1 month ago
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s career pretty much lives and dies on his performances on drafting tracks now, as he is never anything more than anonymous anywhere else these days. Don't expect that to change at Darlington, where he only earned a single top-10 finish in the 2022 spring race and has never led a lap. Even in that race, he didn't run that well since his average running position was 17th, and he mostly benefited from the fact that 13 cars didn't finish -- that normally doesn't happen here. Since he's starting 28th and only costs $6,500, the case is there that he could be valuable for DFS play if you think he could back into a decent finish at all, but he would likely have to back into it due to attrition or wild strategy. It's unlikely to happen.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 month ago
Noah Gragson has been one of the most invisible drivers in the Cup Series, and the fact that he qualified 26th for Sunday's Darlington race while his Front Row Motorsports teammates Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith start 12th and 16th, respectively, is consistent with that. Gragson did slice through the field in last year's race, finishing 14th after starting 36th, and he matched his average running position of 20th in both Darlington races last year, even though he crashed out of the Southern 500. In the Xfinity Series, he was a lot better, earning two wins at Darlington, including his win in 2022, which kicked off his historic four-in-a-row streak. However, his speed has been all over the map since he started at FRM, and it's hard to really predict how he'll perform based on this season's all-over-the-map starting and finishing positions. There are probably better options that are easier to predict.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 month ago
A.J. Allmendinger alternating between full-time and part-time status in the NASCAR Cup Series hasn't seemed to have done anything to slow him down, as he now sits six points below the playoff cut line for a not-great Kaulig Racing team after two top-10 finishes in the last three races. But Darlington is one of his worst tracks, and it is the only Cup Series track with multiple dates where he has never posted a top-10 finish (his best is 13th in his last start in 2023). He has also never led a lap at the track and is starting slightly worse than mid-pack in 22nd. He's probably starting too well to earn many place-differential points and is starting too poorly to even sniff the lead or a good finish at a track where he has struggled. He is best avoided for DFS play, even at his relatively inexpensive $6,900 salary.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 month ago
As usual, Riley Herbst was outqualified by his 23XI veteran teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick on Saturday at Darlington, with Herbst only qualifying 32nd to Wallace's fifth and Reddick's seventh. He was a slow learner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, so it is no surprise that this trend is repeating itself in the Cup Series, especially at a track like Darlington, where experience is more important than anything else. Although he has never made a start at Darlington in the Cup Series, he earned two top-five finishess here in the Xfinity Series in the 2020 summer and 2022 spring events. Given the speed of the Toyotas in general and the 23XI Racing cars in particular, Herbst might be a tempting option for DFS place-differential points, but his inexperience will probably result in a poor finish, so drivers like Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and Erik Jones would be better options for that.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 month ago
Ever since Cody Ware's return to full-time competition this season, he has seemingly been even slower than he was before his suspension in 2023 as he has a lower average start, lower average finish, and is thereby lower in points than he was at any time during his last full-time season in 2022. Since Rick Ware Racing is now only running one full-time car and Legacy Motor Club has just sued them for the use of a charter, that will provide additional distractions that will likely further inhibit Ware's possibility for any sort of success. Although he actually had a fair amount of lead-lap finishes in previous years, that seems to be increasingly a thing of the past especially since there has been much less attrition in 2025 than in his best year of 2022. Even though he only costs $5,100 and is starting 35th, he isn't worth considering for DFS lineups.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 month ago
J.J. Yeley qualified 38th and last at Darlington, marking the third time he has posted the slowest qualifying speed this season with the only exception being the Daytona 500, where he outqualified Cody Ware but failed to qualify because his NY Racing Team is a non-chartered team. Although Yeley gained two positions in both his starts at Atlanta and Homestead, he never had any speed so his only hope for having any chance at Place Differential points is if a lot of drivers fail to finish the race while he does. In the six Next Gen races at Darlington, 42 entries have failed to finish, marking an average of seven per race. That's not nearly enough for a driver like Yeley to become valuable, even though he has the cheapest DraftKings DFS salary at $5,000.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 month ago
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start 17th for Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. This is Bell's lowest Darlington Cup start since his first race at the site with JGR back in 2021. In 11 starts at Darlington, Bell has eight top-20 finishes, with three inside the top 10. With seven races completed so far this season, Bell has three wins, four top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 11.0. In practice, Bell ranked 35th in overall lap averages and ranked as high as 16th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Bell has upside and great equipment from his team with solid track history, making him a decent DFS option who works best as a top-priced pivot option.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 month ago
