The first road race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season on tap Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, and now that the starting lineup for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 is set, it is time to turn out attention to the NASCAR DFS contests at DraftKings.
Building DFS lineups for road courses like Sonoma always requires a different approach because of how pit strategy can shuffle up who leads laps, and now that the “Carousel” portion of the track has been added to the equation and reduced the number of laps to just 90, I don’t think you need to go out of your way to chase dominator points.
In fact, I probably won’t have more than one high-priced driver who is starting in the Top 10 in my lineups this weekend. Instead, I plan to load up on quality drivers who are starting towards the middle of the pack, hoping to combine strong finishes with some place differential points.
Check out all of my top NASCAR DFS plays for DraftKings, and go get those lineups locked in for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
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Must-Own Drivers
Kevin Harvick ($11,200)
With eight Top 10s in the last 10 road races, Harvick was already one of the safest plays coming into the weekend. Following a 23rd-place qualifying effort, he only bolstered his floor with a bunch of place differential upside. Harvick has led laps and finished sixth or better in four of his five starts at Sonoma with Stewart-Haas Racing, leading 20-plus laps three times. He’s positioned for a massive point total.
Martin Truex Jr. ($10,800)
Truex dominated this race a year ago, leading 62 laps on his way to the win. He has two wins and a second-place finish in the last four road course events alone, and he has led laps in six straight road races, leading 20-plus three times in that span. Truex showed great speed in practice, and he will roll off in the Top 10. There is a good chance that he contends for another win while piling up some dominator points.
Cash Plays
Brad Keselowski ($10,100)
Keselowski has had plenty of strong runs at road courses recently, and he has led at least 17 laps in five of the last eight races. He has started outside the Top 10 four of those races, so qualifying 22nd doesn’t necessarily hurt his dominator upside. However, it does give him a bunch of place differential potential. Keselowski should be an all-around DFS force and one of the safest bets for a big score.
Kurt Busch ($9,700)
No driver has been more dependable at the road courses recently, and Busch’s nine Top 10s and 6.4 average finish in the last 10 races are both tops in the series. He has also reeled off eight straight finishes of 12th or better at Sonoma, logging four Top 5s and leading laps in five of those starts. Starting 16th, Busch also has some place differential points to gain. He looks like slam dunk play.
Clint Bowyer ($9,300)
Bowyer has a 4.8 average finish and four Top 5s in five road races since joining Stewart-Haas Racing, and he has 10 Top 10s and eight Top 5s in 13 career starts at Sonoma, including finishes of second and third the last two years. Starting 14th, Bowyer has some spots to gain, and he is close enough to the front to contend for the win and provide dominator points. He should be an all-around great play.
Erik Jones ($8,100)
It is hard to call a boom-or-bust driver like Jones a cash option, but starting back in 32nd, he has nothing but upside in the place differential category. He has three Top 10s in five road course starts, including a seventh-place run at Sonoma last year. Jones should be one of the most popular plays this weekend.
Austin Dillon ($6,800)
His struggles in qualifying at road courses continued, but starting 26th, Dillon has a solid floor in the place differential category. He also has an 18.0 average finish in five career starts at Sonoma, gaining at least nine spots three times. For less than $7,000, he looks like a safer source of cap relief.
GPP Specials
Chase Elliott ($9,900)
I expect Martin Truex, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski to be some of the most popular plays, but don’t forget about Elliott. He had a series-best 3.7 average finish at the road courses last year, winning at Watkins Glen. Starting fourth, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him lead the most laps Sunday. I love him as a building block for GPP lineups.
Kyle Larson ($8,500)
He grabbed yet another pole at a road course, and while I know his history says he will fade during the race, Larson is still positioned to lead some early laps and record some fastest laps. Of course, there is also the chance that he leads a big chunk of the race, and with a reasonable price tag, Larson could still provide a great score for the price with some early dominator points and a decent finish. I think he’s worth a look in a lineup or two.
Alex Bowman ($7,500)
Bowman has been on fire the last couple of months, and he showed some serious road racing chops last year, finishing in the Top 15 at all three road courses. He gained eight spots and finished ninth at Sonoma last season, and while his differential upside is limited after qualifying 12th, this is a great price for a driver who has been showing Top 5 upside. I think he could be an under-owned, lower-priced gem.
Ryan Newman ($7,300)
Newman has finished in the Top 15 in three of his last four starts at Sonoma, logging a couple of Top 10s in that span. Starting back in 21st, he has decent upside in the place differential category, and he could be a great pivot to someone like Erik Jones.
Parker Kligerman ($5,500)
It is always risky going with a part-time driver in mediocre equipment, but Kligerman starts 29th and has been able to finish in the Top 25 in both of his road course starts in the Cup Series. He actually gained 11 spots and finished 23rd at Sonoma last year, and he showed borderline Top 20 speed in practice. At this price, I think he is worth the gamble for the cap space he saves.
Starting Lineup for the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350
1. Kyle Larson
2. William Byron
3. Joey Logano
4. Chase Elliott
5. Daniel Suarez
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Kyle Busch
8. Martin Truex Jr.
9. Ryan Blaney
10. Chris Buescher
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Alex Bowman
13. Michael McDowell
14. Clint Bowyer
15. Aric Almirola
16. Kurt Busch
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
18. David Ragan
19. Matt DiBenedetto
20. Ryan Preece
21. Ryan Newman
22. Brad Keselowski
23. Kevin Harvick
24. Paul Menard
25. Daniel Hemric
26. Austin Dillon
27. Corey Lajoie
28. Matt Tifft
29. Parker Kligerman
30. Bubba Wallace
31. Ty Dillon
32. Erik Jones
33. Justin Haley
34. Cody Ware
35. Landon Cassill
36. JJ Yeley
37. Kyle Weatherman
38. Reed Sorenson
