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After a postponed Daytona 500, and close call accident for NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, we are officially moving on to the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last year, NASCAR announced a schedule change for 2020 that put Vegas as the second race of the season, and it's an exciting one for fans, and drivers alike ( I mean who wouldn't want to go straight from the super bowl of racing to the Sin City to keep the party rolling?). Things get wild in Vegas, and this race shouldn't be anything short of wild come Sunday.
Joey Logano took the victory in the 2019 Pennzoil 400, and led a total of 86 laps. It was a strong showing for Fords in this race as well with half of the Top 10 finishes belonging to Mustangs. I also found it low-key fitting that Logano's primary sponsor was also the race sponsor last year, and if you wanna use that as some sort of lucky charm, throw some cash on Logano, and Ryan Blaney this Sunday.
Both practices have now been completed, and we have almost everything we will need to set lineups for Sunday's race in Vegas. Be sure to be on the lookout for the all-new NASCAR DFS rankings by Drew Deen in the NASCAR Premium Package, (Click that link in the italic text fam!) and plug-in some lineups using his research. With both the Garage Guys in the building now, this season is going to be so lit for you (yeah I'm talking to you reading this) that we are just going to start saying "It's It".
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Joey Logano #22 (DraftKings $10,700 | FanDuel $13,000 | DK SportsBook +700)
Logano had a solid first practice posting a top speed of 178.042. Being the race winner at this track last season may be one reason to play him, but his history in Vegas is the most appealing reason. Logano has posted a Top 10 finish at every race at this track since 2014, and that alone is why he gets a spot on my roster.
Update: Logano will start fifth, and that doesn't change anything. Still should be a top contender to win this race.
Kyle Busch #18 (DraftKings $12,400 | FanDuel $14,000 | DK SportsBook +550)
M&Ms Busch will be Snickers Busch this week (the car looks pretty sexy), and obviously, that's just a visually appealing bonus to why you would play him any given Sunday. We all know that Busch is one of NASCAR's top dogs, and it's only a matter of time before he gets a win. Busch has had two Top 5 finishes in Vegas since 2018, and if he qualifies behind P10, he's worth the price tag.
Update: Rowdy has fallen a little off my radar now that he got the pole. He will also be starting from the rear, and will be graded from first, so to me he's not worth the price anymore.
Alex Bowman #88 (DraftKings $8,700 | FanDuel $9,000 | DK SportsBook +3000)
Bowman showed us last season that he has improved his game at intermediate tracks, and I feel that that success will resurface this Sunday. Bowman scored two Top 10's in practice on Friday with a top speed of 177.632. Bowman racked a Top 10 finish at this track in last season's fall race, and I smell another one brewing for this race on Sunday.
Update: Bowman starts P12, and sits well on both Drew Deen, and Sean Engel's Rankings this week.
Matt DiBenedetto #21 (DraftKings $7,400 | FanDuel $7,800 | DK SportsBook +4000)
Matty D didn't have the luck I had hoped for him to have in the Daytona 500, but we're moving on to a different style of track where he is already showing promise. DiBenedetto finished the second practice on Friday in P5 with a speed of 178.814, and ran P6 in the first practice. With that consistency, he should be a solid lower-priced driver to squeeze in your lineups this week.
Update: Matty D is starting in 19th, and should preform decent for the price.
Kevin Harvick #4 (DraftKings $12,000 | FanDuel $13,500 | DK SportsBook +500)
Harvick seems to be the Vegas favorite this week, and you have to respect it with what he has accomplished in his career at intermediate tracks. We are so used to seeing him own Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second week of the season, so it's going to be interesting to see how things shake out. Harvick finished the second practice in P4 on Friday with a speed of 179.015.
Update: We're pounding K-Harvs all weekend long now. Harvick is in prime position to get up front early, and stack some points starting in P3.
Clint Bowyer #14 (DraftKings $8,000 | FanDuel $8,000 | DK SportsBook +2800)
WHY IS BOWYER PRICED SO LOW!? On Friday's GGFS Podcast, Drew and I discussed this, and we both agreed that he is one hell of a value play this week. Bowyer went hard in both practices on Friday, taking P2 in both runs with a top speed of 179.271. Bottom line is that Bowyer is hungry for a victory, and even if he doesn't get it here this week, he should at least have a great race-car capable of a Top 10 finish.
Update: Still love Bowyer at this price. He starts in 9th, and is still a diamond in the rough.
Kurt Busch #1 (DraftKings $8,900 | FanDuel $9,300 | DK SportsBook +3000)
Hello, It's Me, the "Back on My Busch-It" boy (I just genuinely love saying that every time I know I'm going to play Kurt). I know most of you might not like this, but this is my "Go with The Gut" play of the week. Monster Busch ran practice two with a speed of 177.2234 and bagged P7. I'm prepared to go out on a limb and say that he finishes better than his brother on Sunday.
Update: You may not like it, but you will respect it. I see Kurt being a sleeper in this race.
Kyle Larson #42 (DraftKings $9,800 | FanDuel $10,000 | DK SportsBook +900)
It's my first official Larson write up of the season, and although he made his comment about winning the Chili Bowl being better than bagging the Daytona 500, I have to give him a shot this week. Since the start of his NASCAR Cup Series career, Larson has finished inside the Top 10 a total of five times. Larson looked good in both practices on Friday, bagging two Top 10's. Unless he starts on the pole, I'll have him in my lineups this Sunday.
Update: Larson starts sixth on Sunday, and made it to the top tier in Drew Deen's Premium Rankings this week. Fire away with this week's poster boy.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase and subscribe to the Garage Guys Fantasy Sports Podcast for Fantasy NASCAR and Fantasy Football talk. Good luck RotoBallers!
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