy has been the biggest selling point for the 32-year-old this season, but from an off-the-tee perspective, his lack of firepower is more of a detriment than his accuracy is a benefit. In two previous appearances, the former Bulldog has had horrendous weeks on the greens. That makes for a scary proposition this time around since things are already trending in that direction. Avoid him in most situations.--Todd McGill
Source: Data Golf

July 7, 2025

Ty Gibbs had one of his better races of his career at the Chicago Street Course yesterday. After starting ninth, he remained in the top ten for the entire race with the exception of his pit stops late in Stage 1 and Stage 2 to flip both of those stages. He caught a significant break when Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick both pitted on lap 61 even though they might've been able to make it on fuel, which elevated Gibbs from fourth to second where he remained the rest of the race. Shortly after the ensuing restart, Briscoe had a flat tire, which effectively ended his race while Reddick's attempt to get around Gibbs was thwarted by a last-lap caution for Cody Ware's crash. Although the result helped Gibbs advance in the In-Season Challenge over A.J. Allmendinger, it did little for him in the playoff picture as he still almost certainly needs to win to make the playoffs--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 7, 2025

Alex Bowman started 11th and finished 8th at Chicago yesterday, but his race was no mere Sunday drive as his feud with Bubba Wallace dating back to the 2019 Charlotte roval. As Bowman was driving up through the field on fresher tires, he attempted to follow Wallace's teammate Tyler Reddick around Wallace but the pair began hammering each other for nearly an entire lap until Bowman spun Wallace with six laps to go, resulting in a 28th-place finish for Wallace. It remains unclear whether Bowman spun out or Wallace spun himself out across Bowman's bumper, but Wallace seemed more aggressive in this encounter. This allowed Bowman to beat Wallace and advance in NASCAR's In-Season Challenge. He now sits 39 points above the playoff cutline, but it's possible that could be reduced if NASCAR decides that Bowman right-hooked Wallace.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 7, 2025

Bubba Wallace's summer of futility continues with another crash in a race where he was fast. Despite being relegated to a 37th-place starting position after a botched qualifying lap, he had driven up to 16th when he was spun by Kyle Larson at the start of Stage 2. However, good strategy and a decision not to pit allowed him to vault into the top ten by the end of Stage 2. He remained there until Alex Bowman attempted to follow Wallace's teammate Reddick around him. After running into each other numerous times for nearly an entire lap, Bowman spun Wallace out again with six laps remaining. This relegated Wallace to a 28th-place finish. As a result, he only sits a mere two points ahead of Ryan Preece on the playoff bubble. After the race, he ran Bowman into the wall. It remains to be seen whether either driver will be penalized.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 7, 2025

After qualifying second at Chicago, Michael McDowell unexpectedly took the lead from eventually Shane van Gisbergen on the opening lap and led the entire first stage. He declined to pit during the first stage break in an attempt to make the race distance on only one pit stop. However, he was forced to go behind the wall early in Stage 2 to fix a broken throttle cable. McDowell returned to the track and finished 22 laps down in an attempt to collect his fourth fastest lap point of the season, but he didn't succeed. Nonetheless, the rash of crashes allowed him to finish 32nd. McDowell still has three plausible chances to win at Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and Daytona, but he is probably now in a must win situation even if he wasn't before.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 7, 2025

Austin Hill earned his first top ten in the NASCAR Cup Series in yesterday's race at the Chicago Street Course. Although Richard Childress Racing has lacked speed most of this season, they have been very fast on road or street courses as Kyle Busch has earned both of his top fives this season on that track type while even Austin Dillon qualified in the top ten. Hill, who had proven to be a canny road racer in the Xfinity Series, skillfully weaved through the carnage of numerous crashes in Stage 3 to creep into the top ten with four laps remaining and eventually finish 9th. It remains to be seen whether he'll ever land a full-season ride in the Cup Series, but Hill made something of a case for it yesterday.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

July 7, 2025

23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick was one of the most consistent drivers of the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course in terms of running close to the front in Sunday's race. Starting from the fourth position, Reddick kept his car clean and quickly ascended to the third position after Carson Hocevar crashed and caused a large pileup on lap 4. Reddick maintained third throughout the rest of the first stage and finished there, earning eight stage points. In the second stage, Reddick fought for a top-5 through the first couple of laps until he pitted for a caution after lap 30. Despite his pit road setback, Reddick would return to third place at the end of the stage as a result of several drivers ahead of him pitting before the stage ended. In the final stage, Reddick maintained a top-10 running position until he decided to pit mid-way through the stage after a caution on lap 61. Reddick spent the rest of the race moving through the field to get past Denny Hamlin for the third position with three laps to go. Reddick did not advance any further when the checkered flag fell and finished in the third position for the second year in a row at Chicago. Reddick's finish of third, along with last week's finish of fourth at Atlanta, marked the first time this season that he scored back-to-back top-5 finishes in 2025.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

July 7, 2025

Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch acquired a finish of fifth during the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course on Sunday. Busch started the race from the sixth position but quickly moved closer to the front as he avoided a large multi-car accident on lap 4. As a result, Busch ended up finishing the first stage in the second position, especially as other drivers went ahead to pit road by the end of the stage. Through the first half of the second stage, Busch maintained a top-10 running position even through pit stops, but that changed on lap 34 as Busch spun his car off of turn seven. This spin, combined with another pit stop to change his tires and have his team assess his car, relegated the No. 8 Chevrolet driver to 31st by the end of the second stage. In the final stage, Busch worked his way through the field both on the track and through pit strategies across multiple pit stops to eventually cycle back to the top 10. Busch kept his car mostly clean and took advantage of others making mistakes to finish the race in fifth place. This marks Busch's second top-5 finish, matching the best of his Cup career at Chicago.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

July 7, 2025

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin obtained a hard-fought top-5 finish in Sunday's Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course. Hamlin began the race from the 40th position due to having an engine problem during practice, which left him unable to set a lap for qualifying. The No. 11 Toyota driver spent the first stage progressively making it up through the field and avoiding the big wreck on lap four. By the end of the first stage, Hamlin climbed up to the 26th position but was unable to earn stage points. During the second stage, Hamlin progressed further up the field with the help of some pit strategies, mainly heading to pit road at a different time than his competition. As a result, Hamlin finished the second stage in the sixth position and collected a couple of stage points. In the final stage, Hamlin kept his car clean while racing with the pack but eventually made it up to the top five, getting as high as third before getting passed by Tyler Reddick with three laps to go. Hamlin settled for a finish of fourth when the race ended, scoring a new career-best finish at Chicago as well as his first top-5 finish at the site.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

July 7, 2025

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports had a messy weekend that he wanted to forget from this week's Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course. Before the race even began, Byron hit the wall during practice and sustained enough damage that his team decided to skip qualifying and repair the car. As a result, Byron started Sunday's Cup race from the 38th position and was set to try and move through the pack during the race, especially as Byron was one of the fastest drivers in practice before his crash. Unfortunately for Byron, his car suffered a clutch issue right on the first lap of Sunday's race and soon took it to pit road, then eventually the garage. Byron did not return to the track from there and was scored with a finish of 40th, marking his second DNF of the season after wrecking out of last week's race at Atlanta. Although the No. 24 Chevrolet driver scored his first DNF at Chicago, he maintains the regular season points lead, being ahead of his teammate, Chase Elliott, by a margin of 13 points heading into next week's race at Sonoma Raceway.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com