This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Straight Talk Wireless 400
Location: Homestead, Florida
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Format: Oval
Length: 1.5 miles
Laps: 267
Straight Talk Wireless 400 Preview
We'll head to a NASCAR staple this weekend as the entire series heads to Homestead. We've already seen exciting races in the Truck and Xfinity series, and we should expect more of the same come Sunday at 3:00 pm ET. We had something of a wild-card winner last weekend in Josh Berry, though he had several strong runs across the first races of the season. At Homestead, history suggests we're likely to see a multi-race winner take the checkered flag.
Key Stats at Homestead-Miami Speedway
- Number of races: 25
- Winners from pole: 4
- Winners from top-5 starters: 16
- Winners from top-10 starters: 18
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
Previous 10 Homestead Winners
2024- Tyler Reddick
2023 - Christopher Bell
2022 - Kyle Larson
2021 - William Byron
2020 - Denny Hamlin
2019 - Kyle Busch
2018 - Joey Logano
2017 - Martin Truex Jr.
2016 - Jimmie Johnson
2015 - Kyle Busch
Homestead is a favorite for drivers and fans due to the combination of a preferred racing line that is synonymous with the track but also has plenty of passing due to multiple lines working for different drivers. The preferred line in most scenarios is riding the steep baking as high and close to the wall as possible, often getting within inches of the barriers.
That offers some inconsistent results in terms of where winners come from on the starting grid. The numbers above clearly reflect the importance of track position, but we've also seen winners from 31st and 13th in the next-gen era.
RotoWire NASCAR Cup Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Kyle Larson - $11,000
Tyler Reddick - $10,700
William Byron - $10,500
Christopher Bell - $10,200
Ryan Blaney - $10,000
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Denny Hamlin - $9,700
Chase Elliott- $9,500
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
Alex Bowman - $8,600
Bubba Wallace - $8,200
Brad Keselowski - $8,000
Josh Berry - $7,700
Carson Hocevar - $7,500
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Daniel Suarez - $7,600
AJ Allmendinger - $7,000
Austin Dillon- $6,300
NASCAR Cup Series DFS Picks for the Straight Talk Wireless 400
Tyler Reddick - $10,700
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Josh Berry - $7,700
Daniel Suarez - $7,600
Carson Hocevar - $7,500
AJ Allmendinger - $7,000
There are a lot of elite options with track records of success at Homestead, which can make it difficult to parse out the best selections. Reddick is my choice as building block, however. He has been dominant at Homestead, finishing worse than fourth in only one of his five races at the track. Starting 20th isn't ideal, but Reddick did rise 35th to finish seventh in 2022.
There's a choice to be made from there, which requires a shift to the fourth tier of drivers. Allmendinger and Suarez are a safer pairing in that group. Allmendinger has had strong results and general form at Homestead in both the Xfinity and Cup series. He qualified 10th for Sunday's race, providing more confidence he can deliver another strong result. He'd be a priority for me in any lineup build.
That leads us to a choice between Daniel Suarez and Austin Dillon. Suarez doesn't have the results to show for it, but he has showcased speed early this season and has deserved better results. Meanwhile, Dillon is more of a play based on track-specific success. He didn't have a particularly notable performance at Homestead in 2024, but he had finished 15th or better in nine straight races at the track prior to last year's finish.
The combination of value drivers will dictate the rest of the build. Chase Elliott has racked up points but hasn't contended for wins consistently early on, so the best bet could be to push back into Tier 1 for a second driver. That would likely require rostering Dillon and lead to a build based on both extremes of the price range.
Berry has risen and price, but arguably not by enough. He followed up his win last week by qualifying second for Sunday's race. He's been fast all season and until he's priced appropriately it's worth rostering him.
NASCAR Cup Series Best Bets for the Straight Talk Wireless 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 PM ET Saturday
Outright Winner – Tyler Reddick (+600), William Byron (+800), Bubba Wallace (+2800)
Top-five finish – Bubba Wallace (+370)
Top-10 Finish – Bubba Wallace (+100), Carson Hocevar (+430), Austin Dillon (+1200)
We've already covered Reddick's track record of success at Homestead, so there isn't much more explanation required for that selection. Wallace, his 23XI teammate, could be the true value pick this weekend. He turned in the fastest lap time in the field during practice and then qualified ninth. Practice results in particular can be misleading, but it's clear he brought speed to the track in his No. 23 car. For those looking to take on a little less risk, consider him for a top-ten finish or top-five finish.
It's also time to talk about the Hendrick Motorsports quartet. They don't have a win since the Daytona 500, but at some point we know they are coming. Kyle Larson is the favorite to win the race and doesn't prevent good value. Alex Bowman is on pole, deflating his odds considerably. That brings us to Byron, who could ultimately be the right driver to land on.
