Shane van Gisbergen the Favorite to Win at COTA
Source: Shane van Gisbergen X Account
Shane van Gisbergen came into the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race weekend as the favorite to win, according to sportsbooks, and nothing has happened over the course of practice and qualifying for that sentiment to change. SVG was the fastest in both practice sessions on Saturday at COTA, beating second-fastest William Byron by over half of a second in the final practice. SVG qualified sixth for Sunday's race and went on X soon after to state, "[The WeatherTech] Camaro feels great and I think we should be competitive in the race tomorrow. Looking forward to it!" With his road-course prowess and strong practice speeds, SVG is a strong DFS option in all formats this weekend. He is priced at $9,800 on DraftKings this weekend and projected to be one of the highest-scoring drivers on the slate.Kyle Larson Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Source: DriverAverages.com
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will start seventh for this week's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be just the second time in his Cup career that Larson will have a top-10 starting position at the Texas road course. In four previous races at COTA, Larson only has one top-10 finish, but it came in 2021, before the arrival of the Next-Gen car. Larson has been one of the top drivers in recent road course events with three wins and six top-10 finishes at the track type except for Chicago since 2022. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver also won two of the last three road course events. In final practice, Larson ranked second in overall lap averages, third in five consecutive lap averages, and had the fastest 10 consecutive lap average. With fast practice speeds and favorable recents in recent road course events, Larson is one of the favorites to compete for the win this week.Christopher Bell Will Be A Fantastic DFS Play For COTA Lineups
Source: DriverAverages.com
Christopher Bell, last week's Atlanta winner, will start 19th for this week's Circuit of the Americas race, the Echopark Texas Grand Prix. It will be the lowest starting position of his Cup career to date at the Texas road course. In four Cup races at COTA, Bell has two top-3 finishes, both coming from 2022 and 2024 events at the site. The No. 20 Toyota driver also led in his last two COTA appearances and finished in the top 15 in the last nine road course events outside of Chicago. Bell showcased top-10 speeds in the 10 consecutive and overall lap average categories in final practice while carrying a higher upside than all top-priced drivers. Bell will have a fantastic performance on Sunday for DFS lineups due to his equipment, practice speeds, favorable COTA history, and overall upside, making him a great option for all formats.AJ Allmendinger Struggling At COTA Despite Strong Practice Speeds
Looking at the practice speeds for this weekend's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, you wouldn't know that AJ Allmendinger was struggling very much. The Kaulig Racing driver was fifth-fastest in the opening session on Saturday, and wound up 11th-fastest in the secondread more...
Austin Cindric Is One Of The Top DFS Recommendations For COTA Lineups
Source: DriverAverages.com
Austin Cindric will start 36th on Sunday's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is the lowest starting position for Cindric in his Cup career at a road course. At COTA in four races, Cindric has two top-10 finishes and has led three different Cup events. Since 2022 at road courses outside of Chicago, Cindric has been great on the road courses by nabbing 11 top-20 finishes in 15 events. Cindric ranked sixth in single lap times in first practice and qualified toward the back of the field this week. The No. 2 Ford driver is a must-start for cash games based on his upside alone, even without acknowledging his proficiency in road course racing. Expect Cindric to be one of the higher-rostered drivers this week, but he is one of the most straightforward recommendations for all lineup formats.Connor Zilisch Making Cup Series Debut This Weekend
Source: Speedway Digest
Connor Zilisch will be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Circuit of the Americas this weekend, as the 18-year-old will pilot the No. 87 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing on Sunday afternoon. Zilisch has shown speed in his Cup car all weekend, ranking third-fastest in the opening practice session on Saturday before ending up with the ninth-best 10-lap average in the final session later that day. Additionally, Zilisch had added track time, as he started from the pole and won the Xfinity Series race this weekend as well. On the Cup side, the youngster will start from 14th in Sunday's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, which gives him decent Place Differential upside. However, at $8,700 on DraftKings, it's a bit risky rolling the dice on someone with no history in the series. Still, because of his talent upside, you need to have some Zilisch exposure in DFS tournaments this weekend.Alex Bowman A Core DFS Pick At COTA
Source: Driver Averages
At Circuit of the Americas this weekend, Alex Bowman should be one of the highest-performing DFS drivers on the slate. The Hendrick Motorsports driver qualified back in 21st for this weekend's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, giving him plenty of Place Differential upside for Sunday's race. The No. 48 Chevrolet also looked incredibly strong in practice on Saturday, ranking fifth-fastest in the final session of the weekend. As far as track history goes, it doesn't get much better than Alex Bowman at COTA. He finished fourth here last season despite starting back in 17th, and has never had a result worse than eighth in four career starts at this track. At just $8,300 on DraftKings and with that super high potential, Bowman is an excellent option in all DFS formats this weekend.Don't Be Surprised If Ross Chastain Contends At COTA
Source: ifantasyrace
Ross Chastain should definitely be on your radar at Circuit of the Americas this weekend. Not only does the Trackhouse Racing driver already have a win under his belt here, but he also owns the best average finish (4.0) among active Cup Series drivers at this track. In four career starts in Austin, Chastain hasn't finished worse than seventh, and his average driver rating of 117.4 ranks best among all drivers as well. This weekend, Chastain qualified ninth for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Additionally, the No. 1 Chevrolet ranked fastest in five-lap average during practice on Saturday afternoon. At just $8,600 on DraftKings, Ross Chastain looks like an excellent tournament DFS pick this weekend. He has been a constantly top-10 threat at road courses over the last few years, and seems to have something figured out particularly well at COTA specifically.Chris Buescher An Excellent DFS Play This Weekend
Source: Driver Averages
As usual, Chris Buescher is an excellent DFS play this weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Since the introduction of the Next Gen car, nobody has been more consistent at road courses than Chris Buescher, who has finished 11th or better in 13 of the last 14 races on this track type. That includes his surprise win at Watkins Glen last September, where he started back in 24th--which is exactly where he qualified for this weekend's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix as well. Buescher has been relatively strong at COTA, currently boasting back-to-back eighth-place finishes at this track. He also came home 13th here back in 2021 int he first Cup Series race at the venue. At $8,100 on DraftKings this weekend, Buescher makes an excellent DFS play due to his Place Differential upside and strength at road courses.Ty Gibbs May Not Be Worth His Salary For COTA DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing will start 13th for this week's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be the second time in his Cup career that Gibbs will start outside of the top 10 atread more...
