NASCAR Daily Fantasy Helper: Bank of America ROVAL 400
After rattling off yet another playoff victory, Martin Truex Jr. and the rest of the cup series heads to the Charlotte Roval for the second time ever. This track gave us a very exciting race last year that resulted in the now famous end of race wreck between Truex and Jimmie Johnson. Which then lead to Ryan Blaney winning the race. In case this wasn't obvious already, any data from May's Charlotte race is pretty irrelevant here, as this is a much different 2.3 mile track as opposed to the more traditional 1.5 mile oval that they race for the Coke 600. Let's talk about who you might want to roster this weekend to help you win a GPP!
Here at numberFire, we've always got you covered for everything NASCAR DFS. Our track preview gives you more information about the history of the track, our driver preview helps bring you up to speed on recent driver history, and our Heat Check Podcast with Jim Sannes gives you insight to how he is approaching this weekend's slate.
High-Priced Drivers
Martin Truex Jr. ($14,500) - I don't care that he is being sent to the rear for an engine change. We're still talking about the best road racer in NASCAR since at least the start of the 2018 season. At the two previous road races this campaign, Truex is averaging a driver rating of 137.3, which includes a win at Sonoma and a second-place finish at Watkins Glen. And because there are only 109 laps here, I am not that concerned about the laps-led points he might lose out on starting in the back. Even though he already has two wins in this round of the playoffs, the points system incentives him to perform well here to make advancing to the rounds of eight and four much easier. Truex is a solid play in all formats this week.
Denny Hamlin ($11,500) - These two might be a part of the chalk build this week and for pretty clear reasons. Like Truex, Hamlin has performed well at road courses this season, and he also comes into this race with pretty decent recent form. Hamlin is also being sent to the rear here for having to use a backup car. But even with the backup, Hamlin managed the fifth-fastest five-lap average speed in final practice. Similar to Truex, Hamlin has massive place-differential upside along with an ability to potentially lead laps on Sunday.
Mid-Priced Drivers
Erik Jones ($9,000) - If anyone needs a win at the Roval, it's Jones. Jones has been down a path of bad luck through the first two weeks of the playoffs. Between car failure at Vegas and a rare disqualification after a great finish at Richmond, something right needs to swing in the way of the number-20 car. Jones has been one of the stronger performers at road tracks, coming into this race with a driver rating of 100 in such races, the sixth-best mark in the field. Because he has the skill to perform in road races, you have to believe in his ability to win here. Of course, this is a tournament-only play, as there is not much fantasy safety with him starting 15th.
Matt DiBenedetto ($8,000) - One of the few non-playoff drivers who I think can do well here, DiBenedetto has been dominant at road courses in 2019. He comes in here with a driver rating of 99 at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Not only that, but last season -- in inferior equipment -- DiBenedetto drove to a 13th-place finish here (albeit with some help from Jimmie Johnson and Truex). Starting in 18th, there is certainly room for him to move up in the field and finish in the top 10. If he's able to do so, he could crack into the optimal lineup at this price tag.
Low-Priced Drivers
William Byron ($7,700) - Starting on the pole, Byron has the potential to lead laps, and at this price tag, he can be a value asset if he is able to do so. If you remember at Sonoma, Byron started in second, where he made a quick pass on Kyle Larson and took the lead on his way to a stellar Stage 1. Byron actually lead the second-most laps that day (21), behind only race winner Martin Truex Jr. (59). It's possible that we can see a similar performance here, where Byron is able to lead a good chunk of laps in the early part of this race. Because then, even if he eventually drops a few spots, Byron still has a path to being in the optimal lineup, and let's not forget that Byron ran the second-fastest five-lap average in final practice.
Chris Buescher ($6,700) - I don't know if I'm used to seeing Chris Buescher start a race in the top 15. Regardless, Buescher is an interesting GPP play this weekend. At the road courses this season, he has managed a better driver rating then the likes of Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, and Ryan Newman to name a few. Being a former teammate of road course pro A.J. Allmendinger may have aided Buescher's ability to be a strong road racer. If Buescher is able to maintain a top-15 position by the end of the race, then he to can find himself potentially in the optimal lineup.
Evan Cheney is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Evan Cheney also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username theman90210. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
