2 months agoNoah Gragson is a big question mark in 2024, especially on intermediates like this weekend's race at Las Vegas. Although Gragson shockingly had the second-fastest lap and fifth-fastest average speed in practice, he only qualified 30th. On intermediate tracks in 2023, Gragson posted an abysmal speed percentile of 17.90 and they were Gragson's worst track type in speed. However, Noah has a history of underachievement as a rookie in each series while he tends to improve in later years. Although the Las Vegas native finished 30th last year and didn't run any better than that, he did finish between 2nd in 6th in all his Xfinity Series starts there. He is probably an extreme longshot, but given his practice speed and his tendency to improve significantly in his second year in a series, he'll probably run slightly better than he did last year.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoAustin Dillon surprisingly outqualified his teammate Kyle Busch for this weekend's Las Vegas NASCAR Cup Series race, but don't expect him to seriously contend in the race. In 2024 thus far, Kyle Busch has an average speed percentile of 87.90, which ranks 5th in the Cup Series, while Dillon at 9.38 is last among full-timers. Admittedly, both 2024 races so far have been on drafting tracks while Las Vegas is a regular intermediate so perhaps last year's data may be more instructive to predict this race. Busch had a massive difference in speed last year as well (66.36-43.77) but that was even more pronounced on intermediates where Busch had a speed percentile of 75.67 to Dillon's 39.39. Intermediates were both Busch's strongest track type and Dillon's weakest. Since Chevy did not introduce a new chassis for 2024 unlike Ford or Toyota, it's hard to see any reason why that will change.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoDuring qualifying for Las Vegas, Chase Briscoe scored a starting position of sixth for Sunday's race. Briscoe has one top-10 finish and gained positive place differential three times in six Cup starts at Las Vegas. After finishing 10th in the Daytona 500 and wrecking last week at Atlanta, Briscoe is showing solid speed through pre-race events. The driver of the No. 14 Ford had the seventh-fastest single-lap time in practice and his qualifying result of sixth marks just the second time he will start from the Top 10. Although Briscoe seems to be a promising DFS play based on pre-race events, his prior history at Las Vegas suggests that fantasy players should use him with caution in most formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoKaulig Racing driver Daniel Hemric will start this week's Pennzoil 400 from the 34th starting position. In three Cup Series starts at Las Vegas, Hemric has three top-25 finishes, with his best finish being 17th in September 2019. In practice, Hemric's single-lap time ranked 20th of all drivers, while his overall lap average ranked 18th. After two races this year, Hemric quietly has two top-20 finishes while scoring a positive place differential. Despite having trouble with his car in qualifying, Hemric's starting position sets him up as one of the safer DFS options for Sunday's race. Overall, Hemric's Las Vegas history points to him as a driver who is a favorable DFS option for any lineup, especially with plenty of PD upside available.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoRyan Preece spun and crashed during practice three laps into his first run. As a result, Preece will start 36th, his lowest starting position of the year so far, with a backup car. In eight Las Vegas starts in the Cup Series, Preece placed in the Top 20 twice, gaining positive place differential four times. Preece's single-lap time before wrecking in practice ranked 24th of all drivers, showcasing his car could compete for a top-25 finish or better. Although it is unknown if his backup vehicle will be faster than his wrecked primary, Preece's starting position and history make him a favorable DFS value option to consider.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoIn this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start from the 13th position. In 17 previous LVMS races, Stenhouse has six top-20 finishes, with his last one being scored in 2021. Despite recording a single-lap time in practice that ranked 16th of all drivers, Stenhouse did display top-10 speeds in the 10,15, and 20-consecutive lap average categories. After finishing sixth in last week's Cup race at Atlanta, Stenhouse is looking for his second top-10 finish of the year at Las Vegas on Sunday. Regardless of his practice speeds, track history points to Stenhouse not likely finishing above his starting position, only finishing four times better than 13th. This makes Stenhouse a DFS risk that should only be considered for tournament-based lineups.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoLast week's Atlanta winner, Daniel Suarez, captured a 16th starting position during Las Vegas qualifying for Sunday's race. In 13 Vegas starts, Suarez collected four top-15 finishes, including both 2023 races at the site. In practice, Suarez recorded a single-lap time that ranked 23rd of all drivers, while his 10-consecutive lap average ranked 13th, showcasing a car better suited for longer green flag runs. Considering his equipment and recent history, Suarez is a driver capable of competing for a top-10 finish and being a solid DFS option for any format.