Stock car racing’s premiere series makes its debut at Iowa Speedway this weekend. Make the most of the 2024 Iowa Corn 350 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 Iowa Corn 350
Driver As | The Elites
You can’t go wrong with Kyle Larson this week. The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) Chevy is best when the conditions are hot/slick and it’s tough to pass. He performed a tire test here last month and was able to put it on the pole at our comp track of Richmond, leading 144 laps and finishing third. If you’re looking for a potential dominator, look no further.
Ryan Blaney nearly won at the comp track of Gateway two weeks ago before running out of gas on the last lap. That’s not an outlier either, as Blaney is No. 1 in the Next-Gen total speed rankings at the short-flat tracks, courtesy of ifantasyrace.com. If you’re looking to stay in the Blue Ovals camp, can I interest you in Brad Keselowski? This is his highest ranking all season in our NASCAR DFS tiers. The 40-year-old not only ran the tire test last month but is the most decorated driver at Iowa, winning three races and boasting a 3.0 average career finish across seven Xfinity Series starts. Keselowski is also just one of two drivers who has finished T10 at all three of our comp races this season.
Christopher Bell is the other driver to accomplish that feat. After a wreck in practice, he’ll switch to a backup car and start out back. That may hurt you in leagues like Fantrax, where you get rewarded for stage points, but it creates a high floor for him in DraftKings with differential points on the table.
Driver Bs | Point-Getters
Tyler Reddick, averaging 41.3 DraftKings points per race, is quietly showing the consistency we’ve been looking for from a NASCAR DFS perspective. The No. 45 car also ranks third in the 2024 short-flat track total speed rankings. For once, I think that warrants his $8,800 salary on DraftKings and $24.61 on Fantrax.
Joey Logano is always a threat to compete on repaves, just as Ross Chastain is on short-flats, winning last season’s finale race at Phoenix. Chastain, in particular, represents a nice pay-down spot, costing just $8,300 on DraftKings and $22.69 on Fantrax. Chase Elliott (eighth) and William Byron (ninth) are the only other Chevys inside the top 17 of the 2024 short-flat track total speed rankings and can be considered for builds. I specifically prefer Elliott on DraftKings, costing only $8,700.
Driver Cs | In the Mix
Noah Gragson has a pair of P12 finishes at our comp tracks of Phoenix and Richmond this season; at just $6,900 on DraftKings and $14.62 on Fantrax, he’ll be a mid-priced feature in many of my Iowa lineups. I’m also interested in his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammates and short-track specialists, Josh Berry and Chase Briscoe. Berry’s best run at the short-flat tracks this season resulted in a P11 at Richmond. Meanwhile, Briscoe has a P9 at Phoenix and finished no worse than P18 at the other comp tracks this season. That’s safety and consistency, something I’m looking for in what could be an unpredictable race at the recently repaved Iowa Speedway.
Also in the C-Tier is Carson Hocevar, who knows how to get the most out of his Spire Motorsports equipment, finishing P8 at Gateway and P15 at Phoenix earlier this year. Coming in at just $6,600 on DraftKings and $13.13 on Fantrax, I’ll be looking to roster the rookie damn near everywhere.
Driver Ds | Could Do Worse
Michael McDowell put it on the pole two weeks ago at Gateway and had a great run at Phoenix, starting P8 and finishing P9. I’m interested in rostering both him and his Front Row Motorsports (FRM) teammate, Todd Gilliland, who has finished no worse than P21 on comp tracks this season.
Here’s my weekly reminder that Justin Haley is a NASCAR DFS cheat code. He’ll likely qualify towards the back but has T10 upside and averages 28.5 DraftKings points per race. If his equipment can hold up, his floor remains high with differential points in play. I also don’t mind backing Erik Jones this week. “That Jones Boy” is one of only three active drivers to have won at Iowa in both the Xfinity and Truck Series. He’s been rock-solid since returning from injury and is affordable for $6,4000 on DraftKings and $13.34 on Fantrax.
Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has three Xfinity Series victories at Iowa. He’s been hit or miss this season, but he deserves some consideration at the modest price tag of $6,000 flat on DraftKings and $13.60 on Fantrax. After a hot start to the season, John Hunter Nemechek has been abysmal lately. Still, if there’s somewhere to back the driver of the No. 42 car, it might be at Iowa, considering he has a Truck Series victory here and has finished no worse than P27 at our three comp tracks this season. A.J. Allmendinger won’t break the slate, but he’ll likely keep the No. 16 car clean and at just $6,3000 on DraftKings and $8.16 on Fantrax, that’s all we can ask for.
Check out all of our content for the Iowa Corn 350:
- PropKings: 2024 Iowa Corn 350
- Between Bets: 2024 Iowa Corn 350 Outrights
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Iowa Corn 350
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2024 Iowa Corn 350. 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.
For more fantasy sports and sports betting content, you can find me on Twitter @Between_SethFF.
*Photo Credit: Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports*