March 1, 2026

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start 10th for this Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be the fourth time in his Cup career that Byron will start inside the top 10 at the Texas road course. In five previous starts at COTA, Byron has one win, three top-5 finishes, and an average finish of 6.2, which ranks fourth among all drivers. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver also led more laps than anyone else at COTA (72) and has never finished worse than 12th in his Cup career at the site. In practice for this week's race, Byron ranked 14th in overall lap averages, 16th in five consecutive lap averages, and 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Considering Byron's great track history at COTA despite his underwhelming practice speeds, he is a driver who is a solid DFS option for all formats, especially with some of the best equipment in the field.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

Carson Hocevar is one of the most aggressive drivers in the Cup Series garage, and that aggression has caused issues at many race tracks, including the various road course venues. With the tight turns and on-track space at the road courses, Hocevar has been seen as a wrecking ball in several events, taking out competitors in turns. However, this aggression has turned into some good finishes for Hocevar, including a third-place run at Watkins Glen in 2024, as well as 12th- and 13th-place finishes at the Charlotte Roval and COTA (respectively) that year. This weekend at COTA, Hocevar qualified 12th, but wasn't overly impressive in practice. Still, a top-15 finish is well within reach for Hocevar on Sunday--if he can keep his fenders clean. In DFS lineups, he's a risky play with more downside than upside, but you shouldn't avoid Hocevar entirely for the DURAMax Grand Prix.--Jordan McAbee
Source: YardBarker

March 1, 2026

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is starting 15th for Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver matched the lowest starting position of his Cup career at the site after qualifying. In five previous races at COTA, Larson has one top-5 finish, a second-place run back in 2021 with the previous-generation car. At road and street courses last season, Larson had two top-15 finishes with a runner-up result at the Charlotte Roval. In practice for this week's race, Larson ranked third in overall lap averages and 10th in five consecutive lap averages. With favorable practice speeds despite underwhelming track history, Larson is a decent DFS option for this week, especially with his starting position providing favorable upside for a driver who can compete for a top-10 finish.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

Ryan Blaney of Team Penske will start in the fourth position for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is Blaney's first top-5 starting position in a COTA race since 2022, when he won the pole position at the site. In five COTA races, the No. 12 Ford driver has one top-10 finish, but he obtained positive Place Differential in each of the last three Cup events at the site. Last year at road and street courses, Blaney scored top-20 finishes in five different events at the track type and led laps in three of them. During practice for Sunday's race, Blaney ranked second in single lap times, but was the fastest driver in all other categories, including five and 10 consecutive lap averages. Blaney's practice speeds are encouraging that he will be competitive on Sunday, but his mixed track history and low upside from his starting position make him playable only in a tournament setting.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the third position for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will mark the highest starting position of Briscoe's Cup career at COTA as well as his first time starting in the top five at the site. In five prior starts at COTA, Briscoe has four top-15 finishes with positive PD scored. Last year at road and street courses, the driver of the No. 19 Toyota had five top-15 finishes, including three inside the top 10 at the track type. In practice for Sunday's race, Briscoe ranked 19th in overall lap averages and 12th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite his low upside and practice speeds that indicate a finish outside the top 10, Briscoe is usable in tournament lineups as a pivot option with a history of performing solidly at road courses.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing obtained a starting position of 24th after qualifying for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is the lowest starting position of Wallace's career to date at COTA. In five races at the Texas road course, Wallace has two top-20 finishes, which were scored in his last two appearances at the site. He also led four laps and won the first stage in last year's COTA race before placing 20th. At road and street courses last year, Wallace had four top-20 finishes and gained positive Place Differential four times in six events at the track type. In practice, Wallace ranked 16th in overall lap averages, 15th in five consecutive lap averages, and ninth in 10 consecutive lap averages. With solid practice speeds, decent finishes in recent COTA races, and a hot start to the 2026 season, Wallace is a favorable DFS value option for this week's race.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs is starting ninth for this week's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be the second time that Gibbs will start a race at COTA inside the top 10, after he started in second at the Texas track in 2024. In three prior starts at COTA, Gibbs has two top-10 finishes with a best finish of third in 2024. Last year at road and street courses, the No. 54 Toyota driver finished 12th or better in four of the six races at the track type, including two top-10 finishes. In practice for this week's race, Gibbs ranked 27th in 10 consecutive lap averages and 28th in overall lap averages. The JGR driver has a solid history at COTA, but his starting position in the field does not offer as much upside as other drivers in his salary range. Fantasy players should mainly consider Gibbs as a tournament option who can compete for a top-10 finish.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell will start sixth for Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This will mark the first time that McDowell will start in the top 10 in a Cup race at the site. In five previous races at COTA, McDowell has four finishes of 13th or better with one DNF due to steering issues. The No. 71 Chevrolet driver also led three laps in last year's race at COTA. In practice, McDowell ranked first in single lap times, second in five consecutive lap averages, fifth in 10 consecutive lap averages, and sixth in overall lap averages among all drivers. Although McDowell's upside for Place Differential is not high, his history at COTA and road courses in general is favorable. The low upside makes McDowell best for tournament lineups, but he is still a solid option to consider for a top-10 finish.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

