RADIO
The short track run continues as we head to Richmond, Virginia, for the Toyota Owners 400. The most exciting part of this week's race is we finally get to see some racing under the lights, which adds a completely different element for the drivers and fans alike. This track is a little different than most short tracks (not even sure why its considered short anymore), having a unique D shape and multiple racing grooves and banking.
This week I started a new article that will be dropping early each week to feature Driver Sleepers and Avoids to complement my picks. One driver that I featured as an Avoid for Richmond (Kyle Larson) clapped back at me on Twitter and after having the fastest lap in practice he will have my full attention this Saturday night. Don't get me wrong, Kyle has some impressive stats at Richmond but I want to see that consistency that I know he has in him before i'm ready to to spend money on him in DFS again.
As a reminder to my readers I could easily throw Kyle Busch in my four picks each week and most definitely crush it, but the sole purpose of what I do for you guys is to use drivers that you can fit into one lineup and add to others at your discretion. I want to see everyone succeed and do it where you still have some decent options when completing your lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. At the end of the day we all know that Kyle Busch is a solid play always, so I don't think I really need to give you a reason to play him if you're ready to spend the money.
Holiday Special! Save 50% on any Premium Pass using discount code THANKS. Win more with our DFS, Betting and Season-Long Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! GAIN ACCESSToyota Owners 400 - Starting Lineup
- (#4) Kevin Harvick - Ford
- (#20) Erik Jones - Toyota
- (#1) Kurt Busch - Chevrolet
- (#22) Joey Logano - Ford
- (#18) Kyle Busch - Toyota
- (#19) Martin Truex Jr - Toyota
- (#9) Chase Elliott - Chevrolet
- (#3) Austin Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#41) Daniel Suarez - Ford
- (#48) Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet
- (#37) Chris Buescher - Chevrolet
- (#2) Brad Keselowski - Ford
- (#21) Paul Menard - Ford
- (#42) Kyle Larson - Chevrolet
- (#10) Aric Almirola - Ford
- (#17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Ford
- (#88) Alex Bowman - Chevrolet
- (#11) Denny Hamlin - Toyota
- (#24) William Byron - Chevrolet
- (#36) Matt Tifft - Ford
- (#14) Clint Bowyer - Ford
- (#38) David Ragan - Ford
- (#47) Ryan Preece - Chevrolet
- (#8) Daniel Hemric - Chevrolet
- (#34) Michael McDowell - Ford
- (#43) Bubba Wallace - Chevrolet
- (#95) Matt DiBenedetto - Toyota
- (#32) Corey Lajoie - Ford
- (#12) Ryan Blaney - Ford
- (#13) Ty Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#6) Ryan Newman - Ford
- (#00) Landon Cassill - Chevrolet
- (#52) Bayley Currey - Chevrolet
- (#51) Jeb Burton - Ford
- (#77) Quin Houff - Chevrolet
- (#66) Joey Gase - Toyota
- (#15) Ross Chastain - Chevrolet
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Kurt Busch #1 (DraftKings $10,200 | FanDuel $11,500)
Kurt Busch had a solid run Friday morning in practice, finishing eighth with a speed of 121.370 and followed it up qualifying third for Saturday night's race. Busch had an impressive second place finish last week right behind his brother Kurt Busch in what was almost a nail-biter. The Busch brothers shot off like two kids running from the cops after curfew in the final restart at Bristol and Kurt even mentioned that he was going to wreck his younger brother before he crossed the checkered line on the last lap if he could. I honestly would have loved to see that because nothing would be more fun to watch than a family feud in victory lane. There's only one car separating Kurt and Kyle this Saturday night but look for another exciting finish from Kurt.
Chase Elliott #9 (DraftKings $9,500 | FanDuel $12,000 )
Chase Elliott had one of the smoothest saves last week at Bristol and powered through the race without power steering. Elliott finished the race 11th after grabbing the pole and you cant even be upset about it because: MY GOD he raced that track without power steering. Have you ever drove a car without power steering!? I have mad respect for Chase after that one. Elliott placed 24th in practice with a speed of 120.085 and qualified seventh after picking his speed up to 123.153. Elliott had two Top 5 finishes here last year and overall has a pretty solid record when in Richmond.
Aric Almirola #10 (DraftKings $7,700 | FanDuel $10,200)
Last week Aric Almirola had some bad luck that pulled him out of the race early. Until then Almirola had a Top 10 hot streak. I'm looking for Almirola to saddle up and drive his way back into where he's been finishing as of late. Two of his Stewart Haas teammates qualified inside the Top 10 on Friday. Kevin Harvick took the pole and Daniel Suarez will start ninth, followed by Almirola in 15th and Clint Bowyer in 21st. Almirola has had five Top 10 finishes at Richmond in his career with two of them being Top 5s. Almirola's fastest lap was 123.485 while qualifying.
Denny Hamlin #11 (DraftKings $8,900 | FanDuel $12,500)
The Home State Homie is my pick to take it all this week. Denny Hamlin is the only driver from Virginia in this week's race and that definitely adds a little more pressure for Hamlin to follow up on his beginning of the year promise to bag five wins this season. Hamlin qualified 18th, which will make for some big fantasy points when he works his way up to the top of the pack on Saturday night. Hamlin was the only Joe Gibbs driver to not qualify in the Top 10 on Friday but don't let this fool you into holding back on him. Other than last September's race at Richmond, Hamlin hasn't finished outside of the Top 10 since April of 2015. Sean Engel has him ranked third in his Driver Rankings this week.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase. Good luck RotoBallers!
More Fantasy NASCAR Analysis
The Keys to Weekly NASCAR Success
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Jordan McAbee anchors the team with his exclusive NASCAR DFS and betting picks, DFS projections and algorithm-predicted finishing order! Jordan had a 60+ unit betting profit in 2024 NASCAR, and a 25% average annual profit since 2018. He won the FSWA Racing Writer Of The Year award in 2023, and has been nominated for DFS Writer Of The Year in 2024.
Five-time NASCAR Racing Writer of the Year finalist and fantasy industry legend Scott "The King" Engel is also in the crew, bringing you his weekly strategies and lineup picks. Set your winning DFS lineups with our award-winning team. He has been nominated once again in 2024 for this award.
