Stockcar racing’s premiere series visits the Indianapolis Road Course this weekend. Make the most of the 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard 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 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard
Driver As | Fast Thoughts
Our A-tier this week has the two hottest names in the Cup Series heading into the weekend. Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) returns to the Cup Series after far and away dominating the field in his debut at the Chicago Street Course. In the same equipment on the same sort of track, there’s no reason to think SVG will be anything but a contender on Sunday. He is properly priced on some NASCAR DFS platforms like DraftKings ($10,100) but is a clear value on Fantrax for the minimum of $5.
Chris Buescher’s No. 17 has won the last two races in Cup on two very different tracks. With his numbers on road courses, including the fourth-best total speed ranking on road courses since 2022 and in 2023 (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com), why should we count out three in a row?
Driver Bs | Fast Thoughts
Although he isn’t the road course king he once was, Chase Elliott is still a force to be reckoned with here, especially needing a win to ensure a playoff spot. Michael McDowell’s No. 34 has quietly been elite on road courses, totaling the second-best total speed ranking in the series this year! And ringer Kamui Kobayashi in the No. 67 has been elite in endurance racing of late and should be expected to run well. He’s a NASCAR DFS value, costing just $7,100 on DraftKings and the $5 minimum on Fantrax.
Driver Cs | Fast Thoughts
Brodie Kostecki, ahead of SVG in Supercars points this year, is worth a mention in the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) No. 33 car. Otherwise, this tier is mostly veteran drivers with middling numbers on road courses. None of Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano or Kevin Harvick are top-12 in road course total speed rankings this year.
Driver Ds | Fast Thoughts
If you want to talk about bad speed rankings on road courses, Ryan Blaney and Harrison Burton are the two worst in the series this year. Alex Bowman’s road course numbers look better than this tier, but the No. 48 team has failed to put together consistent races and good finishes all summer. As for Justin Haley, is it worth a punt on him in NASCAR DFS lineups, hoping he can replicate his Chicago magic?
Driver Fs | Fast Thoughts
Bubba Wallace’s team is good at Inadipolis Road Course, but he’s far from a strong road course driver. Chase Briscoe nearly won here in 2021, but although Ford is on the upswing, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) remains generally stagnant, especially on road courses. We advise trying to avoid the F-tier in your NASCAR DFS lineups this week if possible.
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2023 Verizon 200. 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.