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AustYn

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Lebanon, Tennessee for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. If you like concrete racing, this is your week to tune in. Kyle Larson dominated this race last season and according to CBS Sports, he is the favorite at 9/2. Chase Elliott remains the Cup Series points leader, but his lead has been dwindling as a result of Ross Chastain’s rise to stardom. Last week, Daniel Suarez was victorious at Sonoma and Trackhouse continues to shine in 2022.

In terms of research, it will be difficult to dissect Nashville. Yes, it is concrete, and it is close to a 1.5 mile track, but at 1.33 miles in length, the track is unlike any other on the circuit. Practice speeds and tire fall-off will be crucial to my selection of drivers. I am going to look at last season as well, because I do think this is a specialty track. What I mean by that is that this place is unique and certain drivers will find it easier to navigate this place. Carl Edwards was an amazing driver in general, but he was great here. I want to select the drivers that nobody is even thinking about and gain that leverage in a tournament setting. If I have learned anything with this new car and this season, there are a few drivers that are consistently getting top-20’s every week and that is where you will win today.

Top Pick: Kyle Larson ($11,600) Starting 3rd

Paying up for Larson is worth it today. He led 264 of 300 laps last season and was near the top of the practice charts in all long-distance runs. With Cliff Daniels being out as Crew Chief, Kevin Meendering will be leading the team, but he is an engineer with them, so I don’t see that hurting them at all. If anything, the suspension could give the #5 crew motivation. Larson has not been performing at the same level as 2021, but I think this race will be the turning point.

Supporting Cast: Bubba Wallace ($6,500) Starting 30th & Michael McDowell ($5,700) Starting 18th

In terms of value, Kyle Busch will give you the highest rate of return…the second-best driver in that area is Bubba Wallace starting in 30th. Wallace was not only the fastest in practice, but he was also the fastest in 5,10 and 15 lap runs. Qualifying was a failure for the #23 team, but look for Bubba to be fast in Nashville and I just want a top-20. Michael McDowell is arguably the safest pick every week, he is a top-20 machine and finished 16th here last season. With #34 starting 18th, I feel like he will finish near there and that’s all I need.

FanDuel Preview

Yacs

One of the newest tracks on the circuit will be put to the test today in some evening time racing. We’re at Nashville today and even though we saw them race here for the first time last season, there’s still that element of surprise. We don’t know exactly how these cars will react to the track. My picks are going to be based off of practice performance and season performance mostly, but I think it is important to look at past results as well in the Xfinity and Trucks. I don’t have a lot to say about this one and I think AustYn pretty much said what needed to be said, so I’m not going to repeat it. Here are my FanDuel picks for the week.

Back-to-Back???: Daniel Suarez ($8,500); Starting 5th

Suarez is riding high from the momentum of his first Cup Series win two weeks ago at Sonoma and he had a really good run here last season, so why not Suarez? I can't think of a reason. Suarez and TrackHouse Racing in general have had a really good year and they’re definitely here to stay. 5th starting spot isn't the most attractive spot, but history has proven that the winners normally don’t climb too much at Nashville. Suarez doesn’t have a big hill to climb and I think he will maintain around at Top 10 and he may just be competing for the lead, because we know he has the car to do it. Also, it may be worth noting that last year’s winner won from the 5th starting spot.

Past Winner: Kyle Busch ($13,500) Starting 36th; Joey Logano ($10,500) Starting 2nd

Having past experience at this track is going to be beneficial and past winning experience is even more helpful. Logano has won once in the Xfinity car and Kyle Busch has won twice in both the Xfinity and Truck. These guys can win any given week and they are two of the best in the series right now, so expect them to run well today.

Final Two: William Byron ($11,000) Starting 13th; Bubba Wallace ($5,800) Starting 30th

I’m not expecting Byron to be picked too much today, but Wallace on the other hand may be the most owned driver or at least close. Wallace was fastest in practice and is starting 30th. Wallace likely won’t win, but if he can convert that practice speed into race speed, he will climb a lot of spots and at his price point, that’s a steal. Byron has been good basically everywhere this season and I don’t see why this track would be any different. He also finished 3rd here last season.

NASCAR Ally 400 DFS Preview