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Sean Engel's NASCAR Cup Series DFS picks for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Check out his DFS sleepers and top plays on DraftKings and FanDuel for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 (2025).
From racing on a street course to now a closed circuit course, NASCAR is going road racing for a second consecutive week in 2025. This time, the Cup Series heads to California to race at Sonoma Raceway, a road course that has been a longtime staple of the Cup Series schedule. Sonoma has several track layouts that the Cup Series has used throughout its history, but they will once again race on the Club course layout, which is 1.990 miles long.
This race will mark the third round of the 2025 In-Season Tournament, and there are only eight drivers left to win the title. Sonoma is a track that can be considered a bit of a wildcard for drivers, as road racing appeals to the skill set of certain drivers more than others, who may prefer oval tracks. Combining the type of racing that the Cup Series is dealing with again with both the conditions of the In-Season Tournament and road course racing, this can affect the type of strategies certain drivers and teams may take for this week's race. Factors like these also can affect DFS for Sunday's race, so keep that in mind for lineup construction.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 7/13/2025 at 3:30 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.
DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Once you've read this article, be sure also to check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. You should also check out our NASCAR DFS lineup tools for the ultimate combination of DFS resources to help you win big, including our Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheet, Research Station, and more.
Disclaimer: All the drivers presented as picks for this week's race are meant to be some of my top DFS recommendations of the week. They are not originally intended to fit all into one lineup.
Shane Van Gisbergen
Starts 1st - DK: $12.5K, FD: $14K
Another road course event in the Cup Series, another opportunity to talk about the top road course performer in the Cup Series this season, Shane Van Gisbergen. The Trackhouse Racing driver has become such a notable name that the big question for DFS players this week, especially in tournaments, is how much SVG usage should be in lineups this week. While fantasy players should definitely utilize the No. 88 Chevrolet driver, SVG is not as much of a sure-fire guarantee for success compared to last week's Street race at Chicago.
Unlike Chicago, SVG has never competed in a whole Cup Series race at Sonoma until he takes the green flag on Sunday's race. He does have two Xfinity Series starts at Sonoma, with one win from the 2024 race at the site and a finish of second earlier this weekend. The positive Xfinity results are encouraging signs to still roster him for this week's race, but the biggest case to use him this week has been his overall success at road courses in the Cup Series. In nine races at the track type in his Cup career, SVG has three wins and seven top-10 finishes, including the last five. Van Gisbergen also led 20 or more laps in the last four Cup Series road course events, showcasing his strong ability to lead laps and find the front of the pack in road racing.
In practice, Van Gisbergen displayed top-3 speeds in all categories, while also ranking first in 10 and 15 consecutive lap averages. He also qualified in the first position after qualifying, meaning that he has a very high chance of leading laps and dominating right from the beginning of the race.
Shane van Gisbergen wins the pole for tomorrow's Cup Series race at Sonoma. This is SVG's third pole on the season, and each of the previous two times (Mexico City and Chicago) he went on to win the race.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) July 12, 2025
Considering how hot he has been at road courses as well as his speeds from pre-race events, it makes sense that SVG should be one of the first drivers to consider as a core option for all formats. He is one of the top favorites to compete for the win this week, despite being the most expensive driver on both sites. SVG notably has a salary gap of $2K between himself and the next driver on DraftKings, but only a gap of $500 on FanDuel. Overall, SVG is easier to add to rosters through FD, while in DK, his high salary might encourage some more lineups without him, making him a worthy tournament option there too.
Michael McDowell
Starts 15th - DK: $9.3K, FD: $13K
During last week's race in Chicago, Van Gisbergen was the dominant driver outside of the earlier portions of the race. For the first stage of the race, Michael McDowell was able to keep up with and outpace the recent road course dominator until mechanical issues kept him from finishing. This week, with the Cup Series heading to Sonoma, McDowell is a driver to watch, especially considering he has been arguably one of the top two drivers at the site to have never won there.
In his last three Sonoma races, McDowell has three top-10 finishes, with two of those being inside the top three. He was also the runner-up in last year's Cup race at Sonoma, finishing second to Kyle Larson. In three road course races this season with his new team, Spire Motorsports, McDowell has two finishes of 11th or better and led multiple laps in all races at the track type.
In practice, McDowell ranked 23rd in overall lap averages and 18th in five consecutive lap averages, but he was the second-fastest driver in the latter statistic from the first practice group, who dealt with slower track conditions compared to the second. McDowell's starting position, combined with his equipment and Sonoma history, provides solid upside that makes him a worthy fantasy option to consider in all formats, but especially in DraftKings, where his salary makes him easier to add compared to FanDuel.
