Tomorrow, we have the Wise Power 400 race in Fontana, California. After almost two years without practice and qualifying, NASCAR returned to its traditional format last Sunday. They have altered the traditional format for practice and qualifying this weekend, however. NASCAR will move away from separate practice and qualifying sessions and split the field into two groups based on their finishing order from the previous race for one 15-minute warmup/practice session each. After the warmup/practice session, single-car, single-lap qualifying will be held, in which the five fastest drivers from each group will advance to the second round and compete for the pole. Bristol, Dover, Richmond, and Martinsville will follow the same scheme.
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Strategy
NASCAR returns to Auto Club Speedway following a year-long absence due to COVID restrictions. Since we last visited the two-mile oval, a lot has changed. The lap count will remain the same as last week’s debut race at Daytona and will feature 200 laps. Unlike the Daytona 500, this is a track that favors dominators. It is rare to see multiple drivers leading laps here. My advice would be to lock in one guy you have a strong feeling about. Depending on what the rest of your team looks like around your dominant driver, consider splurging on that backup option. A solid insurance policy is always a good idea.
This week, the Money Train delves into the DFS options for Sunday’s Cup Series event in Fontana. The selections are broken down between high salary, mid-range, and value play. Included are player salaries from both FanDuel (FD) and DraftKings (DK). Best of luck to everyone with lineups this weekend.
High Salary
Kyle Busch (10,400 DK | 13,000 FD)
It’s no wonder Fontana is one of Busch’s most successful tracks, considering he has only raced there 22 times and still has four wins (fourth-most among career tracks). Additionally, he has had the best average finish on two-mile intermediate tracks since 2019. Over the last two years, Rowdy has sometimes been difficult to trust. Many will blame a lack of practice opportunities. The fact that we have practiced again should take away all excuses. He’s still a young driver with plenty of good racing left in him. If you’re investing in Busch, make sure he secures a favorable qualifying position. Seeding through traffic might thwart any dominator potential.
Kyle Larson (11,600 DK | 14,000 FD)
Larson will be looking to rebound at Fontana after getting caught up in the big one at Daytona, which cost half a dozen drivers a good finish. Larson had a couple of forgettable finishes here, most notably in 2020. It’s important to remember, however, that he’s also had some very effective finishes, such as a win in 2017 and two runner-up finishes. It is a track intended for dominators, as I stated previously. The reason is not the number of laps run, but because once the leader gains a foothold, it can be quite difficult to pass them as we’ve seen. During the last four Cup visits to Fontana, the winner has led more than 100 laps.
Mid-Range
Alex Bowman (9,000 DK | 10,000 FD)
As an organization, Hendrick Motorsports took the biggest hit in the season opener. Three of their four drivers, including Bowman, were involved in wrecks. In visiting a track where he has had some relatively recent success, Bowman should be able to make up some of the ground he lost in the past week. During our last visit here, two years ago, Bowman led 110 of the 200 laps en route to a dominant victory. In addition to being the reigning champ at Fontana, this will also be a low down force, high horsepower rules package. He won three races in this setup last season. Based on where Bowman qualifies Saturday, he could be a valuable addition if you want to pair him with Larson as part of a Hendricks stack.
Value Play
Chase Briscoe (7,200 DK | 5,500 FD)
The Fords were as good as advertised at Daytona and Briscoe was especially strong. After overcoming an early spinout, he finished on the podium. Last season, Briscoe showed glimpses of a driver who could eventually take over the mantle from Kevin Harvick upon his retirement, which is a good sign for Stewart-Haas. Briscoe has only run at Fontana twice, both times as an Xfinity driver. In his most recent visit in 2020, he finished 19th after a disappointing spinout late in the race. Despite finishing 19th, he led 16 laps that day. If he can qualify among the top 20, that would be ideal. Briscoe would have more than enough meat on the bone.
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