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AustYn

Another week and another unique track to the circuit. We head out to Austin, Texas for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas for this week’s event. Last week at Atlanta, we saw William Byron come away with the victory. The style of racing there will in no way translate to COTA. To me, the racing at Atlanta was okay, but I really do not like the idea of superspeedway racing becoming more prevalent in the sport. There are those out there who think the same about road course racing, which I can kind of understand, but it does take a lot more skill to win at a track like COTA. In the DFS world, this track is a return to normalcy. Chase Elliott is the favorite according to CBS Sports at 9/4. After viewing practice and qualifying, look out for Daniel Suarez at 100/1.

COTA is 3.41 miles with a series of twists and turns that require a finesse style of driving. Being aggressive can get you into trouble fast, especially with passing. With the track being so large, track position is a premium. The race will feature 68 laps, which isn’t a lot. Laps led will not matter as much, fastest laps will matter more in this scenario. I do think you will have 1 or 2 drivers lead double-digit laps amounts, but 2 is a stretch. Also, you will notice that the most expensive drivers are starting in prime spots in the 10th-20th starting position range. Looking at price points will be a major motivator for me this week. In terms of history, we only have 1 cup race to look at, the other series’ have run 2 now, so you do have that. Another point for me is history at other road courses, the technicality of this style of racing is truly a skill, so if you can run Sonoma well, you will probably be okay at COTA. My advice is, be a true analyzer of the price points, don’t worry as much about the starting position this week.

Top Pick: Joey Logano ($9,100) Starting 6th

I am practicing what I am preaching here. Why on earth is Joey Logano priced at $9,100? The Team Penske driver finished 3rd at COTA last year and showed top-10 speeds in practice and qualifying this weekend. His teammate Ryan Blaney got the pole and the Ford camp looked fast. You can select a champion at a bargain price and one who could legitimately dominate this race. Do not sleep on “Sliced Bread” at 20/1…Wow!

Supporting Cast: Daniel Suarez ($7,100) Starting 2nd & Todd Gilliland ($5,600) Starting 29th

Trackhouse Racing have shown the NASCAR Cup Series world that they are here to compete and here to stay. The alliance with ECR engines have reaped many benefits and to me, they are outperforming what Chip Ganassi was throwing out there week after week. Maybe it is the new car? I am not sure about that, but I am sure that Daniel Suarez will compete today. Starting in 2nd place, the 99 Commscope Chevy will be a staple up front, he was 2nd in practice too. With Chastain having awesome runs, it is hard to believe that Xfinity champ Suarez isn’t far behind. My other choice is Front Row’s Todd Gilliland. Depending on your strategy, you will either pick a field-filler that can get you a couple spots, or you can go after a homerun, which I think Gilliland is that option. He won the truck series event here last season, and the team has enough power to compete. If Gilliland keeps it on the track, a top-15 is not out of the question.

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Yacs

We’re finally getting to see a road course on the circuit and we’re in Austin, Texas for this one. This track was added to the Cup Series circuit last year and the race was pretty good despite the rain. With the new cars, it should be even more interesting. Last week, we saw what the newly reconfigured Atlanta was all about, and I thought it was a very exciting race. William Byron took the checkered flag and the finish was intense. I have to say though, I don’t know about everyone else, but picking DFS has been absolutely brutal this season. It seems like all of my drivers do great, but they get collected in an accident and can’t recover. Hopefully our luck changes today.

Our strategy this week is simple, get drivers that can win or finish within the Top 5/10. Laps led aren’t going to be a real factor due to the fact that there are only 68 laps and road courses tend to have lots of lead changes. Track position is crucial. You can have drivers that climb spots at road courses and it’s definitely better if you have them, but don’t count on drivers climbing 30 spots in a short amount of time. Let’s see who we got today.

Road Course King: Chase Elliott ($14,000); Starting 12th

Elliott is far and away the best road course driver in the circuit, but it looks like he is facing some heavier competition this season. The Cup Series talent pool is as deep as it has ever been, but Chase Elliott is still the one to beat at Road Courses. Unless Elliott finds trouble today, expect a win or at least a Top 3. History tells us that you can’t go wrong with Chase. After that though, there are a lot of options you can go with. With that being said, Chase will likely be owned around 50-60% today, so be aware of that.

The Ringers: Austin Cindric ($11,000), Starting 10th; AJ Allmendinger ($10,800), Starting 20th

I think it goes without saying, you need a couple road course ringers to solidify that lineup. I don’t think you can go wrong with Cindric and/or Allmendinger this week. Allmendinger proved last year that he can win in the number 16 at the Indy Road Course and Austin Cindric is money at road courses as long as he can stay out of trouble and keep his composure. Last year at COTA, we saw rain play a big factor and I remember Austin Cindric tearing up the field in slick tires to start the race. Hopefully we’ll see them both tearing up the field today.

Super Value Pick: Joey Hand ($2,000); Starting 38th

I know what you’re thinking, but if this season has taught me anything, we know that lower-tiered cars are actually cracking the Top 20. Even at 1.5-mile tracks, teams on a lower budget are finishing on the lead lap. Hand doesn’t have much NASCAR experience, but he does have road experience. He’s a former Le Mans Champion and it turns out he’s actually giving a lot of Cup drivers pointers on how to improve road racing. Hand likely isn’t going to win, but for $2,000 and starting in 18th, you don’t need him to. If he can finish on the lead lap, that’s good enough. Also, I forgot to mention, he had the 14th fastest practice time. If we can get a Top 20, that’s definitely good enough.

Final Pick: Chase Briscoe ($11,500); Starting 14th

We have $12,200 to spend on a final driver and there were a lot of solid options to go with, but hopefully this guy won’t be picked a lot. Briscoe won a couple weeks ago and has ran well this season. He is a very good road racer and it may be a little bit more than you would expect to pay for Briscoe, but I think it’s a great price for him. His starting position gives him a little extra value and he finished 6th here last season. As long as he stays out of trouble, expect a Top 10 run from the 14 car.

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