July 6, 2025
Erik Jones's chances of making the playoffs will likely grind to a complete halt during the stretch of three road courses in the next six races as he has been a pretty terrible road racer lately. Case in point, he qualified 34th for today's race on the Chicago Street Course between Katherine Legge and Cody Ware who both have much weaker cars. Having said that, he is on a relative hot streak with no finishes worse than 17th in his last six starts. That 17th-place finish came on the last road course at Mexico City, so he may end up having more speed in the race than you likely expect. Jones is nowhere near one of the best options for Chicago where he has never finished better than 16th, but his recent hot streak may indicate some promise. He's worth considering as a really cheap option at $5,800, but probably only if you're also drafting Shane van Gisbergen.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 6, 2025
Noah Gragson starts 24th at Chicago today. Although he's never been much of a factor on the Chicago street course or any kind of road course in general, he did improve from 28th to 14th in last year's Chicago Street Race, where he significantly outfinished all three of his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates. Although he has generally had a disappointing season, he did get one of his three top tens at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, his only top ten on a road course to date. Since Gragson's average finish on road courses of 22.9 and average finish this season of 23.3 are barely better than his starting position, he isn't a great option but he's a better one than most of the other really cheap selections. If you want to start Shane van Gisbergen, Gragson is worth considering to save money elsewhere, but going with a lineup centered around William Byron and Chase Elliott is probably a better idea.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 6, 2025
Even though Riley Herbst scored one of his best-ever finishes outside a drafting track at Austin earlier this year, it seems unlikely he'll contend when he makes his street course debut in the Cup Series this afternoon in Chicago. He didn't run well in either of his Xfinity races there and although he surprisingly did outrun both Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace for much of the last road course race at Mexico City, he blew it by spinning out and nearly took out Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. as he attempted to regain control. Herbst typically finishes outside the top twenty, so his 21st-place starting position indicates that he is likely to lose positions and will be very unlikely to score enough points for DFS consideration and the only reason to draft him is if you wanted to save money elsewhere to draft Shane van Gisbergen.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 6, 2025
Cody Ware starts his first race on the Chicago street course this afternoon from the 35th position. Despite Ware's experience as a former Asian Le Mans Series champion, he has been unable to translate that to any modicum of road course success in the NASCAR Cup Series. His best finish on a road course was 24th in the 2022 Indianapolis G.P., which essentially guarantees that he will not gain enough positions to be worth considering for DFS lineups, particularly in a race where major stars like Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin failed to post a qualifying time. Even though he is the third-cheapest driver on DraftKings with only Josh Bilicki and Katherine Legge costing less money, the only reason to consider him would be if you wanted to save money to sign Shane van Gisbergen, but even in that case, there are better options who don't cost much more money.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 6, 2025
The NASCAR Cup Series is a road course this weekend, which means Shane van Gisbergen should be at the top of your radar when it comes to potential race winners. Just last month in Mexico City, SVG put on an absolutely dominating effort, and the Trackhouse Racing driver will be looking to do the exact same thing in this weekend's Grant Park 165. On Saturday, van Gisbergen got one win out of the way, as the No. 88 Chevrolet was the fastest in qualifying, and he will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday. Van Gisbergen won the inaugural Cup Series race at Chicago two years ago and also won the Xfinity race here this weekend. He is the heavy favorite to win the Cup race on Sunday as well, and rightfully so. When it comes to DFS, though, SVG may not be the best pick. His very high salary ($12,000 on DraftKings) and not having any Place Differential upside makes it hard to pay up for the top driver, especially considering how short this race is (only 75 laps).
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Motorsport
July 6, 2025
Even though the No. 20 Toyota wasn't able to find much speed during practice for this weekend's Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course, you can still expect Christopher Bell to be a contender in Sunday's race. This year on the road course tracks, he has posted finishes of first and second, and that was after starting 19th (at COTA, which he won) and 31st (at Mexico City). This weekend, Bell qualified 13th for the race, so at least that is a step in the right direction. Last season at the Chicago Street Course, Bell ended up finishing 37th, but he led 14 laps in that race. Additionally, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver led 37 laps here at Chicago in 2023 before ultimately finishing 18th. Even though he doesn't have the finishes to show for it, Christopher Bell is one of the best at the Chicago Street Course. He should be a contender on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
July 6, 2025
Chase Elliott will be a chalk DFS pick for this weekend's Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course. The No. 9 Chevrolet was one of the fastest cars on track during practice here on Saturday afternoon, but late in the session, Chase ended up hitting the wall quite hard and subsequently wasn't able to make an effort in qualifying. Elliott will be credited with a starting position of 39th-place on Sunday and that makes him an easy DFS play due to the super-high Place Differential upside he has. In addition to having one of the fastest cars in practice this weekend, Elliott has consistently been one of the best on road courses in the Cup Series, with four top-five results in the last six races on this track type. Chase finished third in the first-ever Chicago Street Course race (back in 2023) and wound up 21st in last year's event.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
July 6, 2025
The NASCAR Cup Series is at a road course track this weekend (the Chicago Street Course), which means Chris Buescher should have a strong showing. Nobody has a better average finish than him at this track type since the start of the 2022 season. Over the last 18 races on road courses, Buescher has finished 11th or better 16 times, with the only exceptions being the Charlotte Roval last season (he ended up 17th) as well as last year's Chicago race (he finished 20th). Looking at practice and qualifying this weekend, the No. 17 Ford was solid. Buescher posted the eighth-fastest lap during practice on Saturday afternoon and then went out and qualified eighth for Sunday's race as well. With as strong and consistent as Buescher is on this track type, he makes for a reliable DFS option this weekend ($8,600 on DraftKings) despite limited Place Differential upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
