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AustYn

The NASCAR Cup Series will be going to another road course this week as Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be using their Grand Prix Circuit for the Verizon 200. Road course racing is becoming a very important skill in order to obtain a NASCAR Cup Series ride. Also, NASCAR announced that we will be going to Chicago for a street course race, but Road America will be removed from the schedule…which is puzzling due to the popularity it had on the July 4th weekend. I would make the argument that the increase in road course racing has increased the talent pool and competition in the Cup Series today compared to the past. I don’t think Road America should’ve been removed…in actuality I think the street course could have been an All-Star race and that would make sense. Having a bizarre, street race in a stock-car series, seems like a fun exhibition event that should allow teams to push the envelope in a different way…not to have the pressure of it being an “actual” race. Putting a street course in the schedule is exciting, but I am afraid that it’ll be a huge failure in quality of racing and popularity. Another news point…how about the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch getting disqualified for manipulating the body of their cars? It was quite the historic judgement and as a result…it helped Chase Elliott pad his points lead to 105 over Ross Chastain, as he was awarded the victory. I don’t really have enough information to formulate an opinion on this, but it would’ve been interesting if they inspected all of the Toyota’s in the field to see if everyone in the Toyota camp did this.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway used the Grand Prix circuit last year and it was a disaster of a race. The inside of the track kept breaking down, which lead to red flags and race stoppage to fix how the track was prepped. Hopefully, the track has fixed all of this, and we have a great event today. AJ Almendinger won here last year, and he has a lot of ground to make-up starting in 20th today. There will be 82 laps completed and 6 sets of tires, which should be plenty. Strategy for the stage breaks will always be a factor, as some teams will sacrifice stage points to win. I will be looking at overall road course performance in picking my lineup, as well as starting position. I firmly believe in trying to lessen the blow of inevitable wrecks and mayhem, so I am going more conservative in my approach today.

Top Pick: Kyle Larson ($10,200) Starting P22

The 2021 NASCAR Champ has not been quite as productive as last season, but I really like him here at Indy today. Starting in 22nd, this is a great value in terms of positive points placement. Larson led 28 laps and finished 3rd here last season and finished 3rd at Road America this season. The latter is more important because they are using the same tire model. Also, Cliff Daniels is back which could add some stability to the #5 team. I look for Larson to start dominating again after Indy.

Supporting Cast: Alex Bowman ($7,800) Starting P28 & Chris Buescher ($7,500) Starting P16

I am staying in the Hendrick camp with this selection. Alex Bowman will be starting towards the back in 28thand hasn’t been fast this weekend, but I like his odds of getting a top-15. Bowman finished 2nd in the Xfinity race yesterday and has more laps under him for this track. The car has the speed to do well, and his consistency in road course events will make him a popular choice. Chris Buescher is my dark horse to win this event. Starting in 16th, he is in a prime position for value. He has won NASCAR sanctioned events on road courses and finished 2nd at Sonoma and 6th at Road America this season. Points will be a premium for Buescher, but he could easily win today…putting the NASCAR Playoffs points race in a whirlwind. Do not count out the Roush Fenway Racing driver…I look for a top-10 out of Buescher today.

FanDuel Preview

Yacs

The iconic Indy oval has been ditched on the NASCAR circuit and we now race at the road course constructed within and around the track. This will be the second race here in the Cup Series, so while they have been there, it is still a new track. We are one week closer to the playoffs and with only 2 spots still open, it is going to be a hectic few weeks for drivers to grab a spot. At Road Courses however, I feel like drivers know immediately if they have what it takes to win, because in the end only a handful of drivers ever have a chance in these races due to track length and lack of passing lanes. Last week, Denny Hamlin grabbed the win at Pocono until he was DQ for improper infractions. NASCAR changed the rules and now they take away wins for improper car mods. Hamlin’s win was taken away and it moved to the next finishing driver, but the next finishing driver was DQ’d for the same thing. Hamlin didn’t get the win, Kyle Busch didn’t get the win, so the 3rdplace finishing Chase Elliott got the victory. Elliott has won in alternating weeks over the last 5 races, so keep an out for him at Michigan next week, he’s also really good there.

Track position is everything at a road course. You want drivers that will be in good standing throughout the entire race. That’s difficult to predict, but you can make a judgment call based on their past RC experience. Laps led are worthless and passing cars will be tough, but I would be scared to get a couple of climbers in your lineup. That’s really all there is to it. Road Courses are practically the same strategy each time. Let’s dive into FanDuel this week.

Locked In: Austin Cindric ($11,500) Starting 2nd; Chase Briscoe ($8,200) Starting 3rd

Cindric is one of the best road racers in NASCAR and he shows that each time he’s on the track. His starting spot doesn’t yield passing potential, but I don’t expect him to drop out of the top 5. He’ll be close to the top the whole time unless something is messed up with his car. I’m also going with Chase Briscoe. I feel like I haven’t picked him at all this year, but he is solid at road races. He was fast in qualifying and okay in practice and if he stays out of trouble, he could stay up there the whole time much like Cindric.

The Ringers: AJ Allmendinger ($11,000) Starting 20th; Ty Gibbs ($7,000) Starting 26th

Allmendinger picked up the win in yesterday’s Xfinity Series race and I think he will run well today also. Like Cindric, he practically runs well at all of the road races and always has. I think he will be picked quite a bit, so be cautious of that, but I think you can't afford not to pick him. With that being said, I’m also going with Ty Gibbs today. He didn’t practice well, and that starting spot isn't great, but I’m not too worried. He’s a natural at road races. He basically wins every one that he’s in. With that being said, I don’t expect him to be racing for the win, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me.

Final Pick: Ryan Blaney ($10,500) Starting 6th

It’s pretty simple, Ryan Blaney needs a win. He desperately needs a win. He and Martin Truex Jr. have both had good seasons and it would be a shame if they can't sneak in. Blaney is another one of those drivers that runs well at these tracks. If he stays out of trouble, he’ll likely stay in the Top 10, if not Top 5. I think he’ll have to be a little more aggressive than usual today.

Yacs

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