WisePower 400 at Auto Club Speedway Preview
We're off to the races! Now that the season is underway, we can start to hone in more on skilled tracks and hopefully deal with fewer variables! Daytona is a racetrack where luck is a big part of how things end up. The WisePower 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA is a track the series hasn't visited since the pandemic shut things down in 2020.
Auto Club is a big, wide, 2-mile D-shaped oval, similar to Michigan in size and speeds. It's a very abrasive and worn track, with a surface originally installed in 1997. Track Prep will include the use of a "tire dragon" to embed rubber back into the track as well as some traction compound. A 35-minute practice session is followed by qualifying on Saturday. Driver Group Game rosters lock before practice and qualifying but don't be afraid to use drivers that like logging practice time.
NASCAR DFS
I'm taking a data-meld approach to this track to narrow down my choices. I'm blending past stats at this track with last season's Michigan stats and Charlotte's Next-Gen testing speeds last December.
Best Bets:
| Race Winner | Kyle Larson |
| Best Bets | Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott |
| Dark Horse Picks | William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick |
| Drivers I'm Fading | Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano |
Driver Group Game:
Since practice will happen before rosters partially lock, and some leagues offer qualifying bonus points, you have to have your line-ups set before Saturday 2/26 at 8 am EST. Here's who I have for the week:
We'll break down practice and qualifying as well as starts/sits and DFS lineups on race day!
If you are interested in playing any of these games, sign up before the green flag drops at 2:30 pm EST at the links below:
https://drivergroupgame.com/league/dgg-league-cup/entry/
https://fantasygames.nascar.com/live/picks
https://nascarpoolsonline.com/
Coming soon will be more content. Please follow me at @DirtyAirFC on Twitter, search for DirtyAir Podcast on every platform where podcasts can be found, and DirtyAirFC on YouTube for more content throughout the season.