NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 DFS Picks
- RoundersKyle
- Jul 26
- 3 min read
The NASCAR Cup Series is in Indianapolis this week for the Brickyard 400 for racing on the large 2.5 mile speedway. Track position is going to be important and dominators will not rack up as many points as a normal week since there are fewer laps on the large track. We have a lot of fast cars starting towards the back as we saw a lot of guys have trouble in qualifying and having to lift or getting into the wall.
Potential Dominators
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Tyler Reddick
Briscoe has picked things up this summer as he has been fast in a lot of recent races and went out and got the pole for the Brickyard 400. He should lead at the start and could be a contender throughout the race. He won at Pocono which is a similar track and he will likely be a popular play this weekend. Byron was fast again in practice but he has not backed it up in races recently. He starts in 6th so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him lead in the race but with his inconsistency he is not someone I am confident in. Reddick had top 5 speed in practice and finished 2nd here at Indy last year. 23XI Racing did have problems at Pocono that cause tires to blow so their is some concern with them. But if he doesn't have any issues I would expect him to be a contender throughout the race this week.
Place Differential Plays
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Ryan Preece
Hamlin had one of the best cars in practice and was tracking for the pole until he crashed and will not be starting at the back with a backup car. He should still have a good car and has huge place differential potential for a driver that could be a threat for the win if he can make his way through the field. Chase Elliott is another driver that got loose in qualifying so he starts way back in 30th spot. He was solid in practice and should make his way towards the front and run top 10 with upside to contend for the win at the end of the day. Blaney has some of the best results at Indy and Pocono in the last two season but he really struggled in practice and was not happy with his car. I assume they will get some things fixed and be better on Sunday but he does concern me a little with how bad he was. Going off his history though and starting 24th he is a usable option and could be a home run if they get his car good for the race. Preece starts in 23rd and has been running in the top 15 in recent months. He finished 8th at Pocono and was 12th in 10 lap averages in practice so he could be a good option at $7300 salary.
Cheap Options
Michael McDowell
John Hunter Nemechek
Zane Smith
Justin Haley
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
McDowell had some great practice times and starts back in 22nd this week. He should have potential to move forward and have top 15 potential for the race. He may have lower ownership than some others as he is a little more expensive and starts a little closer forward but I think he is a solid option. Nemechek will be a top cheap option this week as he was fast in practice and then almost wreck in qualifying so he starts in the back. He has a ton of place differential potential and legitimate top 10 potential based on speed this week. Zane Smith and Justin Haley were alright in practice and they start in 27th and 28th. There isn't too much that stands out for them but I think they should run around the top 20 and are solid option at their price. Stenhouse starts back in 32nd so he has a lot of place differential potential and seemed solid on the long run in practice. He should be a good flier cheap play that can save you some salary this week.
BONUS VALUE PLAYS: Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace
I would not be surprised to see these drivers have a good race but they are riskier plays with their starting spots and did not stand out as much in practice.
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