Articles
Chase Elliott Spin Out Leads To Disappointing Vegas Result
Chase Elliott kept winding up near or at the front early on Sunday. He led three times for a total of 22 laps. However, his car had neither the lift nor speed to stay there. He finished second in Stage 1. Disaster struck 99 laps from the end when the Hendrick Motorsports driver spun out […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoRyan Blaney Climbs Into Contention, Nails Top Five Vegas Finish
Ryan Blaney was mired in the middle of the pack at the beginning of the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday (26th place). His Team Penske Ford ran fast early and he was able to quickly roar up the standings. Blaney finished third in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. He even led a lap briefly […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKevin Harvick Runs Into Trouble Often, Finishes 20th At Vegas
The pole was Kevin Harvick's on Sunday afternoon for the Pennzoil 400. That was the highlight of his race day. His crew missed out on aerodynamics adjustments. The result was the Stewart-Haas Racing driver fell quickly out of the top-ten early and never fully recovered. Just when he adjusted handling-wise, a blown tire and fender […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDenny Hamlin Lurked All Day, Ends Up Fourth In Pennzoil 400
Denny Hamlin was in a good position starting at sixth on Sunday in Vegas. When Kevin Harvick slid backwards quickly, Hamlin seized the opportunity. He finished fourth in Stage 1 then third in Stage 2. It seemed like he was set up to challenge for the win on Sunday. Unfortunately, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKyle Busch Rides Momentum And Nabs Podium Finish At Vegas
It is how you finish and not how you start. Kyle Busch started 14th, was outside the top-ten after Stage 1, and barely in the top-ten after Stage 2. However, the final 62 laps told a different story for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. He was able to stay near the front. His car was […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoBrad Keselowski Nearly Pulls Off Win In Vegas
Brad Keselowski may have started in tenth on Sunday but quickly got up near the front on the 1.5-mile track. He would be in contention most of the evening. The Team Penske Ford driver won Stage 1 and led 27 laps. He wound up battling with Kyle Larson for the lead several times the rest […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKyle Larson Astonishing Run Culminates In Win At Vegas
It is not that Kyle Larson led some laps or did wind up contending that surprised people. It is how he led so many laps and then pulled away at the end of the Pennzoil 400. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver led 103 of the 267 laps en route to his first Cup series win […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoStay Away From Christopher Bell Again On Sunday
Christopher Bell has not enjoyed the Vegas track in his few encounters there. He has made minimal impact in both races and not improved on his starting position. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver did finish on the lead lap the last time out but only improved two spots (26th to 24th). Bell starts 16th on […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoErik Jones May Be Cheap DFS Choice On Sunday
Erik Jones could be worth a chance on Sunday as he starts 29th for the Richard Petty Motorsports team. The driver did finished 8th in the last race here and was near the top-five for good segments of the race. Now, there is a risk. While Jones' DFS price is cheap, there are slight negative […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDaniel Suarez Not A Factor DFS Wise in Vegas
Daniel Suarez has not fared well on the Vegas track and this Pennzoil 400 expects to be much the same. The Trackhouse Racing Team driver has not even seen the top-ten in his previous four races and has finished outside the top-15 as well. Suarez even finished 20th in one of the races despite starting […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoMatt DiBenedetto Is A Great Play At Vegas
Do not look at Matt DiBenedetto's 30th place position and immediately turn away. Last year, the Wood Brothers Racing driver showed the ability to make his way through the field twice in Vegas. Once might have been deemed a fluke but twice did get people's attention. Even that second race saw DiBenedetto nearly win after […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoAustin Dillon Not the Best of Options on Sunday in Vegas
Austin Dillon does start 12th for the Richard Childress Racing team on Sunday at the Pennzoil 400. The driver has a solid average starting position this year of 9,7 in the first three races. However, he has just two top-ten finishes in 11 races at the 1.5-mile track. Dillon in his last race at Vegas […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoRicky Stenhouse Jr. A Risky Option in Vegas
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has not won in Vegas but has contended a couple of times in 11 races. He only has crashed out once there and even finished third during the first visit to the 1.5-mile track last year. The JFG Daugherty Racing driver starts 17th on Sunday and could move up some spots. In […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoBubba Wallace Not Recommended at Vegas
Bubba Wallace starts 23rd in Vegas on Sunday for the 23XI racing team. The driver is in a learning process with his car. In three races so far this year, his average place differential is -10. Considering he has mostly been in a position near the top-ten and has not even maintained track position, that […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoRyan Newman Could Move Into Top-Ten Sunday
Ryan Newman is nestled in a nice position on Sunday as he starts 13th for the Las Vegas race. The Pennzoil 400 has been good to the Roush Fenway driver. His place differential has been excellent in the last seven races there with some double-digit increases. While Newman does not have the car to contend […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoBrad Keselowski Again A Decent Play In Vegas
