NASCAR is pack racing for the second time in three weeks. DraftKings is kicking off the NASCAR playoffs with a $50K grand prize fantasy NASCAR contest. Check out the DFS NASCAR rankings below and make your fantasy racing picks for the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $175K Engineer [$50K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Daniel Suarez ($7,500) — Atlanta is a unique drafting track. Setups matter. There might be a specific skill to the newly reconfigured 1.5-mile superspeedway. It’s too early to tell, but Suarez’s results suggest a specific skill — four finishes of sixth or better in the five races at the new Atlanta.
2. Ryan Blaney ($10,500) — It doesn’t matter if it’s Daytona, Talladega or Atlanta. Blaney runs well at all of the pack-racing tracks. He’s earned a top-10 finish in four straight races at Atlanta.
3. William Byron ($9,200) — Will playoff points affect how Byron pack races? The two-time Atlanta winner knows how to win, and he knows how to DNF at Atlanta — two finishes outside of the top 30.
4. Denny Hamlin ($10,000) — Atlanta is Hamlin’s worst superspeedway. He has one top-10 finish and an average finish of 19.4 in the nascent drafting race. A five-race sample size is meaningful. His Hall of Fame career at plate tracks is more meaningful.
5. Chase Elliott ($9,500) — The Georgia boy is seeking his second win at his home track and a championship. Will Elliott race for playoff points or try to make the Dawsonville siren (“sireen”) sing?
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6. Kyle Busch ($8,800) — Rowdy has nothing to lose. He failed to make the playoffs. Points don’t matter. His win streak matters. Atlanta is Busch’s best chance at extending his streak of seasons with a win to 20. Busch has finished inside the top 10 in three straight Atlanta races.
7. Austin Cindric ($7,400) — Team Penske figured out the new Atlanta. Cindric’s teammates have been better because they are better, but he’s not far behind with four finishes of 12th or better in the five races at the new Atlanta.
8. Bubba Wallace ($7,900) — Missing the playoffs stings. The sting motivates. Wallace is racing for wins. Points are irrelevant. This is the type of driver to target at plate tracks. Drivers who settle for survival and a top-15 finish do not end up in the optimal DraftKings DFS NASCAR lineup.
9. Kyle Larson ($9,700) — It’s a good thing that Larson has playoff points in the bank. He’ll need the cushion — four DNFs in five races. Why pick Larson? It’s a plate race. His luck is bound to turn around.
10. Joey Logano ($10,200) — The Connecticut-born carpet bagger moved to Georgia to become a racecar driver. Atlanta is his home track. He won this cherished race in 2023. Team Penske is always fast at the new ATL.
11. Ross Chastain ($8,000) — Trackhouse Racing has been great at Atlanta. The season hasn’t been great for Chastain. He missed the playoffs. He can make the season great with a win. Chastain won’t settle on the final laps.
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr ($6,700) — Checkers or wreckers are optimal DraftKings fantasy NASCAR picks. Who better than Wrecky Spinhouse? Stenhouse isn’t a playoff driver. He’s racing for the win. He always does at the superspeedways, which has paid off — three plate-track wins.
13. Harrison Burton ($6,200) — The playoff underdog must win at Atlanta to advance. Burton pulled it off at Daytona. Why not Atlanta? Team Penske is allied with the Wood Brothers. Burton will likely have more help from Penske in the playoffs.
14. Brad Keselowski ($10,300) — All drivers experience the highs and lows of pack racing. Keselowski is one of the best plate-track drivers ever, but he’s had his fair share of wrecks and success. Keselowski has a runner-up finish at each drafting track in the Gen-7 car.
15. Michael McDowell ($7,700) — The 2021 Daytona 500 winner has a hot rod. Front Row Motorsports — technically allied with Team Penske — has the fastest superspeedway setup. McDowell routinely qualifies at the front of the field. He finishes there, too. McDowell finished eighth in the spring race and fourth at Atlanta last summer.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $175K Engineer [$50K to 1st] (Cup)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
