NASCAR DFS Picks: Food City Dirt Race

NASCAR heads to Tennessee this weekend to take on fan favorite Bristol Motor Speedway, but there’s a twist. NASCAR has thrown dirt down all over the track, doing the first dirt track race in many years. Heavy favorite Kyle Larson will start on the pole but drop to the rear due to an engine issue in practice to start the race, making for some interesting decisions for DFS players to make this weekend. With that being said, let’s dive into the NASCAR DFS picks and discuss how to should approach this from a DraftKings and FanDuel perspective.

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NASCAR DFS Strategy: Food City Dirt Race

This is the first time any of these drivers or NASCAR in general will be running a dirt track race at Bristol Motor Speedway, so it’s really anyone’s best guess on what to expect. When there’s this much uncertainty and things that are abnormal that are expected during a race, the best idea is to play it safe and target place differential points in most lineups. There is a very strong chance there will be a large number of cautions and wrecks on Sunday, and the drivers starting the back offer a high floor and ceiling combination. This is a similar strategy to superspeedway tracks, and it tends to be profitable. Don’t think this means fade drivers starting near the front, but they are better reserved for tournaments rather than cash games.

Upper-Tier Driver Picks

Christopher Bell: $11,000 DraftKings – $13,500 FanDuel (15th)

He will not get quite the recognition that Kyle Larson does for being a dirt track ringer, but Bell in his own right has an impressive resume in this style of racing. The fact that Larson is going to the rear opens up things for Bell to charge to the lead early on and pick up dominator points. His starting position also offers place-differential upside as well and is one of the top plays on the board. He is getting plenty of respect in Vegas as well, as he opened with the second-best odds to win and has stayed there all weekend.

Chase Briscoe: $9,900 DraftKings – $9,500 FanDuel (25th)

Speaking of drivers that have a strong background in dirt racing, Briscoe fits the mold as well and will be a threat on Sunday. He currently owns the third-best odds to win the race in Vegas and had top-15 speeds in final practice on Friday. His starting position makes him an elite place differential play, and his price tag isn’t overly expensive either. He is an excellent target in cash games if prices of Christopher Bell or Tyler Reddick are not accessible.

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Mid-Tier Driver Picks

Chase Elliott: $8,700 DraftKings – $13,000 FanDuel (26th)

This is a much more appealing play on DraftKings, as Elliott is only the 11th-most expensive driver on their site compared to being the third-most expensive driver over on FanDuel. He is in play on both sites, but he is more of an easy fit on DraftKings. But his starting position leaves a lot of room for potential on Sunday, and Elliott is going to be a very popular pick in all formats. In fact, he is projected to be Awesemo’s No. 2 scorer on DraftKings. He has been gaining a lot of dirt track experience lately and posted some really strong practice times on Friday. Plus, Hendrick cars continue to lead the top team in NASCAR.

Kurt Busch: $7,800 DraftKings – $7,000 FanDuel (28th)

Busch is not a big dirt driver, but it is hard to pass someone up of his caliber starting this far back in the field at this price tag. He posted top-10 speeds in practice on Friday and has top-20 Vegas odds to win as well. If this track turns more “Bristol” late in the race like some drivers mentioned, it would be a plus for Busch, as this is typically a good track for him.

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Value Driver Picks

Ty Dillon: $6,600 DraftKings – $2,500 FanDuel (39th)

As stated before, this race should lead to lineups that resemble superspeedway lineups. In that case, Dillon pops off the page, as he starts dead last on Sunday. He is the safest option on the board and therefore cannot lose any place-differential points. He also has a lot of dirt experience that will work in his favor.

Corey LaJoie: $5,000 DraftKings – $2,000 FanDuel (30th)

LaJoie is purely a price play here, as he is dirt cheap on both websites and the bare minimum on FanDuel. He was top 25 in practice, and if he can survive until the end without carnage, he should be able to gain a handful of spots and pay off his cheap price tag.

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