The DFS NASCAR rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR salaries. The order is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the DFS value of each driver.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $125K Engineer [$25K to 1st] (Cup)
1. William Byron ($10,200) — His Texas win qualified Byron for the Round of 8. His Watkins Glen win qualified him as a top-tier road course racer. Byron is going for glory in his hometown of Charlotte. He is in a great position to lead laps and score a top-5 finish.
2. Christopher Bell ($9,500) — The 2022 Roval winner is in an interesting position. Bell has enough points in the bank that he might forfeit stage points and pit cycle before the stage breaks and chase the win.
3. Chase Elliott ($10,500) — His seven road course wins rank first among all active Cup Series drivers. His two Roval wins are the most by any driver. This is the week.
4. Kyle Busch ($9,300) — Playoff drivers are at a great disadvantage this week with the reintroduction of stage racing at a road course. Busch is a playoff driver, but he is not at a disadvantage because he can’t point race. He has to win.
5. Michael McDowell ($9,100) — Over the last two seasons, McDowell has solidified his position as a top-tier Cup Series road course driver. He won the Indy GP earlier this season. He has the car and the talent to win, and he can manipulate the stage breaks to gain track position.
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6. Chris Buescher ($8,800) — In the last 11 road course races, Buescher has 10 top-10 finishes. He has a 20-point cushion in the standings, so it’s possible that Buescher’s team chooses to forego stage points and run an aggressive strategy at The Roval.
7. Martin Truex Jr ($9,800) — The No. 19 JGR Toyota is capable of winning this race, but it won’t likely get the opportunity. Truex is a great road racer, but he has to chase stage points and this will hurt his track position.
8. Kyle Larson ($10,300) — This is a tough spot. Larson is seventh in the NASCAR standings. He needs points. He cannot afford to forfeit stage points by pitting before the end of each stage. The chances of Larson leading laps are limited this weekend.
9. Tyler Reddick ($10,000) — The 23XI team has a difficult decision to make. Reddick can win this race, but that will require Reddick to forfeit stage points. He can’t afford to forfeit those points. He’s currently two points outside of the cut line.
10. Denny Hamlin ($9,600) — The Roval has never been one of Hamlin’s best tracks. Road courses haven’t been kind to Hamlin over the last two seasons. He has one top-10 finish and an average finish of 17.9 in the last 11 road course races. Hamlin might play it safe this weekend.
11. Ross Chastain ($8,300) — This is what NASCAR wanted. Ross Chastain is in a must-win situation. It’s do-or-die in a race with hairy restarts. And this race will have plenty of restarts with NASCAR bringing back stage breaks for The Roval.
12. Kevin Harvick ($7,800) — Time remains undefeated. Harvick has four top-10 finishes in the last two seasons of road course racing. The veteran driver’s average finish is 15.3 over that span. He will have the advantage of pitting early at The Roval, but that might not be enough for the soon-to-be retired driver.
13. Austin Cindric ($7,500) — This has been a disappointing season for Cindric at the road courses. His best finish is sixth and his average finish is 13.6. It’s possible that the Xfinity Series road course legend could save his season by using the stage breaks to put the Team Penkse Ford in a position to win in the end.
14. Ryan Preece ($6,300) — He may not be known as a road course expert, but his 2023 results have been solid. Preece has earned a top-20 finish in three of the last four road course races.
15. Todd Gilliland ($5,100) — A Front Row Motorsports Ford won the 2023 Indy GP. Unfortunately, he’s in a Rick Ware car this weekend, but Gilliland won a Truck Series road race at Circuit of The Americas in 2021.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $125K Engineer [$25K 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.