The field is set for this afternoon’s Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Martin Truex Jr. earned the 20th pole position of his career with the fastest lap speed of 127.113 mph.
In my preview on Thursday, I talked about some drivers who excel at 1-mile tracks and also need a win to enter the conversation for this year’s playoffs. Aric Almirola (7), Kevin Harvick (10), and Ryan Blaney (11) each qualified in ideal positions for winning the race, though not necessarily for DFS purposes.
In addition to Truex, two of the others I highlighted performed quite well on Saturday. Christopher Bell qualified fifth, putting him in striking distance of the checkered flag. And Brad Keselowski will start in the fifth row, having qualified ninth for the third time this season.
Unfortunately for us, these fine showings yesterday put us in a bit of a pickle for DFS, as the field presents as quite a top-heavy list. Remember, we’re looking for drivers who will finish in high positions while also passing the most cars. Drivers starting in the Top 11, especially on short tracks, are challenging to roster with any confidence regarding the latter. One or two may hit, but we are much more likely to suffer negative positional value on them.
Ambetter 301 NASCAR DFS Picks and Values
Here are some values on the board for New Hampshire.
FanDuel Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Cindric | $6,500 | 28 |
| Ricky Stenhouse | $5,000 | 24 |
| Erik Jones | $7,000 | 22 |
| Alex Bowman | $9,000 | 27 |
| Chase Briscoe | $9,800 | 29 |
DraftKings Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Dillon | $6,300 | 30 |
| Cole Custer | $5,800 | 23 |
| Chase Briscoe | $8,400 | 29 |
| Kyle Larson | $9,600 | 8 |
| Aric Almirola | $8,100 | 7 |
Chase Briscoe is the only actual value on both sites, sitting in an attractive 29th position while being a good short-track driver. I am a big fan of Austin Cindric as well, qualifying 28th with a low salary of $6,500. It is interesting to see Kyle Larson play the role of a value pick this week, but $9,600 on DraftKings makes him qualify, especially for a guy perfectly capable of winning.
The following are two rosters that I like for this afternoon’s race:
FanDuel Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Logano | $13,500 | 12 |
| Kyle Busch | $12,500 | 17 |
| Alex Bowman | $9,000 | 27 |
| Kevin Harvick | $8,200 | 10 |
| Austin Cindric | $6,500 | 28 |
| TOTAL | $49,700 |
DraftKings Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | $11,000 | 17 |
| Kyle Larson | $9,600 | 8 |
| Kevin Harvick | $8,800 | 10 |
| Aric Almirola | $8,100 | 7 |
| Austin Dillon | $6,300 | 30 |
| Cole Custer | $5,800 | 23 |
| TOTAL | $49,600 |
I’ll be running another free DFS contest on FanDuel today. Congrats to swami405 on their win last weekend! Sign up, invite family and friends, and see how fun (and profitable) this little game can be. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to hit me up on Twitter at @thewonkypenguin. And, as always, good luck!