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoRick Ware Racing driver Kaz Grala will make his first Las Vegas start in a Cup car this week from the 32nd position. In four Xfinity Series starts at Vegas, Grala's best finish was 16th in March 2018, while he has one top-5 finish at the site in three Truck Series races. During last week's race at Atlanta, Grala scored a finish of 14th, his best Cup Series finish since 2021 when he drove for Kaulig Racing. Grala's single-lap time in practice ranked 32nd of all drivers, while his five-consecutive lap average ranked 26th. The driver of the No. 15 Ford is one of the cheapest drivers that fantasy players could roster this week that starts close to the rear. Overall, while Grala is a serviceable driver that could fit into any lineup, there are better choices capable of placing better or gaining more DFS points, as indicated by track history and practice speeds.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoJ.J. Yeley, who is driving for NY Racing, did not set a lap in qualifying and will start 37th on Sunday. In 15 Cup Series starts at Las Vegas, Yeley has three top-20 finishes, with his last one being scored in September 2018 driving for BK Racing. In practice, Yeley set the slowest single-lap time of the entire field, two seconds off the pace of the following driver ahead of him. Yeley also had the slowest overall lap average of all drivers in practice but is still giving NY Racing their first Cup start of the year after missing the Daytona 500. Considering how slow his car is compared to the rest of the field and how NY Racing has some of the slowest, most unstable equipment, DFS players should fade Yeley at all costs.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoAfter crashing out of last week's race at Atlanta, Christopher Bell bounced back on Saturday afternoon by qualifying 10th for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Bell's performance in qualifying should come as no surprise, as he has qualified in the top-10 in all four of the previous races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NextGen car. While strong qualifying efforts are noteworthy by themselves, his ability to finish races at this track is of particular interest. Since 2022, Bell has managed to secure three top-10 finishes, with his best performance being a second-place finish last October. Between his impressive track record at Vegas and the added advantage of participating in the truck race on Friday night, the 29-year-old makes for an attractive betting option this weekend, particularly a bet for him to finish in the top five, which stands at +130 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Racing-Reference.info
2 months agoComing off of back-to-back fifth-place finishes, Bubba Wallace will look to continue his momentum on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he will start fifth in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Despite the hot start he is off to in 2024, look for things to
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2 months agoOn Saturday afternoon, John Hunter Nemechek qualified 27th for Sunday's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. While it is always important to pay attention to how a driver performs in practice and in qualifying, for John Hunter Nemechek this is perhaps the most important indicator we have for determining if we can use him in DFS this weekend at Las Vegas. With just two Cup starts at this track, both of which occurred in 2020, past performance data is limited if not skewed. Even his efforts in NASCAR's other series aren't helpful. For example, while he did win the 2021 truck race here, in the 2022 race he finished 25th despite starting on the pole. Given his lack of speed during qualifying, coupled with the conflicting and limited data we have on him at this track, we recommend limiting your exposure to the No. 42 in DFS this weekend.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Racing-Reference.info
2 months agoDenny Hamlin will start 28th in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Throughout his Cup career, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a good track for the 20-year Cup veteran. While a driver's past success at a track can sometimes be misleading, particularly given how the sport
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2 months agoTy Gibbs will start eighth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Despite having a win at this track in Xfinity (March of 2022), his Cup appearances at Las Vegas have been disastrous. In his three Cup starts at the "Diamond in the Desert," Gibbs' average finish is 26th and his average DraftKings score is just 3.62 points. While his previous poor outings could be chalked up to inexperience, there is a trend that we must keep in mind when building our lineups this weekend. Specifically, since 2023, Gibbs has appeared in the DraftKings optimal lineup four times, including last weekend at Atlanta. In these four appearances, his average starting position was 26.5, which means he does tend to produce when place differential is in play. Since he will be starting in the top 10 in Sunday's race, the place-differential upside necessary to justify playing him is not there, which means you need to greatly limit your exposure to the No. 54 in DFS this weekend.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Racing-Reference.info
2 months agoAfter an underwhelming performance in his home state of Georgia last weekend, Chase Elliott will look to get his season on track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when he starts 11th in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Despite starting off the season with finishes of
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