This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Bank of America 400
Location: Concord, N.C.
Course: Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
Format: 2.28-mile road course
Laps: 109
Race Preview
The round of 12 draws to a close this week at the Charlotte ROVAL. Bubba Wallace's debut win last week at Talladega meant no playoff driver was able to join Denny Hamlin by clinching a spot in the next round of eliminations. The battle for those remaining seven championship spots is a close affair with just 15 points separating Ryan Blaney in sixth and Kevin Harvick in ninth, below the cutline. Chase Elliott may enter this week's race as the favorite, though. The defending champion won the last two races at this track and has been one of the best on road courses the past few seasons. He will start this week's race eighth with Hamlin on pole. Blaney is the only other Cup Series driver to have a win at this track. He took advantage of contact between Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson to sneak through for the win in the first race held at the track. Blaney's teammate Brad Keselowski will start alongside Hamlin on the front row.
Key Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
- Number of races: 3
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 2
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 82.125 mph
Previous 2 Charlotte ROVAL Winners
2020 - Chase Elliott
2019 - Chase Elliott
2018 - Ryan Blaney
Teams face a complete turnaround this week as they transition their approach from the high banked superspeedway to the tight twists of Charlotte's infield road course. Charlotte's 2.28-mile circuit carves through the infield and combines the fast high-banked turns of the oval with a tight infield layout. The course also features unique elevation changes along with blind-apex corners that challenge drivers' road course skills. Like every other road course, though, track position is one of the most important factors in the outcome of the race. Teams calculate pit strategies by working backward from the finish to their preferred windows in which to stop. Those windows will have to remain flexible as cautions and traffic may warrant pitting earlier or later. Besides pit stops, restarts may be the best chance drivers have to overtake. Long green-flag runs may enable faster drivers to pull out to a significant lead, though.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $11,200
Chase Elliott - $10,700
Kyle Larson - $10,300
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Kyle Busch - $9,900
William Byron - $9,700
Denny Hamlin - $9,500
Ross Chastain - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Alex Bowman - $8,900
Kurt Busch - $8,700
Christopher Bell - $8,400
Joey Logano - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Tyler Reddick - $7,800
Michael McDowell - $7,100
Joey Hand - $6,200
Ryan Preece - $6,000
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Chase Elliott - $10,700
Kyle Larson - $10,300
Kurt Busch - $8,700
Chase Briscoe - $7,600
Michael McDowell - $7,100
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $5,600
Elliott (DK $10,700, FD $14,500) has established himself as one of the best on road courses. He won the last two visits to Charlotte and has two road course wins this season, too. He scored his first win at the track from the 19th starting position and will start eighth this week. Kyle Larson (DK $10,300, FD $14,000) has established himself as a force to beat on road courses more recently. He also has two road-course victories this season but has not scored a top-10 at Charlotte yet. Kurt Busch (DK $8,700, FD $10,500) should make for a confident selection this week. He has been quick throughout the playoffs and has two top-fives at this track from his three starts. Chase Briscoe (DK $7,600, FD $9,200) was close to scoring his first series win on the Indianapolis road course earlier this season. He has three top-10s on road courses this season and won on the ROVAL in the Xfinity Series in 2018. Like superspeedways, road courses are venues where Michael McDowell (DK $7,100, FD $7,300) can outperform expectations. He has two top-20s at this track with a best result of 12th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DK $5,600, FD $5,900) comes at a discount this week largely due to his starting position of 18th. However, that will be his best starting spot at this track, yet he finished 17th twice in his three prior tries. He should be a reliable option to produce a top-20 finish this week.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
AJ Allmendinger - $11,200
William Byron - $9,700
Christopher Bell - $8,400
Aric Almirola - $7,300
Chris Buescher - $6,900
Joey Hand - $6,200
AJ Allmendinger (DK $11,200, FD $12,000) will make another Cup Series appearance this week. He is one of the best on road courses and won at Indianapolis in another 2021 Cup appearance. His 33rd starting position makes him valuable to fantasy players this week mainly from a finish differential perspective, but there is the possibility he could win from that spot, too. William Byron (DK $9,700, FD $10,000) hasn't had the finishes that reflect his pace on road courses yet this year. He has led a lot of laps on theses circuits in 2021 and led 50 total laps across his last two ROVAL starts, too. He finished sixth the last two years in this race and starts 11th this week. Christopher Bell (DK $8,400, FD $8,700) got his first series win this year on Daytona's infield course. He was then second at Road America and seventh at Watkins Glen. He finished 24th at this track last season but should be expected to be a top-10 contender this week with the chance of winning. Aric Almirola (DK $7,300, FD $6,500) isn't exactly famous for road racing but he has been a regular face in the top 20 at Charlotte. His average finish from three starts is 16.3 and he will start 21st. Chris Buescher (DK $6,900, FD $7,700) is a similar story. He will start 16th this week and comes with an average finish at the ROVAL of 18.3. Lastly, Joey Hand (DK $6,200, FD $2,000) will make his series debut this week. He is a regular in sportscar racing and also has a class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He will definitely be a driver to watch this week as he starts 36th in his NASCAR debut.