Starting in the 33rd position for this week's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway is Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports. Bowman is the only Hendrick driver to qualify outside of the top 20 for this week's race. In 14 starts at Darlington, Bowman has eight top-20 finishes, including two top-10 finishes within his last four appearances at the site. After seven races wrapped up in the 2025 season, Bowman has five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 12.0. In practice, Bowman ranked 13th in overall lap averages while ranking 30th in 15 consecutive lap averages. Although Bowman's practice speeds weren't the greatest, he is still in top-notch Hendrick equipment and has incredibly high upside, making him worth rostering in all DFS formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 month ago
Ryan Preece of RFK Racing will start in the second position after qualifying for this week's race, the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. This will be Preece's first start on the front row of any race since April 2023 at Martinsville when he won the pole position. In 10 previous starts at Darlington, Preece has six top-20 finishes, with none of them being inside the top 10. Through seven races so far this season, Preece has five top-20 finishes, including three consecutive top-10 finishes during the last three Cup events for the first time ever in his career. In practice, Preece ranked 12th in overall lap averages while showing great speed during the long run as he ranked second of all drivers in 20, 25, and 30 consecutive lap averages. Preece starting on the front row makes him a huge Place Differential risk, but his practice speeds on the long run, making him a driver worth consideration for tournament lineups at best this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 month ago
Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing will start 30th for this week's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. This is the third time since 2022 that Suarez will start a race at the site either 30th or lower. In 14 starts at the site, Suarez has five top-20 finishes, with three of them being scored since 2022. After the first seven races this season, Suarez has two top-20 finishes, but also five finishes with positive PD earned. In practice, Suarez ranked 25th in overall lap averages while displaying top-20 speeds in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Due to his high upside and practice speeds, Suarez is a driver worth consideration for all formats this week, despite his shaky history at Darlington.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 month ago
Team Penske's Austin Cindric nabbed a starting position of sixth after qualifying for Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Cindric was the top qualifier of the three Penske entries for this week's race. In six starts at Darlington, Cindic has five top-20 finishes, but none inside the top 10, and he did score positive Place Differential three times. Through seven races so far this season, Cindric has two top-10 finishes and only once has scored positive PD. In practice, Cindric ranked fifth in overall lap averages, third in five consecutive, sixth in 10 consecutive, and fourth in 15 consecutive lap averages. Despite great practice speeds, Cindric is a risk who provides low upside with a track history that shows that he may not stay inside the top 10. Fantasy players should use Cindric mainly as a pivot option in tournament lineups for Sunday.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 month ago
Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing will start 23rd for this week's Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, the Goodyear 400. Dillon's starting position in this race is the same exact one as last year's spring race at the site. In 17 races at Darlington, Dillon has 14 top-20 finishes, including four of the last six Cup events. In seven races completed this season, Dillon has four top-20 finishes and obtained positive Place Differential three times. In practice, Dillon ranked sixth in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in the five, 10, and 15 consecutive lap average categories. Considering his upside, practice speeds, Darlington history, and salary ($6,300 on DraftKings), Dillon is one of the top value options of the week to utilize in all formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
April
6,
2025
Kyle
Larson
is
one
of
the
best
racers
in
the
Cup
Series
garage,
especially
at
tracks
like
Darlington
Raceway,
where
the
speed
of
the
car
gets
put
into
the
driver's
hands
a
little
bit
more.
Another
important
component
of
success
at
read more...
April 6, 2025
Look for William Byron to be strong in this weekend's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. In addition to winning the pole for Sunday's race, the No. 24 Chevrolet was very strong in practice ranking fourth-best in 10-lap average. Additionally, Byron has been one of, if not the best at Darlington in the Next Gen era, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has the best average finish (10.3) and the best Driver Rating (107.2) in the six races here with this car. Look for Willy B to lead early and often in Sunday's Goodyear 400. The Hendrick Chevrolets have been great on the long run all season long, and Byron excels at Darlington Raceway. He's priced at $9,900 on DraftKings and with his dominator upside as well as his race-winning potential, he enters Sunday's race as one of the strongest fantasy options on the slate this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
April 6, 2025
Despite his strong practice speeds this weekend, you should be leery of Ryan Blaney this weekend for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Why? Because, for whatever reason, the Team Penske driver can't seem to figure this track out. In 16 career starts at "The Lady in Black," Blaney has led a combined 22 laps at this track and has yet to post a top-five finish. Additionally, he has just three top-10 results, and his 19.6 career average finish at Darlington makes it one of the worst tracks on the schedule for Blaney. Of course, the lackluster results here will eventually turn around for the Cup Series Champion, but when will that happen? Until it does, it may be best to look elsewhere with your fantasy picks. There's a big difference between being fast in practice and being fast in the race at a track like Darlington, and Blaney hasn't shown to be capable of doing the latter as of yet.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
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