Stockcar racing’s premiere series plants lakeside at Watkins Glen this weekend. Make the most of the 2023 Go Bowling at The Glen 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: 2023 Go Bowling at The Glen
Driver As | Fast Thoughts
Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are the heavy favorites this weekend at Watkins Glen. Elliott absolutely needs a victory to make the playoffs, which start in two weeks’ time. Since moving to the No. 9, Elliott has two wins, a runner-up finish and a fourth-place last year at Watkins Glen, only after Larson tangled with him. Hence why the No. 5 can’t be ruled out either. You’re paying up for both on NASCAR DFS platforms, including $11,000 for Elliott and $10,800 for Larson on DraftKings.
As for this tier’s back end, Michael McDowell had to have earned the garage’s and the industry’s respect for road course pedigree after his dominant win at Indianapolis’ road course last week. He’s firmly in our A-tier for road courses moving forward.
Driver Bs | Fast Thoughts
Tyler Reddick is the series’ best driver on road courses, according to the total speed rankings (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com). He’s finished top 10 in both Cup Series races here in his career.
Daniel Suarez is picking up a lot of love from the books and industry this week and for good reason. He arguably should’ve spoiled McDowell’s party last week until a pit road issue took him out. And we know the No. 99 being on the playoff bubble is plenty of motivation. A trio of career top-five runs at the Glen don’t hurt either.
A.J. Allmendinger normally would be ranked higher, but last week was an embarrassingly bad performance, finishing 26th and spinning on multiple occasions. He tanked any NASCAR DFS lineups with him in it. He’ll want to be better this week, and Watkins Glen is perhaps his best road course, where he has earned seven top-10s as well as career win No. 1 in 2014.
Driver Cs | Fast Thoughts
It feels a bit harsh to put both William Byron and Kyle Busch this low. However, there’s just too much upside and too much at stake for others above them this close to the playoffs when both the Nos. 8 and 24 are firmly locked in among the top seeds. Neither has finished strong as of late either; Byron has just one top-15 since his rain-shortened Atlanta win, and Busch has been 36th or worse in three of the last five races.
Driver Ds | Fast Thoughts
Neither Bubba Wallace nor Austin Cindric embarrassed themselves last week at Indianapolis; though Cindric has significantly more road course pedigree, Wallace has generally been more consistent in general in 2023.
I know you’re probably shocked to see Kevin Harvick this low, but the road course speed just isn’t there, and Harvick will hope to focus on keeping a solid points cushion to remain in the playoffs without two new winners. At $7,600 on DraftKings and $23.28 on Fantrax, there are better options for your NASCAR DFS lineups.
Driver Fs | Fast Thoughts
Sometimes the F tier is “drivers to stay away from,” but other times, it’s “take a flier on this guy.” This week, it’s the latter. Harrison Burton has been top-21 in four of the last five races. It may not sound impressive, but at a rock-bottom NASCAR DFS price of $5,100 on DraftKings and $13.08 on Fantrax, that’s a solid return on investment.
Mike Rockenfeller performed well for the price last week at Indianapolis. Priced at $5,500 on DraftKings and the minimum $5.00 on Fantrax, a repeat of a 24th-place finish provides point value at the bottom of your lineups that could help tremendously.
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2023 Go Bowling at The Glen. 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.