NASCAR

NASCAR Daily Fantasy Helper: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

If you are looking for an action-packed way to get your sports fix, NASCAR may be a great avenue to explore. Far from just driving in circles, some of the world's best compete nearly every weekend from February to November on tracks across America. NASCAR drivers are scored ultimately based on how they finish in the race, how many spots they advance from their starting position, and how many laps they finish and lead. Avoiding drivers that crash out of the race is a must, of course!

Here at numberFire, we've always got you covered for everything NASCAR DFS. Every week, in addition to this helper, we have a current form and stats breakdown to dive deeper into this weekend's action. Our track preview breaks down this week's venue, and we also have The Heat Check Fantasy Podcast, where Jim Sannes breaks down his favorite slate for this rare Wednesday night NASCAR Cup Series event.

A wild race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday left Brad Keselowski thanking his lucky stars again. After pitting late for tires, he was in position to capitalize when Joey Logano and Chase Elliott collided. It was Keselowski's second win of the season and second straight win taking the lead from Elliott with less than five laps to go. Keselowski and the rest of NASCAR's best will turn their attention from the short track to the worn, slick Atlanta Motor Speedway for this Sunday's 500-mile race.

As has been the case with all Sunday events since the return from the COVID-19 break, there is no practice and qualifying, so the starting lineup was set by a tiered random draw. There will be no impact on the official FanDuel starting positions even if a driver fails inspection and must start at the rear. The pit selections were determined by Sunday's finishing order at Bristol.

With that, let's preview the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on FanDuel.

Higher-Priced Drivers

Kevin Harvick ($14,000): As is the case with so many 1.5-mile races, the slate begins at the feet of Kevin Harvick. Harvick has had a special kind of dominance here at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading at least 100 laps in four of the last five races at Atlanta. Normally, there would be a level of concern that 2019's race was the one exception, but Harvick also has the most recent success on a 1.5-mile track, where he led a race-high 63 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway's 500 kilometre event. Harvick will be a factor from ninth on the grid at one of his strongest race tracks.

Chase Elliott ($12,300): There are three great options in this high-salary area, including Brad Keselowski ($13,200), who has finished on the podium of the last three Atlanta races, but it is hard to deny Chase Elliott's record in 2020. He's led a lap in every race except one of the Darlington pair, and last time the series was on a 1.5-mile track at Charlotte, Elliott closed strong with the victory. Atlanta is much different than Charlotte but is similarly slick as Las Vegas, where he won both stages and was in position to win until he blew a tire. Elliott has had the most consistent speed at all tracks in 2020 and starts from the pole with a great chance to win stages and lead laps Sunday.

Mid-Priced Drivers

Kurt Busch ($11,000): With those big-three options in place, the slate tends to learn toward more of a stars-and scrubs approach, but if you want to dip into the middle tier, it's hard to argue with Kurt Busch. Busch has six top-10 finishes in his last seven races, and it has come with the potential to lead and win. Busch led the opening 54 laps in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, as well. Busch will be a solid bet for his fifth straight top-10 finish at AMS, and he does not have far to go to get there from his starting spot of 12th.

Tyler Reddick ($7,800): The back-to-back Xfinity Series champion is off to an incredible start to his Cup Series career. Reddick crashed early at Bristol with Ricky Stenhouse (as many will), but he had four straight top-15 outings before that. And at the similarly slick track at Las Vegas, Reddick actually had a top-10 running position before a tire failed. The speed has been notable for a team that lacked it last year at Richard Childress Racing, but the reason Reddick is an elite FanDuel play on Sunday is his starting position, where he will roll off 24th with top-10 potential.

Lower-Priced Drivers

Cole Custer ($5,500): Like Reddick, Custer is also in his rookie campaign, but it has not gone well so far. He has just two top-20 finishes in his last five races, but this is a great opportunity to buy-low on Custer for two reasons. Custer won four 1.5-mile Xfinity Series events last year, including the slick Chicagoland Speedway, which compares similarly to Atlanta. Custer also has teammate Kevin Harvick in his stable, which means he will have good data to draw from when formulating his setup. Custer's poor draw on Thursday (starting 31st) makes him the best value in the player pool, and he will have the machine under him Sunday to best his career-best finish of ninth.

Michael McDowell ($4,000): Want to dig deep inside the bargain bin? You can go to Michael McDowell, as this price is very low for a Front Row Motorsports team that has had plenty of success with teammate John Hunter Nemechek ($6,000) this season. McDowell himself has four top-20 showings this season and should contend for one on Sunday if he stays problem free. We're buying the floor here, however, as McDowell has never bested 24th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he will have the equipment to ascend quickly from a deep 36th in the starting lineup.



Austin Swaim is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austin Swaim also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username ASwaim3. 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.