The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday night for the Quaker State 400. This marks the second time in 2023 that NASCAR visits Atlanta and it kicks off a long stretch of races in the Eastern time zone. This is also the fourth time NASCAR has visited Atlanta since the re-pave a couple of years ago that transformed this 1.5-mile intermediate into a drafting track similar to Daytona and Talladega. Be sure to check out the Quaker State 400 Preview that was published earlier this week before you start to build your NASCAR DFS driver pool. The last two pole sitters at Atlanta, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliot, both led over 90 laps on their way to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Do we see this weekend’s pole sitter make it three straight? Let’s dig into this week’s Quaker State 400 picks for NASCAR DFS.
Quaker State 400: The Top 10
- Aric Almirola (#10 Stewart-Haas Racing)
- Ryan Blaney (#12 Team Penske)
- Chase Briscoe (#14 Stewart-Haas Racing)
- Joey Logano (#22 Team Penske)
- Harrison Burton (#21 Wood Brothers Racing)
- Kevin Harvick (#4 Stewart-Haas Racing)
- Ty Gibbs (#54 Joe Gibbs Racing)
- Kyle Larson (#5 Hendrick Motorsports)
- Todd Gilliland (#38 Front Row Motorsports)
- Austin Cindric (#2 Team Penske)
Look at that. A lot of Fords starting up front. In fact, we have eight Fords starting in the top ten. All three Penske cars and even Harrison Burton, who has an affiliation with Team Penske, are all starting in the top ten. Three SHR cars can also be found in addition to Ryan Preece, who will start P13. This is what we meant earlier this week in the Quaker State 400 Preview that this track suits the Fords perfectly and they should be even more impressive once the race goes green Sunday night. Now we have to remember we can’t start too many cars starting in the top ten. It’s likely some of these drivers finish worse than where they started. We’ll need some other drivers offering position differential points starting deeper in the field.
Which Value-Priced Picks Got A Points Movement Bump?
DraftKings:
- Daniel Suarez – P26, $7,200
- Erik Jones – P25, $7,000
- Corey LaJoie – P28, $6,500
- Austin Dillon – P33, $6,400
FanDuel:
- Bubba Wallace – P37, $8,200
- Alex Bowman – P36, $7,800
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – P28, $6,800
- Corey LaJoe – P28, $4,500
This is actually incredibly unique. Quite often we land on similar drivers on both sites. This week it looks like FanDuel didn’t get the memo on who should be priced up on this track. $10,000 is the average price for a driver on FanDuel. Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman start last in Sunday night’s race so they become Cash game locks on FanDuel. Corey LaJoie has been competitive in his career in this type of race and offers position differential, which will only drive up his overall exposure.
Which Higher-Priced Picks Got A Similar Bump?
DraftKings:
- Kyle Busch – P22, $10,500
- Chase Elliott – P23, $10,400
- Ross Chastain – P30, $9,400
- Christopher Bell – P34, $9,200
- Bubba Wallace – P37, $8,300
- Alex Bowman – P36, $8,100
FanDuel:
- Kyle Busch – P22, $12,500
- Ross Chastain – P30, $11,500
- Chase Elliott – P23, $11,000
- Christopher Bell – P34, $10,500
This was an interesting qualifying session. The NASCAR Xfinity Series generally saw the better teams and drivers qualify up front for their respective race. But for the Cup Series, the tires were lacking grip among the Chevy’s and Toyota’s. So we see plenty of more expensive drivers offering the position differential bumps. I’ve been very high on Ross Chastain all week and love him for all formats, but Christopher Bell is a worthy driver to pay up for as well. He finished third here in the Spring.
Quaker State 400 Picks
When building DFS lineups, don’t commit to just “stacking the back” in cash games. That’s a popular strategy that will undoubtedly draw lineup trains on both sites. Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, and Ross Chastain are solid cores to build around in Double Ups. But use that lost spot or two to find a lower-owned option that sets your lineup apart. I’m only playing Tournaments for Sunday’s race so here are two lineups I’ll be entering for the Quaker State 400 on DraftKings and FanDuel.
DraftKings:
- Ryan Blaney, $9,700
- Ross Chastain, $9,400
- Bubba Wallace, $8,300
- Austin Cindric, $7,300
- Daniel Suarez, $7,200
- Corey LaJoie, $6,500
This lineup attempts to be unique at least. It leaves $1,600 on the table on DraftKings. It features a pair of Fords that are teammate (Blaney and Cindric). Then the two Trackhouse drivers offering position differential (Chastain and Suarez). And lastly we have Bubba Wallace starting dead last, plus Corey LaJoie. Wallace may be worth looking away from in this race because he’ll be so popular, as will LaJoie. Don’t rule out swapping those two out for leverage plays.
FanDuel:
- Ross Chastain, $11,500
- Christopher Bell, $10,500
- Ryan Blaney, $9,500
- Bubba Wallace, $8,200
- Daniel Suarez, $7,000
This lineup leaves $3,300 on the table. You have plenty of pivots you could make. Or one could add Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, or Alex Bowman. You could even look to pivot to a Ford stack to go with Ryan Blaney. As much research as we can give to a slate like this, ultimately we’re trying to piece together a lottery ticket. But this is a lineup I’m throwing together that has a driver that can win and lead laps while targeting four drivers offering position differential.
White Flag Thoughts Before You Go
This style of racing is not my favorite for DFS. You can have massive swings and go from winning big to losing your entry fees. I’ve gone from five-figure returns to simply doubling up after one wreck. And we may actually see more pit road penalties with NASCAR adjusting the entry speeds in turns three and four for pit road. But if you are playing a few lineups, a good rule to set for yourself is to feel comfortable leaving money on the table. In these types of races it’s not out of the ordinary to leave $1,000-$4,000 of salary on the table.
Cash game strategies will likely boil down to targeting position differential with drivers starting deeper in the field. But keep in mind, the polesitter has crushed it in the last two races here so if you feel good about Aric Almirola or Ryan Blaney leading most of the race, I wouldn’t rule them out for cash games.