Stock car racing’s premiere series travels to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Make the most of the 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 with our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers.
We reveal our “Tire Tiers” and betting cards live every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST on our YouTube series, “The Backroad.” Be sure to tune in, enjoy the race and reach out if you have any questions.
(DFS prices are courtesy of DraftKings and Fantrax)
NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Driver As | The Elites
Kyle Larson dominated Las Vegas, our most recent comparison track, and spent most of last year’s Texas race battling up front. The No. 5 car is also No. 1 in the Texas Next-Gen total speed rankings and total speed rankings at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks since 2023 (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com). If I’m paying up for anyone this week, it’s the Elk Grove, Calif., native.
Ross Chastain should have one of the top NASCAR DFS salaries this week after finishing second at Texas in the fall and fourth at Las Vegas this season. He also won Nashville, another comparison track, last year. He’ll be my most-rostered driver of the week at just $9,200 on DraftKings and $22.49 on Fantrax.
It might be chalky, but Bubba Wallace was the driver to beat at Texas last year. He put the No. 23 on the pole and was No. 1 in average position (4.2), percent of laps led (41.6%) and driver rating (128.8). At $8,7000 on DraftKings and $20.68 on Fantrax, he’s the best bang for your buck on either platform.
Driver Bs | Point-Getters
Brad Keselowski is sixth in the Texas Next-Gen total speed rankings and has finished T10 in the last seven Texas races (including two All-Star Races). At $8,200 on DraftKings and $20.63 on Fantrax, he’s a safe play for most NASCAR DFS lineups.
Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney rank in the top eight of the total speed rankings at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks but have not been standouts at Texas, limiting their ceiling at high cost across platforms. I likely won’t be rostering much of either driver unless a bad qualifying day happens, creating upside with for differential points. Still, they’ll likely be hanging out in the back half of the top 10 for most of the day.
Driver Cs | In the Mix
Chase Elliott has no T10 finishes at Texas in the past two seasons but surprisingly ranks fourth in the Texas Next-Gen total speed rankings. So he’ll have speed, which could justify his price of $9,300 on DraftKings and $20.61 on Fantrax.
It’s been a pretty ho-hum season for Erik Jones, failing to finish T10 in any race aside from the Daytona 500. Still, he has scored 36 and 42 DraftKings points in the past two weeks and is a surprising eighth in the Texas Next-Gen total speed rankings. I’m not alone in this knowledge, and what Jones won’t offer in leverage for your NASCAR DFS lineup, he still brings salary relief at $7,000 on DraftKings and $15.16 at Fantrax.
If you seek leverage, add Chase Briscoe to your lineup, who is $7,700 on DraftKings and $16.79 on Fantrax. The No. 14 car has finished P10 and P5 the past two seasons at Texas, respectively.
Driver Ds | Could Do Worse
Corey Lajoie is my NASCAR DFS darling of the week, specifically at DraftKings for $5,800. Lajoie finished Stage No. 1 at Las Vegas in P7 and has two T10s here in his five races with Spire Motorsports. You can also consider his teammate, Carson Hocevar, for $5,900 on DraftKings and $6.92 on Fantrax. Hocevar won at Texas sin the Truck Series and finished P16 in Cup last year.
Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer
Nobody wants to play Austin Dillon; I get it. He averages 13.1 DraftKings points per race, the second-fewest to only Harrison Burton. However, he ranks 13th in the Texas Next-Gen total speed rankings and won here back in 2020. Nobody will dare to roster him, so you could do worse, specifically on DraftKings for $6,300.
I will continue to mention his name until he isn’t a bottom-three-priced driver, but Daniel Hemric is my favorite dart throw for $5,2000 on DraftKings and the $5 minimum on Fantrax. I’ve played him the past two weeks, and he’s scored a combined 40 DraftKings points. While he has just two career Cup Series starts at Texas, he is top-10 all-time in average starting position (11.5) and has three T5s here in the Xfinity Series.
Check out all of our content for the 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400:
- Between Bets: 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Outrights
- PropKings: 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400. Check out more of our racing content and other written work here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
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*Photo Credit: Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports*