Overview

With the weekend coming to an end the Cup Series drivers take their turn at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the racing this weekend has been entertaining, to say the least. LVMS is a 1.5-mile asphalt oval that has very similar characteristics to Kansas Motor Speedway. The drivers will turn 267 laps for 400 miles giving us a good amount of dominator points available. We once again saw trouble in practice and in qualifying outlining some plays that are interesting from an ownership standpoint but more on that below.

Strategy

For the third straight week now we’ve seen the Cup Series drivers have trouble with the cars in practice and in qualifying. In this race, I’ll be looking to go the place differential route in cash games and single entry simply because that’s the safer route to go with so many good drivers qualifying deep in the field. In tournaments, I’ll focus more on guys that I expect to grab the dominator points while peppering in some guys starting more in the middle of the field with low ownership but also the upside to win. There are a number of ways to build for this race.

Most comparable tracks: Kansas Motor Speedway

*Note: all pricing is DraftKings focused

Dominators

I’m looking to roster two of these guys in each lineup.

Kyle Larson ($11,300), Starting 2nd

Larson starts second and had the best practice session of any driver in the garage. The fact that he qualified in the first row should come as no surprise based on how Larson has been running over the past year-plus, specifically on the 1.5 mile tracks. In the two races at LVMS last season Larson led 95 laps and 103 laps winning the first race. Look for him to lead a chunk early and contend at the end.

Chase Elliott ($11,000), Starting 5th

In three 10 trips to LVMS Elliott has three top-five finishes while also having six top fives including a win in 12 career trips to Kansas. Posting the eighth-best practice round, Elliott in a strong car will be a Hendrick driver opposite of the Larson chalk that could factor for the win with some dominator points today.

Ryan Blaney ($10,500), Starting 11th

Blaney could be considered a dark horse and someone that I think gets avoided from an ownership standpoint. His salary is prohibitive compared to the other popular options but this is a good track for him. The Penske driver finished fifth in both races at LVMS last year and in practice was able to post the third-fastest run. Starting barely outside of the top 10 there’s a balance of P.D. points available while being close enough up front to be a dark horse dominator.

Brad Keselowski ($8,400), Starting 15th

Former Penske driver and Series Champion Brad Keselowski returns to a track in which he’s had a ton of success at over his career. In 17 trips to LVMS as a Cup driver BK has 12 top 10’s, eight top five’s, and three victories and finished second and seventh in the two races their last year respectively. After a strong showing at Daytona, Brad had a rough go of it last week and a tough time in practice this week. Despite the lackluster practice round, BK qualified in 15th, is priced down, and has the history of performing well here. I don’t expect him to have much ownership at all.

Also Consider:

Joey Logano ($10,800), Starting 6th

Alex Bowman ($8,700), Starting 13th

Place Differential Targets

Kurt Busch ($8,900), Starting 31st

Kurt will be one of the heavy chalk plays but I see him as “good chalk” based on his ability, experience, and simply his practice performance. The Outlaw was very good during his practice run but when it came to qualifying he simply lost the car a bit and in my opinion over drove the machine. With a great salary and a ton of P.D. upside, I’m not going to think twice about rostering him.

Kyle Busch ($10,200), Starting 37th

Practice for brother Kyle went the complete opposite. KB wrecked his primary car when he got loose early on in practice and will go to a backup car. Rest assured, though, this car will be just as well equipped as his primary car and starting back at 37th will make him supreme chalk and, once again, a tough fade just as he was the other night in the Truck race. Busch finished third in both Vegas races last season.

Ross Chastain ($7,500), Starting 18th

Chastain’s aggresive driving style is something that as DFS players we have to live with or die with when rostering him. Despite a top 10 practice round Chastain qualified back in 18th giving him some P.D. upside. It’s been a rough start to the season for the new Trackhouse driver with finishes in 40th and 29th over the last two weeks. This is a good spot to consider Chastain as an upside play with virtually zero ownership. With risk COULD come reward here.

Also Consider

Erik Jones ($7,300), Starting 23rd

Ty Dillon ($5,600), Starting 32nd

Justin Haley ($6,100), Starting 28th

Speedy Notes

Driver(s) that I have the most exposure to: Kyle Busch

Driver I’m fading that worries me: NONE

Driver(s) I have zero interest in: Kevin Harvick

GOOD LUCK!!