NASCAR DFS picks 9/29/19: Bank of America Roval 400
NASCAR DFS Mid-Tier Options
William Byron and Alex Bowman
Starting one-two, these Hendrick drivers will look to hold off the competition and maintain a finish towards the front.
William Byron will start on the pole for Sunday’s race and has shown a ton of speed so far this weekend. Byron was third-fastest in first practice before being the quickest in both rounds of qualifying on his way to the pole position.
Byron has been great in qualifying at road courses this season, starting second at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen, but hasn’t finished very well in the race. Byron has finished 19th and 21st in those two races but did lead 21 laps at Sonoma. Byron finished 34th in this race last year after an accident but was not running up front most of the race. You would be taking Byron this weekend based on his starting position and speed in practice and hoping he can hold onto a solid finishing position while leading and posting the fastest laps.
Bowman has been a little more successful with his finishes at road courses, but not spectacular in his own right. The 88 team has finished 14th on both road course races this season, but Bowman has an average finish of 11.0 in his five races at that type of track.
Unlike Byron, Bowman was rather impressive in this race last year, earning stage points in both of the first two stages on his way to a fourth-place finish. Starting second, Bowman may have a better chance of staying up front based on his prior success at the track, although he hasn’t been as quick as Byron so far on the weekend.
Obviously, with both of these drivers, you aren’t expecting a positive place differential. You have to hope that they don’t lose too many spots, and can lead some laps. I prefer Bowman over Byron, as he has finished better at this track and at road courses in general. Both drivers are right on the bubble of the playoff advancement line, and could be competing with each other for that last spot. If either of them can hang up front and compete for that automatic bid with a victory, they would be a true steal in DFS at their price points.
Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer has also been one of NASCAR’s most consistent road course races in recent years. With an average finish of 7.86 over the past seven road course races, and 11.97 for his career, Bowyer is always a bit of a sneaky good play when right turns are involved.
In last year’s race at the ROVAL, Bowyer ran up front all day long. He finished top-five in every stage, and grabbed a third-place finish at the end of the race. Bowyer will start fifth on Sunday, and I could absolutely see him staying in the top-five all day once again.
Bowyer has won on road courses before, and like Bowman and Byron, need a solid finish, if not a win, to advance to the next round of the playoffs. Even with Byron and Bowman starting ahead of Bowyer, I like his chances better to finish higher and to potentially grab that checkered flag.
Jimmie Johnson
Like Bowyer and Bowman, Johnson was top-10 in all three stages of the ROVAL race a year ago, finishing eighth. This weekend, Johnson was quickest in first practice and qualified fourth for the race on Sunday.
Johnson has never been known for his road racing prowess but is such a talented driver that he has been able to find success everywhere he goes. The Hendrick cars clearly have speed in their cars, they just have to hope it transfers over to race day.
Elliott has been the only consistently high finisher of the group at road courses, but they have all shown speed here and there. Johnson’s solid run last year and his positive start to the weekend bode well for the seven-time champ and his DFS value this weekend.
Honorable Mentions
Matt DiBenedetto, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez