Stockcar racing’s premiere series rounds out its season by crowning a champion at Phoenix. Make the most of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 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 NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Driver As | Fast Thoughts
It’s abundantly clear that the quartet in the Championship 4 (Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Christopher Bell) will be the class of the field at Phoenix. As for favorites within those favorites, Byron and Blaney are tied for the best total speed ranking at Phoenix in the Next Gen era (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com). But if someone is going to play spoiler, look no further than Kevin Harvick, as “The Closer” looks for a 10th and final win at Phoenix. He’s a fine NASCAR DFS leverage play at $9,500 on DraftKings and $21.46 on Fantrax.
Driver Bs | Fast Thoughts
Last year’s champion, Joey Logano, headlines the best of the rest. His Phoenix stats have been relatively strong in recent years, finishing in the top 11 in each race here since 2019. Stewart-Haas Racing duo Chase Briscoe and Aric Almirola ran very strong at Martinsville last week and have respectable stats at Phoenix and similar short-flat style tracks. They’re our favorite mid-tier plays for NASCAR DFS lineups at just $7,500 and $7,300 at DraftKings, respectively.
Driver Cs | Fast Thoughts
A.J. Allmendinger has built some late-season momentum with Kaulig Racing. The 16-year Cup Series veteran averages a finishing position of 17th in Phoenix throughout his career, including a P12 in this race a year ago. Chase Elliott is only this low because it’s been an uncharacteristic season for the series’ most popular driver. Still, Phoenix is a great track for him, earning top-10 finishes in more than half of his races here. He’ll just be a bit too chalky at $8,600 on DraftKings and $18.49 on Fantrax to roster in NASCAR DFS lineups with confidence.
Driver Ds | Fast Thoughts
Both Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are in the D-Tier because we’re not expecting strong weeks from either. Both teams had pretty rough playoff runs and could be mentally on vacation, ready to move on to a new season. That doesn’t speak well for their status on Sunday, especially at inflated prices of $10,2000 and $8,800 on DraftKings, respectively.
Driver Fs | Fast Thoughts
Todd Gilliland‘s top-10 run at Martinsville has him worthy of an honorable mention this week in the lowest tier. He’s as low as we care to go in DraftKings pricing at $5,400. Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece are also here since their race teams are expected to be strong, though neither driver has ever finished top 10 here.
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. 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.
*Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports*