February 23, 2025
Despite his relative inexperience, rookie Riley Herbst ran unexpectedly well in last weekend's Daytona 500 as he was battling for fourth until he spun out as he took the white flag. His spinout did enable him to miss the race-deciding wreck later that lap, but nonetheless relegated him to a 17th-place finish. However, the Toyotas seem a lot slower at Atlanta than they did at Daytona and none of them qualified very well. His speed in the Daytona 500 and 23XI Racing's speed throughout speedweeks suggests he might have some value for DFS purposes, but Toyota's seeming lack of speed at Atlanta, combined with the fact that plenty of the experienced Toyota veterans qualified just as poorly or worse, suggest that it would be a much better idea to roster any of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers for DFS teams than Herbst.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 23, 2025
Although Front Row Motorsports has not been as dominant in drafting-track qualifying this year as Michael McDowell was last year, all three FRM cars were still very fast in qualifying, as Zane Smith qualified seventh amidst a phalanx of Fords. However, even though he grew much more consistent in the second half of his rookie season -- his average finish improved from 28.1 in the first half to 18.3 in the second half -- the FRM cars typically did not finish as well as they qualified last year and Smith doesn't seem to be experienced enough to seriously fight for the win. He will likely backslide through the pack somewhat as some of the faster Chevy and Toyota drivers move through the field. He is probably best avoided both for DFS lineups and straight bets.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 23, 2025
After unexpectedly battling for the win in the Daytona 500, Cole Custer starts 23rd at Atlanta, considerably worse than most of the other Ford drivers in a race Ford looks poised to dominate. Although he hasn't had a very strong finishing record on drafting tracks in general in the NASCAR Cup Series, his speed last week, the Fords' speed in general, and the fact that most of the Fords qualified well ahead of him suggest there might be more value in starting him for DFS lineups than expected. Despite having an average finish of 25 in his three previous Next Gen Atlanta starts, he did earn a top ten in the 2022 summer race. Although his past statistical record does not look great, he is likely to outrun his past statistical record.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 23, 2025
J.J. Yeley qualified last for Sunday's race at Atlanta with a qualifying time over 1.1 seconds behind pole-sitter Ryan Blaney and 0.3 seconds behind the next-slowest driver B.J. McLeod. Although some people might see value in adding Yeley to DFS lineups because he could theoretically gain positions in the field, that would only likely happen if there were a lot of wrecks, and all four races at Atlanta in 2023 and 2024 had relatively few cars crash out, especially when compared to Daytona. If a lot of the faster drivers do crash out like in the Daytona 500, he could become very valuable and would likely be too slow to stay in the draft, but recent history suggests that too few cars will crash out to make him a good option for DFS lineups, even at the low price of $5,000.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 23, 2025
As has been the case with most races at Atlanta in the Next Gen era, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. should be a solid place-differential play on DraftKings for this weekend's Ambetter Health 400. The No. 47 Chevrolet will roll off the starting grid from 34th place when the race goes green on Sunday, which is actually Stenhouse's worst starting spot at Atlanta since the repave. However, he's used to starting pretty deep in the field at this track. Over the last four races at Atlanta, Stenhouse has an average starting position of 27.5 with an average finish of 11.75, giving him a positive place differential of 15.75 per race. If he's able to pull off just a typical Stenhouse race here at Atlanta on Sunday, he should be one of the best value plays on the slate, as he is priced at just $7,500 on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
February 23, 2025
If you're looking for a sleeper pick in Sunday's Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, definitely consider Justin Haley. In the six races here since the repave/reconfiguration, Haley hasn't finished worse than 22nd and has posted four finishes of 12th or better (including two top-10 results). His average finish over the last three years at Atlanta is 13.3, which is seventh-best among full-time drivers during that timespan--and better than Joey Logano, who sits at an average result of 13.7. This weekend, Haley will roll off the starting grid from 21st-place, and while this is definitely going to drive his ownership down on DraftKings, that could be a perfect opportunity to be a little bit overweight on the field with a driver that has a great history at this racetrack.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
February 22, 2025
Cody Ware will start this weekend's Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the 31st-place starting spot, as the Rick Ware Racing driver clocked in a lap of 31.394 seconds (176.594 mph) during qualifying on Saturday. That was faster than some of the bigger-named drivers in the field, notably Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Now the question becomes, can Ware outrun them during the race as well? Since the track was repaved and reconfigured, Atlanta Motor Speedway now races more like a superspeedway, which gives lower-tier drivers like Ware a chance at good finishes (compared to most other tracks). Just last season, Kaz Grala drove this same No. 15 Ford that Ware is racing this weekend to a 14th-place finish here at Atlanta. The upside is potentially there this weekend, but it's nowhere near a guarantee. It's worth being a little overweight on Ware in DFS tournaments on Sunday, but don't go too crazy.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