The problem with Brad Keselowski is his results in Vegas were problematic. His last couple of races saw him lead few laps and out of contention. He even finished outside the top-ten (13th) the last race. Now, the positives are just as many. Keselowski has finished every race on the lead lap at Vegas. At […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoTyler Reddick Possesses Good Upside Again Sunday
Tyler Reddick was probably a few laps from winning last week's race at Homestead. Consider that he was nine seconds behind with a few laps to go. He finished just three seconds behind William Byron in second place. Reddick started in 35th which was a phenomenal +33 on the place differential. That gave him two […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoNASCAR DFS Prop Picks: Pennzoil 400 - Monkey Knife Fight
Sunday features the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube from Las Vegas. Kevin Harvick, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., and Michael McDowell will make up the top five to start the race. Monkey Knife Fight has an extremely easy fantasy point system: 0.1 points for each lap led and then a set amount […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoCBB DFS Prop Picks for Saturday (3/6/21) - Monkey Knife Fight
With the college basketball slate featuring mostly afternoon games of note, naturally, we debut this Monkey Knife Fight column focusing on only one game. Outside of the night games, there was one evening game that was just destined to get some coverage. Our columns will start out brief and simple. When March Madness hits, there […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoFind Other Alternatives to Michael McDowell in Vegas
Though Michael McDowell has won in Daytona and finishing three times in the top-ten in three races, this may be the week to look elsewhere. The Front Row Motorsports driver has had little success in Vegas where he has not finished in the top-ten in any top-tiered race. While McDowell starts fifth, can the driver […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoChase Elliott Has Some Upside in Vegas
Chase Elliott may or may not contend on Sunday in Vegas. The Hendrick Motorsports driver can lead some laps there though. That's right. Elliott has led a total of 143 laps the last two times at the 1.5-mile track. Now, the problem is he fell off precipitously and out of the top-20 when the races […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoAlex Bowman a Reasonable DFS Pick in Vegas
Alex Bowman does not expect to contend for a win on Sunday but his ability to maintain track position should be a benefit. He finished fifth in the second race at Vegas last year and nabbed a top-ten result at Homestead last week. In both races, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has again stayed near contention […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKurt Busch a Total Wildcard in Vegas on Sunday
Kurt Busch is a complete enigma when it comes to racing in Las Vegas. He could potentially win the race or not even finish in the top-20. His last four results are 5th, 39th, 25th, and 1st. The experience of winning the last race in Vegas should help in theory but will it actually? The […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKyle Larson Starts Well, Not Expected to Contend at Vegas
Kyle Larson benefits from starting at third in Vegas and likely will finish high up in the standings. However, Larson's chances for winning or leading a lot of laps are remote at best. He has led just two laps in his last three starts. That includes qualifying in the top-ten twice. So, his car was […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoMartin Truex Jr. starts fourth but only a decent DFS pick
Martin Truex Jr. starts fourth on Sunday which is good and bad news. His last win at Vegas saw him coming from the middle of the pack to win in 2019. The Bass Pro Shops driver has won twice with nine top-ten finishes in his 18 races at the 1.5-mile track. The risk is this. […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoJoey Logano is a great DFS pick on Sunday
Joey Logano qualifies 15th because of the NASCAR qualifying metrics but that may help him on Sunday. Logano excels at racing in Vegas. He has two wins in 15 races at the 1.5-mile track. Furthermore, the Team Penske driver has won the first Vegas race in each of the last two seasons. Logano has finished […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKevin Harvick gets pole and should contend in Vegas
Kevin Harvick gained the third pole of his career at the 1.5-mile track in Vegas. He has won twice in 23 starts and has five top-ten finishes in his last six races. What makes Harvick a good pick to win and contend is his ability to lead laps. He led 214 in his last victory […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoWilliam Byron could contend for victory on Sunday
What does William Byron do with the second qualifying position? The winner at Homestead has the potential to perform well at Vegas again. History suggests this not to be the case as Byron has just one top-ten finish on this track (7th). However, last year he did lead 12 laps in the final race before […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDenny Hamlin eyes first win of season
Denny Hamlin qualified sixth for the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas. After not winning last week and not contending, Hamlin needs a big result. He has led nearly 20% of the laps raced so far this season and yet has just two top-five finishes. The second Vegas race last year showed a […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoNHL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings (3/3): Value Plays, Goalies, Stacks
Welcome, RotoBallers. Hockey season is back and I am thrilled to be covering this sport over at RotoBaller! As always, I will do my best to give you the stats and info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. If you are […]
Chris Wassel 4 years ago