Welcome to the NASCAR Cup Series Setup for Fanduel. Here we will be breaking down the best plays for Fanduel purposes. My name is Ryan Larkin and you can follow me @Larkin8 on twitter. This week the Cup Series is at Auto Club Speedway. The VIP Member Research Station and Domination Station will be ready to go for you to help create your lineups so be sure to check that out. Also, jump in the NASCAR VIP Slack and get some great insight into this week’s race.
Top Tier
Brad Keselowski
4th or better in 4 of last 5 here including a win. Brad didn’t show a lot of speed in practice but that honestly isn’t a total shocker. He tends to be more concerned with making sure he is happy with the car regardless of the practice results. His Penske teammates all have elite speed so we should feel comfortable that he does as well. Starting 15th he gives us a little extra in the Place differential area if he can score a top 5 or even win he will be a monster play.
Martin Truex Jr
Truex starting dead last has very clear upside. He has finished 8th or better in 4 of the last 5 races here at Auto Club Speedway including a 125 lap leading win in 2018. He was 3rd fastest in 10 lap average in final practice. I expect him to drive straight to the front with a top 10 finish a rather reasonable goal by end of stage one. Clear threat to win but a top 5 would be enough.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin starting 29th offers some really good place diff upside as well. However, he has 9 spots or 4.5 points less worth of place diff points and also this isn’t one of his best tracks. 6th and 7th the last two years but since 2011 when this race got moved to this date he only has 3 top 10 finishes. A lot of bad luck is responsible for the poor results but he has rarely looked elite here. Given that a top 10 scores great he is a solid play but nowhere near as good as Truex.
Kyle Busch
Busch is just too damn good here. 3 wins since 2013 including this race last year leading 134 laps. Starting 17th he offers place diff upside while also having that dominator ability. I think the Toyota’s will be a little slower on the short run than the Ford’s but will have strong long run speed.
Value Plays
Alex Bowman
Bowman starting 3rd is a little risky especially considering how bad the HMS cars were here last year but he was too fast in practice to ignore. On 10 lap average, he was two-tenths of a second fast than the 2nd fastest car Joey Logano. That is a ridiculous gap. Now we don’t know how that will old up 30 and 40 laps into a run but a great sign. If playing multiple lineups don’t avoid as he could lead a bunch of laps and win this thing with the speed he has shown.
William Byron
Byron doesn’t have a great Cup history here but the HMS cars, in general, have been poor in his time in the Series. He posted the 6th best 10 lap average and HMS as a whole are showing great speed. Starting 21st he is a reasonably safe play that can score a top 10.
Ryan Blaney
Penske cars have been super fast here and Blaney is no different. 9th, 8th, and 5th in his last three races at this track. He posted the 4th best 10 lap average, 2nd best 15 lap average and showed he has great long run speed. Perhaps my favorite play this week as I expect a lot of ownership to go to the likes of Jones, Hamlin, Keselowski and Elliott. Great play here
Erik Jones
ACS has not been one of Jones best tracks but starting 29th it doesn’t have to be. If he can get to that 8th-12th range he should score enough to be on a winning lineup or close to it. Good safe overall play.
Low Tier/Punt
Austin Dillon
Dillon has finished 11th, 10th, and 10th the last three Auto Club races. Has the ability to do that again this week and starting 25th at $7,500 he checks a lot of boxes. 16th in 10 lap average in final practice is encouraging enough.
Tyler Reddick
Reddick and a track where you rip the high line on long runs just go together. 4th and 7th here in the Xfinity Series are what we have to go off of in terms of experience here. He was 8th in 10 lap average in final practice as well. This is the type of track that if he gets the feel of the car right he can make a real charge and sneak out a top 10.
Ross Chastain
Almost forgot Chastain. Starting 27th and costing only $6,500 he will offer great value. His speed wasn’t great in practice but I believe this team and driver are good enough to get a top 15 and score well.
Check out some of our other DFS Army NASCAR content for the 2020 season!!!
Cup Series: 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Season Preview
Xfinity Series: 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Preview
Truck Series: 2020 NASCAR Truck Series Season Preview
DFS Army Strategy Series – NASCAR Scoring Fanduel vs Draftkings
This will conclude this edition of The NASCAR Cup Series Setup for Fanduel. If you would like to reach out and talk NASCAR Follow me on twitter @Larkin8 and join me as well as our other DFS Army NASCAR contributors (Brady Miller, Taco, and NillyJay) in the NASCAR coaching channels.