Goodbye, Gateway, and hello, Wine Country.
After last week’s returns in both the DraftKings Fantasy lobbies I played, and the bet slip I put on Ryan Blaney, I need a good glass of the red stuff.
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series pays its annual visit to Sonoma Raceway nestled in the scenic landscapes of Northern California.
This track is a 12-turn road course with several uphill sections. Winning this race will depend on a number of things, but most important among them is track position. Only two drivers have started outside of the top 15 and won since the NASCAR Cup Series began racing in 1989: Juan Pablo Montoya started 32nd in 2007 and Kyle Busch started 30th in 2008.
Pit strategy will be another key, as stage breaks returned to road courses earlier this season. Timing pit stops and making key adjustments will be critical in determining who is in contention.
Another thing that will be important when considering your lineups and bets this weekend will be paying attention to the statistics. The drivers who tend to run well at most road courses on the schedule will likely run well here.
Coverage of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Sonoma Raceway begins Sunday (June 8) at 3 p.m. ET on Fox.
Points will be awarded on DraftKings for finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 points and 31st gets 10 points.
However many spots they lose or gain on the track are added to or subtracted from their score. Then, if the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 points for each fastest lap.
Fantasy Forecast
1. William Byron ($10,200)
Stats that matter: Winner of two of the last three road courses races (Watkins Glen International 2023, Circuit of the Americas 2024); started on the front row for both of those wins
One thing cannot be argued here. Byron is in the midst of a bit of an early summer slump.
Sure, since winning at Martinsville earlier this season, driver No. 24 has amassed four top-10 finishes. On the flip side, he’s had three finishes of 15th or worse.
So why am I picking him to lead the lineup this week? That’s easy: he has been consistently fast in qualifying. When crew chief Rudy Fugle gives Byron a good piece for time trials, he…
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