July 6, 2025
Bubba Wallace is by no means a strong road course racer, but he's certainly not as bad as he used to be. In face, over the last 10 races on this track type, Bubba hasn't finished worse than 20th, and he even grabbed a 12th-place finish at Mexico City last month despite starting back in 25th-place. This weekend, Bubba will have to do more of the same, as he spun the No. 23 Toyota out during qualifying and will have to start from back in 37th for Sunday's race. With that being said, that makes Bubba a very attractive DFS option, as his Place Differential upside is massive this weekend. Additionally, Wallace posted the fastest lap during practice on Saturday, so we know there is speed in that race car. At just $6,400 on DraftKings this weekend, Bubba Wallace is a core driver to build DFS lineups around, especially due to his huge Place Differential potential.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
July 6, 2025
Expect Michael McDowell to be a factor in the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course this weekend. The Spire Motorsports driver had a "solid" practice and qualifying at the track on Saturday and, like everyone else, will be trying to best Shane van Gisbergen for the win on Sunday. Chicago has been a very good track for McDowell thus far, as he has been able to walk away with seventh- and fifth-place finishes in two races on the street course thus far. McDowell will start from second for this weekend's Grant Park 165 race, and while this eliminates any Place Differential upside he may have, he's still an interesting DFS option at just $8,300 on DraftKings. If McDowell can lead some laps and grab a podium finish on Sunday, he could still end up making it into the optimal DFS lineup.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Michael McDowell's X Account
July 6, 2025
Will Brown will be behind the wheel of the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in this weekend's Grant Park 165, as the Australian Supercars driver will be making his second-ever Cup Series start on Sunday. Brown held his own during practice on Saturday, posting the 12th-fastest lap and ending up faster than his Kaulig Racing teammates, AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon. Brown's first Cup Series start came at Sonoma last season, where he drove the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. He had equipment issues during that race and wound up finishing 31st, but showed promise before that. This weekend, Will Brown is a tournament option in DFS contests, as he's relatively expensive ($7,300 on DraftKings) but has the talent to challenge for a good finish--if his equipment holds up. If it does, Brown should be able to improve on his 19th-place starting spot.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Digest
July 5, 2025
One low-tier driver that could be flying under the radar for this weekend's Grant Park 165 is Justin Haley. The Spire Motorsports driver has struggled quite a bit this season, but road course venues can be a great equalizer, and Haley has been strong here at the Chicago Street Course over the last two years; in the inaugural event, he walked away with a second-place finish, and then last season, Haley was able to post a 16th-place result while driving for Rick Ware Racing--which has historically been awful (equipment-wise) at road course venues. This weekend, Haley has been unable to find much speed in Chicago despite the upgrade in equipment, as his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet is an upgrade from what he had last season. Haley ranked 37th-fastest (out of 40 cars) in practice and then wound up 28th in qualifying. Due to his Place Differential upside and strong track history, you should probably have some exposure to Justin Haley in DFS (he's only $6,800 on DraftKings), but don't go too crazy.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
July 5, 2025
Keep an eye on Todd Gilliland in this weekend's Grant Park 165. The Front Row Motorsports driver walked away with a seventh-place finish in this race last season and has been consistently above-average at this track type since the start of 2024. During that time frame, Gilliland has posted three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.6 on the road courses. This weekend, the No. 34 Ford ranked 22nd-fastest in practice and then Gilliland went out and qualified 20th for Sunday's race. At $6,500 on DraftKings, you should consider him in tournament-style contests, as his Place Differential upside is a little bit limited after that mid-pack qualifying effort, but Gilliland will still pull off a high-value DFS score if he grabs another top-10 finish on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
July 5, 2025
Last year at the Chicago Street Course, Ricky Stenhouse Jr walked away with a sixth-place finish--marking his second-ever top-10 result in (then) 40 career attempts on road course tracks. This finish was likely due to good strategy and rain becoming a factor, but the result still counts. In this year's Grant Park 165, he'll be looking to do the same thing. Stenhouse qualified back in 32nd-place for this weekend's race, which is just one spot better than his qualifying effort for this race last year. In practice, Stenhouse lacked the same amount of speed, as he wound up 32nd-fastest there as well (out of 40 cars to complete a lap). At $5,700 on DraftKings this weekend, you need to have some Ricky Stenhouse exposure due to his high Place Differential potential, but don't go overboard. Stenhouse has finished 18th or better in three of the last five road course races, including an 18th-place result at COTA back in March.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
July 5, 2025
There are some race tracks where Josh Berry can be considered a legitimate sleeper. Road course tracks are not one of those, though. Berry has struggled mightily in the Cup Series at the left-and-right-turn race tracks, and doesn't look to be showing any improvement this weekend at the Chicago Street Course. After posting the 38th-fastest lap (out of 40 cars) in practice, Berry went out and qualified 29th for Sunday afternoon's Grant Park 165. While that may seem like an improvement, keep in mind that four drivers either had issues or did not attempt a lap in qualifying, otherwise Berry likely would have ended up 33rd-fastest. When it comes to DFS this weekend, Josh Berry may be an intriguing option at $5,500 on DraftKings with his decently-high Place Differential, but it's best to stay away from the guy that has struggled mightily at this track type in his career. He has just one finish better than 25th on a road course in seven total attempts in the Cup Series.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
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