February 22, 2025
Ty Dillon will roll off the starting grid from 20th for the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, a week after the Kaulig Racing driver posted a 14th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. Dillon will be looking to replicate that run this weekend at Atlanta, where he recently finished 19th and 23rd at while driving for Spire Motorsports during the 2023 season. On DraftKings, Ty will cost DFS players just $5,900 against the salary cap, but his limited Place Differential upside severely limits his playability on this slate. Although there are definitely scenarios that Dillon could sneak into the top 10 on Sunday, he's much more likely to run mid-pack, and there are better cheap DFS options on this slate.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
February 22, 2025
BJ McLeod will be making his season debut in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend, as the driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports will roll off the starting grid from 38th place after clocking a lap of 31.944 seconds (173.554 mph). McLeod has raced all of the events at the "new" Atlanta Motor Speedway since the track was repaved and reconfigured prior to the 2022 season. He has two top-20 finishes to his credit during that time span, along with finishes of 24th and 25th in the two races last season. On DraftKings, McLeod comes in at a very cheap $5,100 salary this weekend, but will likely need attrition to gain positive place-differential fantasy points on Sunday. Although he has DFS scoring upside on Sunday, it's unlikely you'll need to dip down as low as McLeod for your DraftKings lineups. There are better options out there.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
February 17, 2025
Good fortune was on William Byron's side on Sunday night, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver captured his second straight Daytona 500 victory after avoiding the carnage on the last lap of this year's Great American Race. This is Byron's 14th victory of his Cup Series career and third at Daytona International Speedway. When interviewed after the race on Sunday, Byron was asked how he got to victory lane. He responded, "Some good fortune. I trusted my instinct on that last lap there. They were getting squirrely on the bottom. Fortunate that it worked out in our favor."
--Jordan McAbeeSource: PRN
February 17, 2025
It was a great night for Jimmie Johnson in Sunday's Daytona 500. Not only did he walk away with a third-place finish of his own, but John Hunter Nemechek, who drives for LEGACY Motor Club, an organization that Johnson is the majority owner of, also grabbed a top-five finish when it was all said and done. After the race, Jimmie told PRN, "This feels incredible. I have emotions I didn't expect to have. I am so satisfied and so happy right now." This was Johnson's fourth-ever top-three finish in The Great American Race, as he won the 2013 and 2006 runnings of the Daytona 500 and finished third in the race back in 2003.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: PRN
February 17, 2025
John Hunter Nemechek's streak of good finishes at Daytona International Speedway continued this past weekend, as the LEGACY Motor Club driver notched his first-ever top-five finish in NASCAR Cup Series action, crossing the finish line in fifth on Sunday evening after avoiding the carnage throughout the race and on the last lap. Nemechek now has five straight finishes of 15th or better in his career at Daytona, as well as the best average finish (9.8) among active Cup Series drivers. This is a great start to the season for the driver of the No. 42 Toyota, as JHN is coming off of a 34th-place points finish last season.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
February
17,
2025
Team
Penske's
Ryan
Blaney
was
one
of
the
top
favorites
to
win
this
year's
Daytona
500
but
fell
short
of
winning
it
despite
a
strong
performance.
Blaney
quickly
displayed
that
he
had
one
of
the
best
cars
in
the
field
right
read more...
February 17, 2025
Kyle Larson's struggles at superspeedways continued once again during this year's Daytona 500. Larson first began the race from the rear after having to go to a backup car after the Daytona Duels earlier in the week. Despite this setback, Larson climbed up to 16th by the end of the first stage, and then he kept his car clean during the second stage as he placed 12th at the end of it. In the final stage, Larson rode with the pack for most of it, never seemingly able to find his way to the front, and then on lap 196, the No. 5 Chevrolet driver was involved in a multi-car accident that began after Christopher Bell spun and hit the wall. Larson was able to continue with damage but was unable to return to the top half of the pack. Larson and the No. 5 team ended the race in 20th, continuing a lengthy streak of finishes outside of the top 10 dating back to the 2021 Daytona 500.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
February 17, 2025
Chase Briscoe in his first race for Joe Gibbs Racing as a full-time driver left Daytona with his second career top-five finish in the Daytona 500. Starting from the pole position, Briscoe would lead a couple of laps before getting shuffled back further into the pack. The No. 19 Toyota would end the first stage in the 34th position. In the second stage, Briscoe was involved in a multi-car accident when the field got stacked up by Joey Logano, who was dealing with a mechanical issue and could not accelerate forward. Although Briscoe obtained damage, he continued on and finished the second stage in 25th. In the final stage, Briscoe worked his way back towards the front by the race's final restart. Despite being involved in another wreck when he got into Cole Custer on the final lap, Briscoe survived with little damage, continuing on to finish fourth for his first top-five finish at Daytona since the 2022 season.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
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