NASCAR DFS: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Picks

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to North Texas for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400! This is the first race of the Round of 12 for the remaining playoff drivers. With two high-variance races coming up on the schedule, it’s imperative for good intermediate drivers to run well here. As noted in this week’s NASCAR DFS Preview article, this isn’t the best track for pure racing on the schedule. Texas is often criticized for its “single groove,” but we do have a new tire combination. Let’s get right to it and look at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 picks for Sunday afternoon’s race from Texas Motor Speedway!

With 267 laps on tap, you’ll certainly want to focus on getting those dominator points. Texas is the kind of track that caters to the leader. Clean air is huge here and if you have the lead, it can be difficult for those chasing you down. But the new tire combination can hopefully fix that. Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Daniel Suarez conducted the tire test back in June. Those drivers, and their teammate, may have a bit of an edge. Let’s take a look at how qualifying played out.

AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Picks: The Top 10

1. Bubba Wallace (#23 23XI Racing)
2. Chris Buescher (#17 RFK Racing)
3. Brad Keselowski (#6 RFK Racing)
4. Ty Gibbs (#54 Joe Gibbs Racing)
5. Ross Chastain (#1 Trackhouse Racing)
6. J. Allmendinger (#16 Kaulig Racing)
7. Daniel Suarez (#99 Trackhouse Racing)
8. Kyle Busch (#8 Richard Childress Racing)
9. Christopher Bell (#20 Joe Gibbs Racing)
10. Denny Hamlin (#11 Joe Gibbs Racing)

Some interesting results from qualifying, as you can see. Bubba Wallace lands on the pole. That’s huge because he’s currently 14 points from the good to make the next round. The pole potentially means he could win the first stage and collect more playoff points. And yet, we know Bubba has had speed on comparable tracks. The Toyotas have been the fastest on these higher-speed intermediates. Additionally, it’s noteworthy that both Trackhouse cars qualified in the top seven. Suarez and company clearly took notes on the tire test and both cars look to have speed for tomorrow’s action.

Which Value-Priced AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Picks Got A Points Movement Bump?

DraftKings:

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – $6,900; Starting P24
• Chase Briscoe – $6,200; Starting P31
• Austin Cindric – $5,800; Starting P32
• Corey LaJoie – $5,700; Starting P27
• Zane Smith – $5,400; Starting P33

FanDuel:

• Chase Elliott – $9,000; Starting P29
• Kevin Harvick – $7,200; Starting P22
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – $6,500; Starting P24
• Chase Briscoe – $4,800; Starting P31
• Corey LaJoie – $4,200; Starting P27

I included Elliott and Harvick in the FanDuel section. The “average” salary for a driver on FanDuel is $10,000 so technically they’re both values below that threshold. But I’ve noted how…