NASCAR

Daily Fantasy NASCAR: Current Form, Track History, and Betting Odds for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500

Alex Bowman has a low floor because of where he's starting Sunday at Texas, but his speed on similar tracks gives him upside. What else should we know before setting NASCAR DFS lineups?

As with last week, we know who's going to be fast on Sunday as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas. That's a luxury we should not take for granted.

Because we're so deep in the season, we have plenty of data on drivers with their current teams and on tracks like the one they'll be running that week. Texas is a high-banked, 1.5-mile track. It's the 11th race of the season on a 1.5-mile track and the fifth such race with high banking.

We should be able to mop up late in the season, even without practice data at our disposal. We just have to make sure we're taking advantage of these crutches.

The table below includes data from nine different races. The current form section includes the three non-Texas races at high-banked, 1.5-mile tracks (Atlanta and the two Charlotte races) along with three races at 1.5-mile tracks with lower banking. Although those won't be as key as the tracks more similar to Texas, they've all been relatively recent, and they can still signal to us who will be fast on Sunday.

The track history section includes one race from this year and two from 2019. The 2020 race was in July, meaning most drivers should be in pretty similar form to what they were at the time. It'll be a better indicator for us of what to expect than the Atlanta and Charlotte races, all of which took place in May or early June.

As always, the numbers included there are each driver's average running position rather than their finish. Alex Bowman ($10,000) led 164 laps in the first Charlotte race and was the dominant car in the field. However, he ran into trouble late and finished 19th. His fourth-place average running position paints a more accurate picture of his performance than where he was on the final lap.

The other data listed is each driver's starting position, FanDuel salary, and win odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. The win odds are in fractional form, so Kevin Harvick ($14,000) being listed at 2.6 means he's +260 to win.

Current
Form
Track
History
DriverFD
Salary
Win
Odds
StartingKansas
2
Vegas
2
Kansas
1
AtlantaCharlotte
2
Charlotte
1
20202019
Fall
2019
Spring
Kevin Harvick$14,0002.6139636148612
Joey Logano$13,0008.526192012487912
Brad Keselowski$11,0001335144101811113532
Chase Elliott$12,500124541267713359
Alex Bowman$10,000325761212134131021
Martin Truex Jr.$12,00012610743183171311
Denny Hamlin$13,3005.57943613369249
Kurt Busch$10,5002481813111461281013
Kyle Busch$11,30013912964289797
Ryan Blaney$11,6001310586941151317
William Byron$8,50042111215153616718128
Austin Dillon$9,00042121513231889141411
Aric Almirola$9,40032131615817221710410
Matt DiBenedetto$8,000751415821131217111424
Christopher Bell$7,4001301513181918141522----
Cole Custer$7,6001301616171622202224----
Erik Jones$10,7002117191591719119715
Bubba Wallace$6,00020018202527211833202223
Tyler Reddick$9,200351918291215131015----
Chris Buescher$6,50020020231827221817171719
Clint Bowyer$10,20042211311177213417139
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.$6,80020022202335141123243516
Michael McDowell$6,50020023221824251824232715
John Hunter Nemechek$5,500200242219182516212423--
Ryan Newman$7,00017025222024201919181712
Jimmie Johnson$9,8004726211719917727208
Ty Dillon$4,50020027272525242827242121
Corey LaJoie$4,00020028252425272525233731
Ryan Preece$5,00020029232527252123281725
Daniel Suarez$5,500200303030253127282979
Brennan Poole$3,5002003131313530353132----
Matt Kenseth$7,2001303232202018302219----
J.J. Yeley$3,000200333233283432362926--
Quin Houff$3,000200343435323332373232--
Reed Sorenson$3,0002003537--3237----33--35
Timmy Hill$3,00020036363838383436373638
Josh Bilicki$3,000200373636323437--3732--
Garrett Smithley$3,00020038----32334034--3234
Joey Gase$3,0002003939363437393837----
Chad Finchum$3,000200403939--------------


As mentioned in this week's podcast, it's wise to get two playoff drivers (those starting in the top eight spots) into most rosters for the race. The exception could be in lineups where you roll out Ryan Blaney ($11,600).

Blaney's no longer in the playoffs, but he has been electric on tracks like this in 2020. He has finished fourth or better in three of the four races. In the other -- the first Texas race -- he led 150 laps and was the only driver to post a top-five average running position. Blaney lacks the same motivation as the playoff drivers, but there's still reason to consider him from the 10th spot.

One driver who requires a major note from the sheet -- and illustrates the pitfalls of track history -- is Daniel Suarez ($5,500). Suarez had a top-nine average running position in both Texas races last year and checks in with a punt-level salary. However, that came with Stewart-Haas Racing. He's no longer in competitive equipment, which is reflected in his recent runs. This is why you should start by looking at current form before eventually sprinkling in the 2019 Texas races to see who checks all the boxes.