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Which drivers should go in your NASCAR DraftKings lineup at Atlanta this weekend?

ryan pritt, daytona beach news-journal
·4 min read

Well, we let you down last week with two selections in our DraftKings lineup getting swept up in crashes at the Daytona 500 and only one finishing in the top 10 (thanks Bubba Wallace!).

But hey, superspeedway racing is never a guarantee. And we'd like to tell you things get more predictable this week but...

Unfortunately they won't. Atlanta Motor Speedway has become the de facto third superspeedway since its repave and while the racing is among the best in the sport, it's become one of the most difficult tracks to handicap. That doesn't mean we won't try!

And there are some trends and plenty of dark horses to like here.

A quick refresher: Points are accumulated by finishing position as well as the differential between where a driver starts and where he finishes. Each spot forward equals points, each position backward results in a loss of points. Also, fastest laps (0.45 points) and laps led (0.25 points) help as well.

We start with a $50,000 budget and get to pick six drivers. Easy enough, right?

Right. So, let's take a shot at redemption this week, shall we?

Ryan Blaney ($10,200)

Ryan Blaney needs a good day after a rough Speedweek at Daytona. Atlanta may just be the perfect place for him to get it.
Ryan Blaney needs a good day after a rough Speedweek at Daytona. Atlanta may just be the perfect place for him to get it.

Blaney has the best career average finish at Atlanta (11.4), has five top-10 finishes in his last six starts there and hasn't started worse than sixth in a Gen-7 car. While that won't help much in terms of position differential, should that trend hold up, he should be near the front and leading laps. And, he needs a good one after a rough week in Daytona.

Brad Keselowski ($9,300)

Brad Keselowski was again struck by bad luck in the Daytona 500. His fortune has been a little better at Atlanta in recent years.
Brad Keselowski was again struck by bad luck in the Daytona 500. His fortune has been a little better at Atlanta in recent years.

Another Daytona 500, another heartbreak for Bad Brad, who just can't escape rotten luck at the World Center of Racing. But yet again, he showed plenty of superspeedway speed and prowess, attempting a pass for the lead with eight laps to go before it all went wrong. He finished second in this event last year and was sixth in the rain-shortened summer race.

Ross Chastain ($8,600)

Ross the Boss finished second at Atlanta twice in 2022 and Trackhouse Racing seems to have its superspeedway program in order.
Ross the Boss finished second at Atlanta twice in 2022 and Trackhouse Racing seems to have its superspeedway program in order.

Speaking of being there near the end, Ross had a chance for a home-turf win before being taken out in a crash at the start-finish line with the field taking the white flag. While his results at Atlanta weren't terrific in 2023 (13th and 35th), he finished second in both races in 2022 in the Gen-7 car. If Daytona was any indication, he'll be a factor Sunday.

Erik Jones ($8,000)

There may not be a better value on the board this week than Erik Jones.
There may not be a better value on the board this week than Erik Jones.

A quiet top-10 for Jones at Daytona and now we head to what has sneakily been one of his best tracks. In four races in the Gen-7, Jones' finishes at Atlanta are: 14th, fourth, eighth, 11th. And his average finish of 14.2 over the last six races here is sixth best among drivers in the field, right in between Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano. He's tough to beat for the price tag.

Austin Cindric ($7,000)

Austin Cindric (2) was swept up in the same crash that got Ross Chastain at Daytona last week. But he was also running near the front and has been solid lately at Atlanta.
Austin Cindric (2) was swept up in the same crash that got Ross Chastain at Daytona last week. But he was also running near the front and has been solid lately at Atlanta.

Cindric went skidding across the Daytona grass with Chastain but was even closer to the front, running second with two laps to go. The 2022 Daytona 500 champ was strong all day Sunday, scoring nine points in Stage 2 as well. He's not been overly spectacular here, but his last three finishes at Atlanta were third, 11th and 12th and in this price range, you could do a lot worse.

Corey LaJoie ($6,800)

Corey LaJoie should be the centerpiece of your fantasy lineup this week.
Corey LaJoie should be the centerpiece of your fantasy lineup this week.

It's not often that we build a lineup around the cheapest driver, but LaJoie is a must-start in any fantasy lineup this week. He matched his career-best finish Sunday with a fourth in the Daytona 500, and he has back-to-back top-five finishes in this event. With the resources Spire Motorsports keeps pushing into its three-team Cup program, you may not be able to get LaJoie at this price for much longer. Take advantage of it now.

NASCAR Atlanta odds

(Odds are according to Hard Rock Bet)

  • +1000: Joey Logano

  • +1100: Denny Hamlin

  • +1200: Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell

  • +1300: Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell

  • +1400: Kyle Larson

  • +1500: Kyle Busch

  • +1750: Martin Truex Jr.

  • +2000: Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick

  • +2250: Bubba Wallace

  • +2500: Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, Austin Cindric

  • +3000: Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez

  • +4000: Michael McDowell, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Corey LaJoie

  • +6000: Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Preece, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe

  • +7500: Zane Smith, Josh Berry

  • +10000: Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton

  • +15000: Kaz Grala

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend

Friday, February 23

  • 3:05 p.m.: Craftsman Truck Series qualifying (FS1)

  • 4:35.: Xfinity Series qualifying (FS1)

Saturday, February 24

  • 11:35 a.m.: Cup Series qualifying (FS1)

  • 2 p.m.: Craftsman Truck Series, FR8 208 (FS1)

  • 5: Xfinity Series, Raptor King of Tough 250 (FS1)

Sunday, February 25

  • 3 p.m.: Cup Series, Ambetter Health 400 (Fox)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR odds this week: Ambetter Health 400 DraftKings lineup tips