The NASCAR Cup Series visits the Golden State for the final time this season on Sunday. Sonoma Raceway will host the Toyota Save Mart 350 as the 16th race of the 2022 season. The 1.99-mile road course could be tricky for some drivers, but for others, this could be an opportunity to gain ground in the points standings. Knowing which drivers have what it takes to navigate this road course could help you win some money playing NASCAR DFS this weekend. Read below for our DraftKings NASCAR DFS picks and lineup advice.
DraftKings NASCAR DFS Overview
In this DraftKings NASCAR DFS picks column, we will be using DraftKings prices and scoring. Their scoring includes the following:
- .25 points for leading a lap
- .45 points for the fastest laps
- Add/subtract a half-point based on the difference in a driver’s finishing position relative to their starting position
- Points based on where the driver finishes
Toyota Save Mart 350 Drivers to Consider | DraftKings NASCAR DFS Picks
Chase Elliott ($10,400)
The young gun who has become a road course legend in his career is someone who you need to have in your lineup. Chase Elliott has won a road course race every year dating back to 2018. Oddly enough, victory lane at Sonoma Raceway has eluded him so far, but Sunday could change that. Include the No. 9 car in your DraftKings NASCAR DFS picks.
Kurt Busch ($8,200)
Among active drivers who qualify, the man with the best average finish over the last ten races at Sonoma will be behind the wheel of the No. 45 on Sunday. Kurt Busch has finished every lap of every race at the California road course the last ten times that the NASCAR Cup Series has run here. He has an average finish of 6.4 in those races with four top-5s and eight top-10s. As long as the car holds up, the elder Busch brother can be of value to your DraftKings NASCAR DFS lineups.
Michael McDowell ($7,100)
A cheap value option who is capable of earning points this week is Micheal McDowell. He and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team were strong last week at Gateway, leading several laps in the middle of the race. McDowell has also been a good road course racer in the past and that should continue this weekend. He has been averaging 30 DraftKings NASCAR DFS points per race so far this season. Look to include the No. 34 car in your lineups for the Toyota Save Mart 350.
Toyota Save Mart 350 Drivers to Avoid | DraftKings NASCAR DFS Picks
William Byron ($9,200)
The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has not had the best of luck when it comes to this west coast road course. In his three previous races at the track, William Byron has averaged a 4.3 starting position and only a 26.3 finish. Byron needs some more track time at Sonoma before he can be trusted for NASCAR DFS picks.
Christopher Bell ($8,900)
As a team, Joe Gibbs Racing has been stellar running at Sonoma Raceway in the past. One driver on the team who has had some problems, however, is Christopher Bell. He has only one career start at the track, but it resulted in only a 24th-place finish. With other guys who are better here, there is no reason to have the No. 20 car in your DraftKings NASCAR DFS lineups this Sunday.
A.J. Allmendinger ($8,800)
Wait a second…one of the best road course ringers in all of motorsports is on the bad side of our NASCAR DFS picks for the Toyota Save Mart 350? Yes, A.J. Allmendinger should not be in your lineups and here is why. “The Dinger” does not drive the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Cup Series car every week. Thus, he theoretically will not know as much as the other drivers when it comes to his car. Combine that with the fact that Allmendinger actually has an average finish of just 26.1 in his seven previous starts at Sonoma Raceway and he is one to avoid at this price point.
