Tyler Reddick Nabs His Second Win of the Season At EchoPark Speedway
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.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Joey Logano Will Be Popular DFS Pick at EchoPark Speedway
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.
Source: Racing-Reference
Source: Racing-Reference
Tyler Reddick on Pole After Qualifying Rained Out at EchoPark Speedway
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.
Source: NASCAR
Source: NASCAR
Could Chase Elliott Be Worth Rostering At EchoPark Speedway?
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports will start in the fourth position for this week's race at EchoPark Speedway, the Autotrader 400. This will be Elliott's first time starting inside the top five at the Atlanta track since 2022. In seven races completed at the site since 2022, Elliott has two wins and has placed in the top 20 every time. He also leads all drivers at Atlanta with a 9.1 average finish and is the track's most recent winner. In last week's Daytona 500, Elliott led two laps and looked like he could have won before fading back and finishing the race in fourth position. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver does not carry much upside from his starting position, but this is one of his top tracks, and it is a hometown race. Elliott is not recommended for cash lineups due to very low upside, but for tournaments, he can be a sneaky option that is capable of competing for the win.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Is Ryan Blaney Worth Rostering for DFS at EchoPark Speedway?
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney will start in the 22nd position for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. This will be the first time that Blaney will start outside of the top 10 at the Atlanta track since its 2022 reconfiguration. In eight races at the site since 2022, Blaney has six top-10 finishes, which is the most of all drivers in that span. He is also tied for the most top-5 finishes at the track since 2022 as well. Last week at the Daytona 500, Blaney finished 27th after leading two laps and was involved in an accident at the end of the race. Blaney is one of the best drivers at drafting tracks and is always a top threat to win. Considering how he also has some upside from his starting position, he is one of the top drivers to roster for DFS this week.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Is William Byron Worth Rostering for DFS at EchoPark Speedway?
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start in the 13th position for Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after qualifying was cancelled due to weather. Since the Atlanta track was reconfigured in 2022, Byron has maintained a perfect streak of starting every race at the site in the top 20. In eight races since 2022 at Atlanta, Byron has four top-20 finishes, including two victories. Byron is one of only three drivers since 2022 to have won twice at EchoPark Speedway. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver finished 12th after starting 39th in last week's Daytona 500. Although Byron does not offer as much upside as some based on his starting position, his history shows that he is capable of scoring a top finish and competing for wins. Byron is usable in all DFS formats, but is especially preferred for tournaments as a pivot option who could pay off.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Denny Hamlin Is Worth Consideration for EchoPark Speedway DFS Lineups
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin is starting 29th for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after qualifying was cancelled by weather. This marks the fourth consecutive race where Hamlin will start outside of the top 25 at the Atlanta track since 2022. In the eight previous races at Atlanta, Hamlin has three top-15 finishes and an average finish of 19.8. Last week in the Daytona 500, Hamlin led three laps and placed 31st after a crash left him with damage, eventually leading him to finish two laps down. Hamlin has plenty of upside from his starting position for this week's race since he starts towards the back. Although Hamlin does not have the strongest finishing history, he is usable and worth consideration for all lineup formats based on his large potential ceiling.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Brad Keselowski Is A Tournament Option for DFS At EchoPark Speedway
RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will start in fifth for Sunday's race at EchoPark Speedway, the Autotrader 400. This will be Keselowski's fourth top-10 start at the Atlanta track since 2022. In his last eight races at Atlanta, the No. 6 Ford driver has six top-20 finishes with only three inside the top 10, and an average finish of 16.4. Keselowski was also the runner-up in the last Atlanta race, where he also led 46 laps. In last week's Daytona race, the Daytona 500, Keselowski finished in fifth position. Keselowski offers little upside for DFS based on his starting position this week, making him difficult to recommend outside of tournament lineups. Although he will likely have a fast car and has some potential to compete for the win, Keselowski is a risk to roster in DFS on Sunday.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Is Bubba Wallace Rosterable In DFS At EchoPark Speedway?
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing will start in the ninth position for this week's race at EchoPark Speedway, the Autotrader 400. This will be the first time that Wallace will start in the top 10 at the Atlanta track since it was reconfigured in 2022. In eight races since 2022 at Atlanta, Wallace has four top-15 finishes, including two inside the top 10, and an average finish of 18.0. Last week at the Daytona 500, Wallace won the second stage and led the most laps (40) before finishing in 10th place. The No. 23 Toyota driver does not carry much upside for this week's race, and despite his favorable history of finishes at drafting tracks, he is only recommended for use in tournament lineups in DFS.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Should DFS Managers Roster Austin Cindric at EchoPark Speedway?