Is Daniel Suarez Worth Rostering For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Source: DriverAverages.com
Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez will start fifth for Sunday's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This will be the third time that Suarez will start inside the top five at the Texas road course, matching his start position with the 2023 Cup event at the site. In four previous races at COTA, Suarez's best finish is 24th, and despite leading 16 total laps, he has never obtained positive place differential at the site. At road courses except Chicago since 2022, Suarez has one win and six top-20 finishes. In final practice, Suarez displayed top-10 speeds in all eligible categories on speed. With fast practice speeds compared to the field and great equipment, Suarez is expected to carry a favorable result. However, due to his lackluster history of underwhelming COTA finishes, Suarez is best suited as a tournament play for DFS lineups this week.Carson Hocevar Provides Plenty Of Risk For DFS Lineups At COTA
Source: DriverAverages.com
Carson Hocevar will start fourth for Sunday's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas after qualifying. Hocevar is the highest qualifier of all three Spire Motorsports entries for the site this week. In Hocevar's only previous start at COTA last year, he started 18th and went on to finish 22nd. In four road course starts outside of Chicago, Hocevar has three top-20 finishes, including two that are 12th or higher. In final practice, Hocevar's overall lap average ranked first of all drivers. Considering these speeds from practice as well as his road course history, Hocevar is a driver who could be worth considering for a quality finish, especially based on his lower-end salary ($7,000). However, Hocevar leaves little place differential upside, making him only recommended for tournament lineups this week.Ryan Blaney Is A Great DFS Play With Upside For COTA
Source: DriverAverages.com
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney obtained a starting position of 25th after qualifying for this week's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This marks the third consecutive race in Blaney's Cup career where he will start outside of the top 10 at the site. In four starts at COTA, the No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver has an average finish of 14.0 and has never placed lower than 21st. Blaney also collected positive place differential in his previous two races at the Texas road course after starting at the back half of the field, similar to this week. In both the first and final practice sessions, Blaney displayed top-10 speeds in most formats on speed, and he has great upside from his starting position. DFS Players will find Blaney to be an excellent addition for lineups in this week's race based on his salary ($7,800).Chase Briscoe Is A Solid All-Around Driver Worth It For COTA DFS Lineups
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will start 18th in this week's Circuit of the Americas race, the Echopark Texas Grand Prix, after qualifying. It will be the third time in Briscoe's Cup career where he will start a race at the Texas road course inside the top 20. In four starts at COTA in the Cup Series, Briscoe has three finishes of 15th or better and obtained positive place differential three times. In road courses outside of Chicago since 2022, Briscoe has seven top-20 finishes in 15 races at the track type. In final practice, Briscoe ranked 12th of all drivers while ranking eighth in both five and 10-consecutive lap averages. Based on his practice speeds and history at COTA, Briscoe is one of the better drivers to add to lineups this week, especially for his salary ($7,800) as a driver who will compete for a top-10 finish.Could Brad Keselowski Be Usable For All DFS Formats At COTA?
Source: DriverAverages.com
Brad Keselowski will start 26th for Sunday's Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This marks the fifth consecutive race where the No. 6 Ford driver will start 24th or worse at COTA. In four previous races at the site, Keselowski has two top-20 finishes while scoring positive place differential three times. In 15 races at road courses except Chicago since 2022, Keselowski has 10 top-20 finishes, with only one top-10 finish. In final practice, Keselowski ranked 28th in overall lap averages and 17th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Although Keselowski is not expected to be a top-10 threat, he is still a solid choice based on his salary to score a top-20 finish, making him worth consideration in all DFS formats.