If you missed my Go Bowling at the Glen preview, you may have missed my attempt to create an adage that we can keep around for the remainder of his career: Chase Elliott is Mr. Road Race. Never bet against him there.
Go Bowling at the Glen DFS Picks
Right on cue, Elliott turned in the fastest qualifying lap of 125.147 mph to earn pole position for this afternoon’s road race at Watkins Glen. It is the No. 9 car’s third pole of the season and 12th in his career.
Next to him will be teammate Kyle Larson. Those two will be followed by Michael “Don’t Forget To Put Me in Your Road Lineups” McDowell, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick. Any of those five could be waving the checkered flag at the end of the day.
With the rest of the starting lineup set, we can now identify the best values for our DFS lineups.
FanDuel Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Ricky Stenhouse | $3,500 | 21 |
| Justin Haley | $4,200 | 13 |
| Aric Almirola | $5,000 | 35 |
| Kevin Harvick | $8,200 | 24 |
| Michael McDowell | $7,200 | 3 |
DraftKings Values
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | $8,700 | 38 |
| Kevin Harvick | $8,400 | 24 |
| Joey Logano | $8,200 | 20 |
| Aric Almirola | $6,200 | 35 |
| Kyle Busch | $8,900 | 10 |
The pricing on FanDuel and DraftKings is wildly different. Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick are the only two appearing on both sites. On FanDuel, Ricky Stenhouse is priced like a rookie with no experience, and McDowell carries a reasonable salary considering his previous success on road courses. Over on DraftKings, I really like Kyle Busch and his $8,900 price tag while starting in the tenth position.
While Chase Elliott carries the highest salary on both sites, he will still be chalky. But that makes sense, given his propensity to earn that amount on road courses. He is almost a must-have for this afternoon in season-long formats that reward laps led more highly. You can build a solid cash game lineup without him, but it will probably make your day more difficult.
The following are two lineups I plan to enter in GPP contests today.
FanDuel Lineup
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | $14,000 | 1 |
| Ross Chastain | $12,500 | 18 |
| Austin Cindric | $11,000 | 8 |
| Kevin Harvick | $8,200 | 24 |
| Justin Haley | $4,200 | 13 |
| TOTAL | $49,900 |
DraftKings Lineup
| Driver | Salary | QP |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Truex | $9,100 | 25 |
| Kyle Busch | $8,900 | 10 |
| Christopher Bell | $8,700 | 38 |
| Kevin Harvick | $8,400 | 24 |
| Joey Logano | $8,200 | 20 |
| Erik Jones | $6,700 | 31 |
| TOTAL | $50,000 |
Watkins Glen International Raceway has a long, rich history dating back to 1957, and today’s race will also play a huge part in shaping the narrative surrounding the 2022 season. If a driver wins for the first time this season, it will set us up for quite the raucous final race next week. I explained this to one of my oldest friends in the world on Saturday. She has never watched NASCAR and certainly had never heard of playing fantasy NASCAR. (As she explained legumes and the social construct of vegetables to me, I realized we are an excellent case study in old friends not needing to have the same passions to maintain a great relationship.)
I’m hosting another free FanDuel contest for anyone who’d like to give fantasy NASCAR a try. It’s a great way to exercise your competitive nature in an arena you may not be familiar with. If you have thoughts, questions, or a solid argument regarding legumes versus nuts, hit me up on Twitter at @thewonkypenguin. And, as always, good luck!