The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for Sunday. The order is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Cup Series Kwik Trip 250 presented by JOCKEY Made in America at Road America slate locks at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Chase Elliott ($11,100) — If not for loose wheels, then Sonoma would have been a battle between Elliott and Larson. The 2021 Road America race was setting up to be a battle between Elliott and Larson, but Alex Bowman wrecked Larson late in the race.
2. Kyle Larson ($11,400) — He’s not superman. Larson’s team decided to stay out for stage points at the end of Stage 1. The bold move did not pay off. He climbed back into the top 5, but a loose wheel ruined his day. The bigger concern is that in DFS, when high-priced drivers do not pit before the end of a stage, they forfeit vital hog points (fast laps and laps led points).
3. Ross Chastain ($10,300) — In the two road course races this season, Ross Chastain has the best average Real Rating with a 0.93 (a statistic that comprehensively synthesizes a driver’s race).
4. Kyle Busch ($10,800) — He has never won a Cup Series race at Road America, so he will be motivated to cross another off the short list of tracks where he’s never won. He finished third at Road America last season, so he’s close.
5. Martin Truex Jr ($9,600) — Going back to 2018, in those 17 road races, Truex’s average finishing position is 10.4. That’s the second-best average. His performance has tailed off of late, but it’s not quite time to completely jump ship.
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6. Austin Cindric ($8,500) — Before his car died in the Cup Series race at Road America last season, Cindric looked like he was guaranteed a spot in the top 5 and possibly a win. He hasn’t won a Cup Series road course race, but he’s looked good in his few attempts.
7. Ryan Blaney ($9,200) — In two road course events this season, only five drivers have performed well in both. Blaney is one of those drivers. He finished sixth at COTA and Sonoma, and he ran inside the top 10 for most of both races.
8. Alex Bowman ($8,200) — In the two road course races this season, Bowman ranks fourth in Real Rating with a 0.80. For years the advanced stats have shown that he is a good road racer, but he never gets the job done.
9. Denny Hamlin ($10,200) — He earned a top-5 finish in four road races last season, and that does not include his 23rd place finish in the Indy GP. Before the race went crazy with turtle shells, Hamlin was going to win with ease. One of those fifth-place finishes was at Road America.
10. Kurt Busch ($8,700) — He’s a veteran road course racer with more experience than anyone in the field. It’s not just experience, it’s results. Statistically, he is one of the best, if not the best, road course racer over the last 20 years.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
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