NASCAR Cup Series Pocono DFS Picks
- RoundersKyle
- Jun 21
- 3 min read
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the tricky triangle this week for racing at the large triangle shaped Pocono track. The unique track with long straightaways creates high speed racing and some crazy restarts during the race. Track position is going to be important and Pocono is a track that fuel strategy often comes into play so we could get some different pit strategies throughout the race as well.
Potential Dominators
Denny Hamlin
Chris Buescher
Hamlin wasn't super happy with his car in practice but seemed confident they would make it better for the race. Well they went out and made it really good for qualifying as he got the pole by a good margin. Pocono is one of his best tracks and he should lead a good amount from the start and be one of the main contenders starting towards the front of the field.
Buescher was another that was really good in practice times running top 5 lap averages throughout the session. He has won at Pocono before and I think he is going to be a contender this weekend as the Fords usually have good speed on the larger tracks this year. He has the track position to contend for the lead early as he starts next to Hamlin in 2nd. I think Hamlin and Buescher are the best options starting up front as a lot of the drivers that were the best in practice start farther back in the field.
Place Differential Plays
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Bubba Wallace
Brad Keselowski
Alex Bowman
William Byron was the fastest car in practice as he was at the top of the chart in 5 and 10 lap averages. Unfortunately he went and wrecked on his qualifying lap so he is going to start in the back likely in a backup car. I still think he will be really good this week but now he is a top place differential play instead of one of the favorites to dominate. Blaney was another driver that had some of the top lap speed in practice and should be able to contend up front if he can get through the field. He starts in 20th so he has room to move forward and I would expect him to run around the top 5 if he can get track position at the front. Wallace was one of the fastest cars in practice but had a starter issue for qualifying so he did not get a qualifying lap in and will start at the back. With him looking so good in practice he should make his way through the field and be one of the best plays of the race this week. Keselowski was another that had really good speed in his practice session and seemed pretty happy with his car. He starts in 14th so he has a little bit of place differential points to gain but with so many top drivers starting farther back he could be lower owned that he should be this week. Bowman finally got on track last week with a top 5 and he had solid speed in practice this week so far. He starts back in 25th so he has a lot of place differential points to gain and should be a good option with top 10 potential at Pocono.
Cheap Options
Josh Berry
Michael McDowell
AJ Allmendinger
Noah Gragson
Berry had some damage to the diffuser in practice so he did not get to qualify and will have to start from the back for the race. This gives him huge place differential potential so I would expect him to be a popular cheap option for the race this weekend as he should move forward as the race progresses. McDowell was fast in practice with lap averages around the top 5 but he had a mistake in qualifying and starts back in 28th. He has a lot of place differential potential and is a good option for DFS at his salary this week. Allmendinger really struggled in practice and qualifying and starts way back in 33rd. They have had speed this season so this is a pick just based on this team hopefully being a lot better in the race. He has a ton of place differential potential so hopefully they can make big changes overnight that help his car. Gragson I think is a sneaky play this week as he starts 17th but he was pretty good in practice. I would not be surprised to see him gain a few spots and be a good play this week at his salary.
Todd Gilliland and Riley Herbst are solid flier plays this week starting towards the back.
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