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 Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte slate locks at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $150K Engineer [$50K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Chase Elliott ($10,600) — Not only is he the best road racer in NASCAR, but Hendrick builds the best fleet of road course stock cars. His advantages do not end there. Elliott has qualified for the next round of the playoffs with his Talladega win. He can forfeit stage points and chase his third win at The Roval.
2. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) — He has two road course wins this season (Road America and Indianapolis). He also has a Round of 12 win (Texas) that will allow him to attempt an aggressive strategy that chases the win. Last but not least, he finished second at The Roval last season.
3. Kyle Larson ($10,300) — His Watkins Glen win was not the cleanest win of his career. Larson used up Chase Elliott. Could that move get paid back at The Roval. Would his teammate dare to race Larson like that in a cut race? Probably, not.
4. Michael McDowell ($7,300) — His worst road course finish is 13th this season. The other four races were top-10 finishes (eighth, eighth, sixth and third). These are not flukes. He’s an experienced road course driver and he’s been a top rated driver in each race.
5. AJ Allmendinger ($9,400) — It’s a double-dinger weekend at The Roval. He has a legit shot at sweeping the weekend. He won the Cup Series race at Indy last season in a Kaulig Racing car.
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6. Austin Cindric ($8,600) — This is why Cindric is in this car. He’s been road racing since a kid. A road course race in the Round of 12 means a huge opportunity for Team Penske to get another car into the Round of 8. In the five road course races in 2022, Cindric has the fourth-best Dietrich Data score (a statistic that comprehensively synthesizes all of a driver’s laps).
7. Ryan Blaney ($9,700) — His win in the inaugural Roval race was lucky (the leaders wrecked each other in the final turn), but running third on the final lap is not a fluke. Blaney has finished outside of the top 20 in the two most recent road races, but he finished 11th or better in the first three.
8. Ross Chastain ($9,000) — The TrackHouse cars have been amazing at road courses. Their drivers, Chastain and Daniel Suarez, have never been considered exceptional road course wizards, but now they’re contenders at every crooked track. It’s got to be the cars.
9. Daniel Suarez ($8,500) — TrackHouse owner, Justin Marks, is a former Xfinity Series road course winner. Marks made road racing a priority of the team and the cars reflect that commitment. Suarez won at Sonoma and is a top-rated road course driver this season.
10. Kyle Busch ($8,100) — Points do not mean much for the drivers that have been eliminated from the playoffs. It is likely Busch will finish his final days at JGR chasing wins. Busch will pit cycle early at the end of stages giving him a better chance of leading laps and winning the race.
11. Martin Truex Jr ($8,800) — Two JGR cars have been eliminated from the playoffs. This is a significant advantage in a playoff road course race. Unfortunately, JGR’s road course program has been miserable this season.
12. Chris Buescher ($7,800) — The secret is out. Buescher was a good Xfinity Series road racer and he’s been a quality road course driver in average equipment in the Cup Series. He nearly won at Sonoma at the beginning of the summer, and he has four top-10 finishes at the road courses in 2022.
13. Denny Hamlin ($10,100) — This is a default ranking based on career and season. In terms of road course racing in 2022, Hamlin would rank outside of the top 25 based on performance and salary. His average finish in the five road course events this season is 20th.
14. Joey Logano ($9,600) — His Team Penske teammates have been top-10 road course drivers all season. Logano started out slowly, but he’s heating up. He finished sixth in the Indy GP and third at Watkins Glen.
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr ($6,000) — He’s figured out road racing. No, he’s not good, but he’s mastered the art of pitting early and holding position. His average finish in the last three road races is 16th.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $150K 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.