Welcome to my NASCAR DFS Breakdown! In this article, I will go over everything you need to know when playing NASCAR DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel. You can find all of our Core Plays throughout NASCAR Premium Package, or you can click here to join our free Discord! Whether you’re brand new or have been playing for a while, it’s important to know the scoring and data to look at to be a better DFS player for any sport.
DraftKings Scoring
There aren’t a ton of ways for drivers to score fantasy points, so it’s important to know how the scoring works. Most weeks, we usually target guys that can lead or score fast laps with drivers that offer place differential. Dominator points matter more for the races that have a lot of laps. Bristol and Martinsville are both 500 laps, so it makes sense to target multiple dominators for those races. These are the weeks where the punts are playable as well because the lineup scores are way higher. Tracks like COTA, Sonoma, Daytona, and Talladega, there are less laps which means finishing position and place differential are more important.
FanDuel Scoring
The FanDuel scoring is similar to DraftKings, but there are definitely some differences to take note of. Laps led and place differential are worth less, and there is no scoring for fast laps. Also, drivers receive points for every lap they complete in a race. FanDuel is more about finishing position and place differential while DraftKings is more about the dominators most weeks. I wouldn’t play any of the punts with the way the scoring works on this site.
Place Differential
This is definitely an important factor when selecting which drivers you want in your DFS lineups. Usually, there would be qualifying to set the starting grid but with COVID, the field is set with a formula. Finishing position, fastest lap, and point standings are the factors used for this. Obviously, we want to target the drivers that can move up from their starting spot and get a solid finish. If Kyle Busch started 10th and finished 5th on DraftKings, he would score 44 fantasy points. If Brad Keselowski started 5th and finished 10th, he would score 29 fantasy points. Next season, we’ll have practice data available to help identify the place differential plays. Right now, we just have to look at which teams unload well at specific types of tracks. These drivers are usually the most popular plays in contests, so it does make sense to fade some of them.
Dominators
In order to takedown NASCAR GPPS, you need to have the right dominator(s). It’s hard sometimes to predict which drivers will dominate without practice. The good thing is there’s still data we can look at to help figure out which drivers are most likely to be the leaders. Like I said earlier, the number of dominators we need in our lineups really depends on how many laps there are in a given race. This is something that’s more important on DraftKings because you get 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 for every fast lap. On Fanduel, each lap led is only worth 0.10, and there’s no scoring for fast laps.
Track History
Racing Reference and Driver Averages are my favorite sites to use when looking at track history and data. The different types of tracks are short tracks, intermediates, flat tracks, superspeedways, and road courses. There are more specific types like cookie-cutters and steep tracks as well. Identifying which drivers perform well at a specific track or type is important. The races that require driver talent are the ones where track history is crucial. Obviously, there’s a lot of variance in NASCAR DFS, so it’s not a guarantee that a driver will run well even if the data might show it. Mike Trout might have a great BVP vs an opposing pitcher but could easily go 0-4 that night. Whether it’s a wreck, speeding penalty, or lucky strategy, the variance in NASCAR DFS is very high and nothing like NBA and NFL. Don’t celebrate your winnings until the results are final!
Tips for Cash Games
- Target 1-2 dominators and pair them with drivers that offer place differential
- Consistency is key (Some drivers tend to wreck more than others like Brandon Jones)
- Play the chalk (The popular plays are the best for a reason)
Tips for GPP Lineups
- Don’t be afraid to leave salary on the table (Could get you a unique lineup)
- Fade some of the chalkier plays (Usually prefer to fade the place differential plays because fading the wrong dominator could kill your chances of cashing)
- What is your approach? Are you trying to cash or takedown a tournament? I think this is something that’s important to know for yourself
- Take the drivers that are inconsistent (They’re usually the ones that make the big difference in GPPs)
I hope you guys enjoyed reading my free article and hope you’ve learned something that’ll help you become a better NASCAR DFS player! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you haven’t already @DFS_NASCAR_Zone, so you can see when I post NASCAR DFS content or ask any questions! Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day!