Team Penske driver Austin Cindric is starting in 30th place for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after qualifying was cancelled due to the weather. This will be the first time in his Cup career that Cindric will start a race at the Atlanta track outside of the top 20. In eight previous races at the site, Cindric has five finishes of 12th or better with an average finish of 17.3 and led in seven different events. Last week at Daytona for the Daytona 500, Cindric led five laps and finished 34th, seven laps down after he was damaged in a crash. With Cindric starting towards the back of the pack, he has plenty of upside, and Penske tends to be one of the fastest teams on drafting tracks. Look for Cindric to be one of the higher-end scorers for DFS this week, making him a great option for all formats.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Is Ross Chastain A Sneaky DFS Option for EchoPark Speedway?
Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain will start in the 21st position for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after qualifying was cancelled due to weather. This will be the seventh consecutive race at the site where Chastain will start outside of the top 10 since 2022. In the last eight Atlanta races, Chastain has six finishes of 13th or better with an average finish of 14.1. Four of those finishes were top-10 finishes for Chastain in that span. He also participated in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Atlanta, where he finished in sixth position after leading at the white flag. The No. 1 Chevrolet driver also finished 20th and led 12 laps last week in the Daytona 500. For this week's race at Atlanta, Chastain has solid upside and favorable track history. Fantasy players should highly consider Chastain for all formats, especially as he can be a sneaky option who can pay off well for DFS.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Worth Rostering for DFS at EchoPark Speedway?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start in the third position for this week's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after qualifying was cancelled due to weather. Since 2022, when Atlanta Motor Speedway was reconfigured, Stenhouse has never previously started in the top 10. In the last eight races at EchoPark, Stenhouse has four top-10 finishes, which were all earned in his last five appearances. Stenhouse has also placed in the top 20 in each of his last six Atlanta races. He also finished as the runner-up last week in the Daytona 500. Despite his history of positive finishes at Atlanta, Stenhouse's high starting position leaves him almost no upside for DFS. Stenhouse is only worth consideration for tournament lineups, and even then, there are other alternatives with more upside and cap flexibility available.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Alex Bowman Will Start Towards the Rear At EchoPark Speedway
After qualifying was cancelled, Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports was given a starting position of 36th for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Since 2022, this will be Bowman's lowest starting position at the site. In eight prior races at Atlanta, Bowman has four top-15 finishes with three of them inside the top 10. Two of Bowman's last three appearances at the site ended with top-5 finishes. Last week at Daytona for the Daytona 500, Bowman ended the race in 40th after crashing. With his starting position towards the very end of the field, Bowman is one of the safest DFS options available for this week's race. Despite his boom-or-bust results at Atlanta, the upside makes Bowman worthy of consideration for all DFS formats.
Source: racing-reference.info
Source: racing-reference.info
Joey Logano Finishes Third in the 2026 Daytona 500
In the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Joey Logano finished third after starting the race from the same position. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford driver competed for the lead through most of the first stage and led nine laps. Before the end of the first stage, Logano and his team decided to pit for fuel and tires, making him finish the stage in 29th. In the second stage, Logano took most of the stage to recover towards the front, but he would be caught in the 20-car wreck on lap 124. Although he was damaged, he still ended the second stage in ninth, scoring two stage points in the process. In the final stage, Logano kept quietly riding in the pack until the very last lap. The Penske driver avoided the first wreck on the final lap between Carson Hocevar, Erik Jones, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to run inside the top 10. Then, as he caught up with the leaders, they crashed again in front of Logano. Although the No. 22 driver couldn't avoid the second wreck, he crossed the finish line in third while being damaged. This was Logano's first top-5 finish at Daytona since 2023 and is considered one of the top favorites to compete for the win as a former winner at EchoPark Speedway next weekend.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes as the Runner-Up in the Daytona 500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished in second place in this year's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Stenhouse began the race from the 16th position, but mostly lingered towards the back of the pack until the late parts of the race. The No. 47 Chevrolet driver placed 31st at the end of stage one and 32nd at the end of the second stage. In the final stage, Stenhouse kept moving up through the field for positions and made it to the top 10. During the race's final restart, coming to the final lap, Stenhouse was involved in a crash with Carson Hocevar and Erik Jones, but Stenhouse was able to keep going and remain in the top 10. As Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst chased down Chase Elliott and Zane Smith on the final set of corners, Stenhouse kept following behind them. Stenhouse passed Smith, but then Herbst and Elliott crashed in front of him. While Stenhouse sustained some damage, he squeezed past the final crash but was still short of Reddick, who went on to win. As Stenhouse finished second, this was his best Daytona result since winning the 2023 Daytona 500.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
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