A.J. Allmendinger
Starts 5th - DK: $8.8K, FD: $9.5K
Another driver who is considered one of NASCAR's signature road ringers who has this race circled for a strong day is A.J. Allmendinger. Sonoma is a track where the Dinger has displayed plenty of speed in the past and continues to do so in the Next-Gen car.
Allmendinger may only have four top-10 finishes in 13 races at Sonoma in his Cup career, but he has finished in the top 10 in the last two at the site. He also has led a lap and found his way to the front at least once in six of his last eight appearances at Sonoma, even driving for two different Cup teams in that span.
AJ Allmendinger leads the way at Sonoma in Cup Series practice. Allmendinger also topped the five-lap averages by more than three-tenths of a second.
Ty Gibbs, SVG, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson are the top five on single-lap speed.#NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) July 12, 2025
In practice, Allmendinger ranked first in overall lap averages and in five consecutive lap averages while setting the fastest lap time. Allmendinger may not have too much upside from his starting position, but his practice speeds and past experience at this track make him an underrated threat to compete for the win. Considering that Allmendinger is currently outside of the Cup playoffs and this track represents one of his best chances to score a victory, DFS players should not overlook the Dinger, especially in tournaments.
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Kyle Busch
Starts 17th - DK: $8K, FD: $9K
Kyle Busch has been having a mixed 2025 season filled with peaks and valleys, but there is one track type where he has been consistently better than any other this year, and that is road courses. In three races at the track type this season, Busch has two finishes of fifth, coming at COTA and last week's race at the Chicago Street Course.
.@KyleBusch jokes that "I'd have to retire first" before he could match Shane van Gisbergen's road course skills pic.twitter.com/ZX3YoLFBOj
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) July 12, 2025
In 19 starts at Sonoma in his Cup career, Busch has two wins and nine top-10 finishes. He has eight finishes of 12th or better in his last nine appearances at the site while also leading in seven different events.
In practice, Busch ranked seventh in overall lap averages and eighth in 10 consecutive lap averages. Busch's starting position does give him a fair amount of upside for this week's race, and considering how well he has run at road courses this season, he is a driver who can pay off for all DFS formats for this week's race.
Joey Logano
Starts 22nd - DK: $7.2K, FD: $7.2K
Joey Logano is not known for his road course skills, but Sonoma is a track where the Team Penske driver has been more successful than some might think. Outside of the Charlotte Roval, Sonoma is Logano's top road course track that is on the schedule for 2025.
In 15 races at Sonoma, Logano has 12 top-20 finishes, with six of them being inside the top 10. Logano also finished in the top 10 in two of the last four Cup events, which almost was three if he had not gotten spun out late during last year's race at the site. He also led in three of the last four Cup races at Sonoma.
Joey Logano has been solid at Sonoma and in 8 of the last 13 races, he's finished in the top 12.
In 2 of the last 4 at Sonoma, Logano's finished in the top 4.
Look great early last year until things went south. Won the pole, led the first 16 laps but then pitted from the lead…
— Ryan (@ifantasyrace) July 11, 2025
In practice, Logano ranked 27th in overall lap averages and ninth in five consecutive lap averages. Logano has decent upside from his starting position with equipment capable of finishing with Place Differential scored, making him one of the better driver options available for this week's race at Sonoma.
John Hunter Nemechek
Starts 18th - DK: $6.2K, FD: $5.5K
The last driver to mention is probably not one that most would think could pay off for DFS at road courses, but John Hunter Nemechek has been an underrated DFS performer at the track type this season. Nemechek has scored positive PD in all three road course events this season and finished 22nd at COTA, sixth at Mexico City, and 15th during last week's race at Chicago while starting 25th or worse in all three races.
Nemechek has one prior Cup Series start at Sonoma in 2024, where he started 37th and went on to finish 29th, gaining positive PD in the process. He also has two Xfinity Series starts at the site with a best finish of eighth.
P18. Unloaded with some good speed out west. pic.twitter.com/oZcUusxODe
— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) July 12, 2025
In practice, Nemechek ranked 12th in five and 10 consecutive lap averages and 21st in overall lap averages. Despite offering less upside than most drivers in the value price range, Nemechek has been faster and more consistent at road courses this year than most. Expect the No. 42 Toyota driver to compete for a top-15 finish at a track where passing can be a challenge, favoring drivers who start higher in the field.
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