RADIO
NASCAR is back, y'all! Sunday will be the debut of NASCAR's newest experiment: an exhibition race at the Los Angeles Coliseum on a 0.25-mile track that was custom-built for this race.
This week's race is a little different than normal. Because of the size of the track, not every driver will be in the starting lineup. The actual field will be set by a series of heat races, with only 23 drivers advancing to the main event. This means drivers that don't make the final race won't be eligible to score fantasy points, so you'll need to make sure you recheck all your lineups on Sunday afternoon before the race itself.
Add in that none of these drivers have driven a Cup Series car on a track this small and you'll see why this is going to be a weird one in DFS. But that's fine — RotoBaller is here to help you figure out how to make sense of this week's race. Below are some drivers to consider for DFS purposes this week. If you have any questions or want to talk NASCAR, you can find me on Twitter at @juscarts.
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Kyle Larson
(DraftKings $10,500 | FanDuel $13,000)
By virtue of his 2021 Cup Series title, Kyle Larson is locked into this race. No one else is, which makes him the safest bet you can make if you're putting a lineup together this morning and are just going to take a swing and hope everything works out. Larson is known for racing all over the country on all types of tracks, so I'm sure he's raced on a track that resembles this one before, though not in a heavy Cup car. Still, there's no one I trust more to jump into a weird spot and win than Larson, who was top 10 in both practice and qualifying.
Chase Elliott
(DraftKings $9,200 | FanDuel $12,500)
Larson's Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott was quickest in practice and top 10 in qualifying. Another driver who seems like he can win anytime he starts a race, Elliott is one of the clear favorites this week, even if he only has one Cup Series win on a short track: Martinsville in 2020.
Kyle Busch
(DraftKings $9,000 | FanDuel $12,000)
Busch was fastest in qualifying after being fifth-fastest in practice. The two-time Cup Series champion began his career running legends cars around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway bullring track and while that was a long time ago, it's still some experience that should lend itself well to helping Busch achieve a strong result on Sunday.
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Daniel Suarez
(DraftKings $5,900 | FanDuel $6,500)
More than likely, not every driver I mention here will make this race, so we're going to look at a handful of these deep value guys here, with the hopes they all make it even if the reality is likely that they don't and that you'll have to go back to the lineup building.
Suarez is no stranger to short tracks, having originally come up through NASCAR's Mexico series. He was 11th in practice and then rocketed up to fifth in qualifying. This 99 car just needs to stay out of trouble in the heat races.
Justin Haley
(DraftKings $5,300 | FanDuel $6,500)
My favorite value play of this race is Justin Haley, who will race full-time for Kaulig Racing in the No. 31 this year.
I'm more excited about Kaulig than I have been about any first-year team in a while, because the team already has a Cup win when racing part-time. Haley should be competitive this year in this car.
And that starts at the Clash, where he was fourth in practice and then third in qualifying. I'm a little worried about a lack of place differential points if Haley stays up front in his heat race, but at this price point, that's worth the risk.
Landon Cassill
(DraftKings $5,000 | FanDuel $5,000)
Sure, you should usually never play a Spire car, but on this track, speed doesn't seem like something that'll really matter.
Cassill was 16th in qualifying after finishing eighth in practice. That drop might suggest other drivers are figuring out the track, but I like the idea of using someone like Cassill in a lineup or two should he make the field, as he's been impressive this weekend despite driving in subpar equipment.
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