The NASCAR Cup Series visits their third short track in a row this weekend when the drivers compete at Richmond Raceway. Given that we are coming off of two other short track races, things should be getting clearer as far as who is strong and who isn’t. Will the beating and banging at the .75 mile track help you or hurt you when it comes to playing NASCAR DFS on the Toyota Owners 400? Read on for my best plays to get a jump start on a profitable day!
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FanDuel NASCAR DFS Overview
In this NASCAR Cup Series DFS column, I will be using FanDuel prices and scoring. Their scoring includes the following:
- .1 points for leading a lap
- .1 points for completing a lap
- Add/subtract a point based on the difference in a driver’s finishing position relative to their starting position
- Points based on where the driver finishes
FanDuel NASCAR DFS | Race 9
Toyota Care 400 Drivers to Consider
Martin Truex Jr ($14,000)
I am taking the low-hanging fruit here. Martin Truex Jr. has been the best on the short tracks so far this season and in recent years as well. This weekend, he returns to a track where he has won two of the last three races. Why not expect him to come out and dominate once again? I believe MTJ goes back-to-back and wins at Richmond this weekend.
Kyle Busch ($12,500)
Kyle Busch has had a very slow start to the year. This seems to be a continuing trend with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team really since winning their last championship. With that being said, Richmond Raceway is still a track where Busch is typically very strong. Do not count him out in NASCAR DFS as he could very well put his car into victory lane and surprise us all. I am expecting a Kyle Busch rebound this week.
Micheal McDowell ($4,500)
If you need a value play this week, look no further than our Daytona 500 champion. Michael McDowell is very cheap and has been doing well at the short tracks so far this season. He has been fantastic this year after winning the 500 relative to expectations. Given his low NASCAR DFS price this week, I feel like you should take full advantage of it. I have McDowell in my Toyota Owners 400 lineup this weekend.
Austin Dillon ($8,500)
Austin Dillon had a great run at Martinsville to help him earn his 11th place start for this weekend’s Toyota Owners 400. Dillon is sneaky good at the short tracks and could very well get you a top 10 at Richmond Raceway this weekend. Such a result would surely help you win some money yourself on Sunday too.
Toyota Care 400 Drivers to Avoid
Aric Almirola ($7,800)
More low-hanging fruit this week, just on the other side of the spectrum. I am staying stay away from Aric Almirola in NASCAR DFS. When your only positive highlight of the short track season so far is managing to fend off getting lapped at the end of a stage, that is not a good sign. Almirola has done better in years past, and we need to see that very soon if he expects to make the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Cole Custer ($6,500)
Another Stewart-Haas Racing driver who has had a bad short track season is Cole Custer. He has literally dumped an egg on the track the past two races. Custer is still fairly inexperienced at Richmond Raceway having just two starts and an average finish of 20th. Not the type of stats I want to see if I am putting him in a NASCAR DFS lineup.
Chase Brsicoe ($5,000)
The third Stewart-Haas Racing driver on this list has not come anywhere close to meeting expectations this season. Chase Briscoe’s best finish on the season is 18th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. An average finishing position of 13.5 finishing for the past two races should make the decision to avoid him an easy one. I really want to see Briscoe perform well and hope I am wrong this week. But as for now, he might be a permanent stay away in NASCAR DFS.
Chris Buescher ($5,000)
Chris Buescher makes this list for two reasons. First, his starting position is 12th and he is averaging a 13.5 finishing position over the last two races on short tracks. The numbers would suggest that he is probably going to lose at least a couple of spots. The second reason is that Kyle Busch is probably going to pay him back for last week’s dust-up, so I feel like he is not going to even finish the Toyota Owners 400 running.
