The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the South Point 400. This is the first race of the Round of 8, the final playoff round before the title is decided at Homestead next weekend.
Back in March, Kyle Larson drove to victory here, dominating at the 1.5-mile track as he led 181 of the 267 laps on his way to the win. Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five in that one.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the South Point 400 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 10/20/2024 at 2:47 p.m. EDT. If you have any questions or want to talk about NASCAR, you can find me on X at @juscarts.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
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Kyle Larson
Starts Fifth - DK: $11.5K, FD: $14.0K
It's always good to build your lineup around the guy who's most likely to win the race, right? On Sunday, that guy is (probably) Kyle Larson.
Kyle Larson the Obvious Favorite at Las Vegas #NASCAR #FantasyNASCAR #DFS #DraftKings https://t.co/wsSo2ZFOsm
— Jordan McAbee (@FanRacingOnline) October 20, 2024
Part of the reasoning behind that is Larson dominated here in the spring. As I mentioned in the intro, he led 181 laps and won the Pennzoil 400.
But that race wasn't the only time Larson has had a really strong run here. It was his third Cup Series win at the track and his second in a row, with Larson leading over 100 laps in both of these wins.
In fact, in the last seven races here, Larson has led double-digit laps six times. The only time he didn't was when he crashed out before halfway in the 2022 fall race. He's finished first or second in five of those races.
Ryan Blaney
Starts 37th - DK: $9.3K, FD: $11.5K
Just a really, really obvious place differential play as Ryan Blaney fires off 37th after a flat tire sent him into the wall during practice.
TROUBLE FOR RYAN BLANEY!
He has a flat and crashes in practice in Las Vegas. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/MwtOIPskbL
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 19, 2024
Blaney has finished in the top 10 in three of the past four races this season, including a fourth at Kansas. That marked another strong run on a mile-and-a-half track for Blaney, which includes a third-place finish at Vegas back in March.
While Blaney has never won here, he has 10 top 10s in 16 starts at the track, which includes six top fives. While he's unlikely to contend for the victory, +30 in place differential is within reach.
Kyle Busch
Starts 20th - DK: $8.5K, FD: $10.5K
Kyle Busch and this RCR team struggled earlier in the season, but Busch has shown some speed on intermediates, finishing in the top 10 at Texas and Kansas.
Just look at that number…@KyleBusch is the all-time @NASCAR_Xfinity Series lap leader by over 10k laps to the next closest guy. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/aAsYKlKgGC
— Family Man (Dave) (@TeamKFBfan8) October 20, 2024
He also led 18 laps here at Vegas back in March, plus has three top fives here since 2022. Even if we discount the two of those in 2022 that came with Joe Gibbs Racing, he still brought this No. 8 team to a third-place finish here last October.
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Chris Buescher
Starts 22nd - DK: $7.7K, FD: $7.5K
Chris Buescher missed the playoffs, but he managed a win at Watkins Glen during the postseason. He's finished outside the top 10 in the four races since, but this weekend offers a good chance for Buescher to get closer to the front again.
.@Chris_Buescher wraps up practice P7. pic.twitter.com/OFrCNCjdA7
— No. 17 Team (@RFK17Team) October 19, 2024
Vegas hasn't been particularly kind to Buescher in the Cup Series as he has just one top 10 here. However, I can ignore that because of his starting spot, as Buescher fires off 22nd and has an average finish this season of 14.1.
Bubba Wallace
Starts 19th - DK: $7.5K, FD: $7.8K
Bubba Wallace and this No. 23 team have run well lately, posting top 10s in three of the past four races. While he missed the playoffs, he's working toward closing out the season a strong note.
Putting all of our chips in the middle. 💰
Qualifying from @lvmotorspeedway:@tylerreddick P2@bubbawallace P19#TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/pYVMItHqsF
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) October 19, 2024
Wallace ran into some issues here in March, finishing 35th after starting fifth. That ended a streak of two top 15s in a row at Vegas for the two-time Cup Series winner.
Daniel Hemric
Starts 33rd - DK: $5.1K, FD: $2.0K
It's been a forgettable season for Daniel Hemric, whose return to the Cup Series on a full-time basis will last just one season when Ty Dillon replaces him next season.
Still, Hemric was an average finish of 23.1, essentially 10 spots higher than where he starts on Sunday. That's a solid amount of place differential upside for Hemric.
We've got 400 miles to make improvements tomorrow! #SouthPoint400 pic.twitter.com/y73SvaRR1P
— Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) October 19, 2024
He's struggled a little lately, but was top 20 at Kansas, plus he ran a solid 19th at this track back in March.
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