DraftKings Preview

AustYn

The races are winding down in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and now the Playoff field is down to 8. After a controversial finish at the Charlotte ROVAL, Chase Briscoe advanced himself into the Round of 8. Kyle Larson on the other hand does not gain enough points to advance as he had a toe link issue in the race, which put him multiple laps down. Cole Custer was fined heavily by NASCAR for intentionally blocking the field, paving the way for Briscoe to get a few spots as well. In my opinion, it was so blatantly obvious, that suspensions should have been in place, not monetary fines. Stewart-Haas Racing has been in the news a lot about trying to undermine competition rules and seem to do things that an insane person would do. When you repeat things that you know could cause a fine or result in punishment, don’t get mad because someone else did it 50 years ago or something. If you do something wrong, it is still wrong. Tony Stewart is even complaining that he wouldn’t even be dealing with NASCAR if he didn’t have “obligations” to appear, he hinted at finding another hobby. Go ahead Tony, find something else…because NASCAR didn’t fund the lifestyle you live currently…whining about outcomes are signs of a terribly lead organization…who cares about the past when you have a future goal in mind? Like…maybe a championship? Don’t bet on Briscoe getting anywhere close to the final 4. You may ask, what was Kyle Larson’s response to missing out on the final 8? He said, they didn’t deserve to make it because they put themselves in a situation that could cause them to not advance. No complaining about NASCAR isn’t fair blah,blah,blah. Also, Kurt Busch announced what everyone expected, he is stepping away from full-time racing. Tyler Reddick will be driving one of the 23XI cars next season, as RCR bought his contract out.

Now to the race itself…the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 267-lap event on a 1.5 egg-shaped oval. Tyler Reddick will be starting on the pole for the event. Alex Bowman won here in March but will not today because he will not be participating due to concussion issues. I would tell you that my strategy is to pick as many playoff drivers as possible, but that has come back to bite me a lot in the past few weeks. I will be looking at practice speeds, but so will a lot of people. Starting position is key, but not a major factor for me. I know Denny Hamlin will be close to 70% owned or more in every event you play in due to his 31st starting spot, and I think that’s viable. The teams will have 9 sets of tires and will be using the same tire as Kansas and Texas…that’s a scary scenario as teams had MAJOR troubles with the tire at both places. I will be looking at who performed well at those events.

Top Pick: Ryan Blaney ($9,500) Starting P4

I know I will not be alone on this one. The #12 Ford was the fastest car in practice and was the only one who completed 20+ laps consecutively in practice. Blaney has an average finish of 11th here and this is a difficult pick because he hasn’t won this season. He is still in the final 8 though, and I look for him to lock his spot in the Championship 4 round today in Vegas.

Supporting Cast: Erik Jones ($7,100) Starting P22 & Michael McDowell ($6,200) Starting P15

Another driver in my supporting cast role will be selected heavily I predict and that is the #43 Chevrolet driver Erik Jones. With a top-5 lap in practice and starting in 22nd place, the value of $7,100 is immense here. Jones has been a contender as of late for wins and “can” win as we saw at Darlington. This car has made Petty GMS a contender and don’t be shocked to see Erik Jones get a top-10 today. My next selection is Michael McDowell in the #34 Ford. I have been really impressed with Michael’s consistency this year. He finished 16th and 11th at the Kansas and Texas races respectively on this tire and on 10 lap averages in practice at Vegas…he placed 8th fastest. Starting in 15th will keep away enough DFS players, but I like rolling the dice here in Vegas, I really think McDowell could get a top-10 today

FanDuel Preview

Yacs

One step closer to the closing of the 2022 NASCAR season and we’re at Las Vegas for the first race in the Round of 8. We’ll see 3 races in this round and they will narrow the list to only 4 drivers for the finale in Phoenix. Last week, Christopher Bell earned his way to the next round with a win at the Roval. Without the win, Kyle Larson would’ve advanced, but Bell decided to spoil it for him. Chase Briscoe also raced his way into the final 8 with the controversial help of teammate, Cole Custer. If have to pick my final 4, I would go with Elliott, Logano, Chastain, and Hamlin. Anything can happen in these next 3 races, so it’ll be interesting to see who moves on.

Las Vegas is obviously the cookie-cutter 1.5-mile track and luckily for us, they have had a race here in the new car. Will that help us? I really don’t know, but at least it could potentially tell us who was fast back in March. My strategy will be to obviously pick drivers who I think could either win or at least jump some spots if I don’t think they will be competitive. It is a 267-lap race and laps led will be somewhat of a factor, but not the biggest factor. You want drivers that can maintain their position and jump a few spots first and foremost. I’ll not waste any more time though, let’s jump in to my FanDuel picks for the week.

First Pick: Joey Logano ($9,200) Starting 5th

I am a firm believer of picking Logano at practically every track in the playoffs. He is seemingly always in the Final 4 and for good reason, he’s one of the best in the field at any given track. I don’t understand why he has been so cheap this year on FanDuel, but as long as they price him below $10,000, I’m going to take advantage of it. Logano has the best career average at Las Vegas among active drivers and I think he will run well again today.

Value Picks: Aric Almirola ($6,300) Starting 23rd; Erik Jones ($7,000) Starting 22nd

At this price point, I don’t think you’re going to find two better drivers. Both drivers have had success at speedways. Neither are race for anything other than pride honestly, but I think both are capable of running in the Top 10 today and if you can surround yourself with other drivers that are capable of winning, you’re set. Not that Jones and Almirola couldn’t sneak a win here, but I’m not expecting it. Both ran well in practice this weekend. Almirola finished 6th in March and Jones has had success here and at speedways this season as well.

Playoff Drivers: Denny Hamlin ($14,000) Starting 31st; Ross Chastain ($11,500) Starting 11th

Yes, I am picking the rivals. Hamlin’s starting position is too tough to pass up on. He should run well today, and I know he will be picked a lot, but I’m not too worried, because I’m not expecting DFS players to get Logano or Chastain at a very high rate. Denny had drivetrain issues here back in March, but he ran well. He led 31 laps and if he can climb through the field, he is capable of at least getting a Top 5 and don’t be surprised if he wins today. He has led the most laps at Vegas in the Last 5 races.

As for Chastain, he has been one of, if not, the best speedway drivers in the 2022 season. As long as he stays out of trouble, I think he will finish well today. He finished 3rd back in March and he’s definitely capable of it again. I picked Chastain to advance to the Round of 4 and he could lock that in this week.

NASCAR South Point 400 DFS Preview