This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
South Point 400
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Course: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile oval
Laps: 267
NASCAR South Point 400 Preview
The first chance for the final eight playoff contenders to book their spot in the championship finale comes with this week's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. William Byron won at the track earlier this season, and he will be hoping to sweep races at the track to earn a championship finale appearance. He'll have to top the other seven remaining playoff contenders and the rest of the field to do that, though. The quick, 1.5-mile oval has become a fixture on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule and this will be the 32nd time the series has raced at the track. Eighteen different drivers have won at the track in that time, and this will be the sixth time the track has hosted a playoff race. Five different drivers won those five previous playoff races, and no non-playoff driver has ever won the Las Vegas round of the championship battle. The door to the finale at Phoenix is now open, and the playoff contenders are anxious to walk through it by winning this weekend's South Point 400.
Key Stats at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 31
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 12
- Winners from top-10 starters: 18
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 5
- Fastest race: 154.849 mph
Previous 10 Las Vegas Winners
2023 spring - William Byron
2022 fall - Joey Logano
2022 spring - Alex Bowman
2021 fall - Denny Hamlin
2021 spring - Kyle Larson
2020 fall - Kurt Busch
2020 spring - Joey Logano
2019 fall - Martin Truex Jr.
2019 spring - Joey Logano
2018 fall - Brad Keselowski
The key to a successful race weekend at Las Vegas is finding the fastest setup as early in the weekend as possible. Qualifying up front, and thus having positive track position at a fast 1.5-mile oval is a clear advantage. Since 2016, only one race at Las Vegas was won by a driver starting outside of the top 15, and William Byron won earlier this season from the front row. Teams will work to get the most out of qualifying and then focus on restarts and trips to pit road during the race. The track's fast lap means that mistakes on pit road will be costly with drivers losing at least a lap to the leaders. Long green-flag runs can be common, too. Those long stretches at top speed enable those faster cars to extend their advantage while others search for opportunities to make adjustments. Those adjustments are key, too. It isn't impossible to win starting outside of the top 15, but teams will have to make all the right calls and have a bit of luck on their side, too. Fantasy players with the luxury, should wait to see practice and qualifying results before setting their lineups this week. Ten-lap average pace in practice, coupled with a top-10 starting position, should signal those cars that will have the best chance at winning Sunday.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the South Point 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,000
Denny Hamlin - $10,800
William Byron - $10,600
Tyler Reddick - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Christopher Bell - $9,800
Ryan Blaney - $9,600
Chase Elliott - $9,200
Chris Buescher - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Joey Logano - $8,800
Bubba Wallace - $8,600
Brad Keselowski - $8,500
Ross Chastain - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Ty Gibbs - $7,900
Daniel Suarez - $7,300
Chase Briscoe - $7,000
Carson Hocevar - $6,500
NASCAR DFS Picks for the South Point 400
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $10,800
Christopher Bell - $9,800
Ross Chastain - $8,300
Erik Jones - $7,500
Chase Briscoe - $7,000
Carson Hocevar - $6,500
One of the fastest drivers all season has been Denny Hamlin (DK $10,800, FD $13,500). He is seeking another shot at his first series championship, and he seems more determined than ever to get it. The next step toward that chance would be a win this weekend at a track he won at in 2021and led laps at in each of the last six races. Hamlin is not one to discount at Las Vegas. Christopher Bell (DK $9,800, FD $11,500) should make another prime option for most formats. The Joe Gibbs Racing teammate finished fifth at this track earlier this season and needs to pull himself out of the drop zone in the standings by ending his run of consecutive races outside of the top 10. While Ross Chastain's (DK $8,300, FD $8,200) playoff run has come to an end, he can still be competitive as he focuses on race wins. He finished third and second at Las Vegas in last year's races and followed that up with an 12th-place finish there in March. He finished 10th last week at Charlotte and should be capable of another this week.
Another driver worth consideration this week is Erik Jones (DK $7,500, FD $7,000). The Legacy Motor Club driver has earned some good results on tracks like Las Vegas recently, and he finished inside the top 10 in this race last season. His third-place at Kansas just a few weeks ago indicates he could be a top-10 contender again this week. Jones will have to halt his slide of four straight races outside of the top 20, though. Chase Briscoe (DK $7,000, FD $6,200) has not had a problem getting into the top-15 recently. With two top-15s and three top-20s from his last five races, a top-15 should be well within his reach again this week. Briscoe was fourth in this race last season, too. Carson Hocevar (DK $6,500, FD $6,000) will attempt his seventh series start of the season this week. He scored four top-20s and has a best finish of 11th in that short span, and it was announced that he will join the Cup Series full-time with Spire Motorsports in 2024. Hocevar has impressed in his handful of appearances thus far, and Sunday's South Point 400 should be no different.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
William Byron - $10,600
Chase Elliott - $9,200
Bubba Wallace - $8,600
Ty Gibbs - $7,900
Daniel Suarez - $7,300
Austin Dillon - $6,300
The likelihood of sweeping season races at a track is relatively low, but William Byron (DK $10,600, FD $13,000) gets the chance to do that this week. He won at Las Vegas in March, leading 176 of 271 laps. Byron also started four of his last five Las Vegas races from the top three positions. This is a good venue for Byron, and he might pull off the repeat this week to earn a spot in the championship finale. Teammate Chase Elliott (DK $9,200, FD $10,000) is still seeking his first win of the season. If he is in a position to help Byron, he will. However, Elliott should be considered a threat to win regardless. He is now top of the non-playoff standings and finished in the top 11 in the last five races. Elliott has five top-10 finishes from 12 Las Vegas starts, too. Bubba Wallace (DK $8,600, FD $8,500) was knocked out of the playoffs last week, but that doesn't mean he has lost any competitiveness. Wallace has demonstrated success at this track, too. He finished fourth in the spring race and led 29 laps at the track last fall.
Last week's top-five finish should be a boost to Ty Gibbs (DK $7,900, FD $8,000). That result was his second top-five from the last five races. He has two finishes of 22nd from his two series starts at Las Vegas, but his fourth-place starting spot in March suggests he has the speed to do a lot better than that this time. Last week's visit to Charlotte wasn't the best for Daniel Suarez (DK $7,300, FD $6,800), but a return to a 1.5-mile oval may be a good thing for him. He was 16th at Kansas and has two top-10s from the last three races. He finished 10th at Las Vegas in March, too. Finally, Austin Dillon (DK $6,300, FD $5,000) could offer some value given his price this week. He finished 14th a week ago on the road course and has two top-20 finishes from the last five races. Dillon and the team are searching for some better results to head into the offseason with, and Las Vegas is a place he might be able to grab one. He has three top-10s from 16 starts at this track, including a 10th-place finish last fall.