February 23, 2026

23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace had another strong performance end with promise of what could've been in Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. The No. 23 Toyota driver started from the ninth position and quietly made his way through to the front of the pack. At the end of the first stage, he competed with Austin Cindric for the stage win and fell short behind Cindric, finishing second at the stage end and earning nine stage points. In the second stage, Wallace made a pit stop that sent him further back in the field, but he quickly made it back up to the front with his teammate, Tyler Reddick. Although he traded the lead a few times with different drivers, Wallace ended the second stage on top, winning it over William Byron after a crash between Kyle Larson and Shane Van Gisbergen ended the stage. In the final stage, Wallace continued to show plenty of speed, despite falling out of the top 10 due to pitting, he came back up and competed for the win on the last restart. On that last restart, Wallace went to block Carson Hocevar, but was shuffled to the top by Hocevar, causing Wallace to fall back. The 23XI driver did catch up to eighth position and finished there, nabbing his second consecutive top-10 finish of the year and the third of his Cup career at EchoPark Speedway.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

February 23, 2026

Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar finished in fourth in Sunday's Autotrader 400 after an eventful performance at EchoPark Speedway. Hocevar began the race from the 15th position and was working his way to the top 10 until he brushed the wall on lap 32. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver then went to pit road and fell two laps down. Hocevar got one of his laps back through the stage caution at the end of stage one, where he finished 38th. In the second stage, Hocevar got his second lap back and then spent the rest of the stage working back to the top 10. He made it back to the top 10 despite another brush with the wall on lap 153 and went on to finish the second stage in sixth, obtaining five stage points. Despite a couple of pit stops off sequence for the No. 77 Chevrolet driver, he positioned himself for the win by the final restart. After making a few aggressive moves on the final restart that also prevented other drivers from winning like Bubba Wallace, he got shuffled back a few positions and then made it back up to fourth at the checkered flag. This was Hocevar's second top-5 finish at the Atlanta track and his first of the 2026 season. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

February 23, 2026

Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing had an up-and-down performance throughout the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. In the first stage, he started from the 21st position, but did not move up much, finishing the stage in 14th. Chastain reached the top 10 during the second stage and even competed for the lead a few times, but he was shuffled out of the top 10 at the end of the stage, placing 11th. Although he earned no stage points, Chastain remained competitive in the final stage, as he returned to the top five in the late part of the race. He would eventually help to push Carson Hocevar on the final restart to compete for the win, but Hocevar fell back behind Chastain during the final lap. Chastain, however, did not have enough speed to move past Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe, leaving him to settle for third place, his best finish at EchoPark Speedway since 2022.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

February 23, 2026

Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe finished as the runner-up in Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Briscoe started from the back of the pack in the 34th position and spent the first stage trying to work through the field. At the end of the first stage, Briscoe finished 20th and did not earn any stage points. In the middle portion of the second stage, Briscoe cracked the top five thanks to pit strategy and continuing to make moves through the pack. Briscoe eventually traded the lead with Bubba Wallace a few times during the end of the stage, but settled for third behind Wallace and William Byron, earning eight stage points. In the final stage, Briscoe remained competitive and led the early section. He failed to return to the lead for the rest of the race after lap 200, but he played a role in the finish as he pushed Tyler Reddick to the win on the final restart past Carson Hocevar. Briscoe could not pass Reddick for the win, but set a new career-best finish at EchoPark Speedway in the process with his second-place finish.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

February 23, 2026

Tyler Reddick won Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in dramatic fashion. The No. 45 23XI Racing driver began the race from first after qualifying was cancelled due to the weather on Saturday. Throughout the first stage, Reddick traded the lead with several drivers, but ultimately fell out of the lead by the end of the stage. He finished stage one in sixth place and earned five stage points. In the second stage, Reddick made use of pit strategy to maintain a top-10 running position and soon returned to the front of the pack to fight for the lead. Late in the second stage, he fell behind, but thanks to a stage-ending caution between Kyle Larson and Shane Van Gisbergen, he caught back up to fourth at the end of the stage, nabbing seven more stage points. In the final stage, Reddick kept his car clean until he was involved in a late multi-car accident on lap 224. The No. 45 team repaired the damage, put on new tires, and Reddick was able to continue. Reddick worked back to the front by the end of the stage and lined up behind his teammate Bubba Wallace for the last two restarts. Although Reddick pushed Wallace to the lead on the final two restarts, Wallace got shuffled back, and Reddick continued onto the lead with a push from Chase Briscoe. Reddick then held off the field to earn his second win of the season, his first at EchoPark Speedway, and became the first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to open the season by winning back-to-back races in the Cup Series.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

February 22, 2026

Joey Logano will likely be a popular daily fantasy pick at EchoPark Speedway for Sunday afternoon's Autotrader 400, but you have to question whether or not that is worth the risk. When it comes to races at this track and DFS strategy, it's best to focus on Place Differential, and Logano offers virtually no upside in that statistical category. However, Joey is one of the strongest drivers at EchoPark Speedway and has won two of the last six races here. He has also led a combined 321 laps over the last six events at this track. However, dominator FPTS are not as important to grab for DFS players at this track as they are at others. It's more likely that Logano goes over-valued by the daily fantasy players this weekend, and strategy-wise, it could be a better option to look for a different play on Sunday.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Racing-Reference

February 22, 2026

The 2026 Daytona 500 Champion, Tyler Reddick, will start from the pole position for this weekend's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after weather washed out qualifying on Saturday morning. Although races at EchoPark Speedway tend to be quite unpredictable, having the track position and good pit stall selection definitely won't hurt Reddick's chances on Sunday afternoon. Reddick finished a career-best fourth here at EchoPark last summer, and has two top-10 results over his last three starts at this speedway. With that being said, Reddick is also a super-risky DFS play on Sunday, as those fantasy lineups should be focused on Place Differential (with this type of racing at EchoPark) and Reddick does not have any upside there. It's probably best to stay away from him in daily fantasy this weekend.--Jordan McAbee
Source: NASCAR