Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2024 South Point 400

The Round of 12 ended last week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in dramatic fashion, no less.

Now, the NASCAR Playoffs kicks off its Round of 8 out at the “jewel in the desert,” the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This being another intermediate track, there will be some usual suspects up at the front, and those will be the guys you should bank on.

Remember though, this is Vegas, and the name of the game is gamble, gamble, gamble. With that in mind, take some risks, make some money and win your groups.

Let’s take a look at how last week turned out for us. After a disastrous couple of weeks, it was nice to take home some points.

RIGHT ON THE MONEY	LICK YOUR WOUNDS
Chase Elliott (finished fifth, 42.8 points scored)	Martin Truex Jr. +2800 to win (finished 22nd)
Shane van Gisbergen (finished seventh, 40.8 points scored)	Carson Hocevar +1300 to finish in the top five (finished 12th)
Michael McDowell (finished 15th, 34.5 points scored)	Alex Bowman +700 to finish in the top three (DQ)

Lord, I could use a payday, but not a bad fantasy week. Here’s a rules breakdown before we set our lineups.

Drivers will be awarded points based on their finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 points and 31st gets 10 points.

However many spots drivers lose or gain on the track are added to or subtracted from their score. Then, if the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 points for each fastest lap.

DraftKings NASCAR Fantasy Scoring Rules

Fantasy Forecast

1. William Byron ($10,800)

Willy B was absolutely dominant throughout the Round of 12, despite not winning any of the three races. Byron was a whopping 74 points up on the cut line entering last week’s race, but this week, I think he’s your winner and the first to punch his ticket to the Championship 4.

Don’t believe me? Well, throughout the last round, the No. 24 never finished worse than third. Those right there, those are championship numbers.

I’d be absolutely stunned if he didn’t challenge for the win this week.

2. Joey Logano ($9,800)

Just when you thought his “even year” streak was over, the driver of the No. 22 Ford Mustang was added to the penultimate round at the expense of Alex Bowman.

Now, we’ve seen for a number of years now just how well Logano responds to adversity. There’s no doubt that most fans don’t think he should be here, but that’s when he excels most.

If he doesn’t win Sunday, he’s most certainly a huge threat with a lot to prove.

3. Ross Chastain ($8,800)

Chastain won the most recent race on an intermediate track a few weeks ago at the very similar Kansas Speedway.

It stands to reason then, that he’s going to run well at Las Vegas as well. He’s been very, very inconsistent this year though. That’s the biggest reason I wavered on this pick.

However, Chastain has never finished worse than 12th on this track since joining Trackhouse.

4. Bubba Wallace ($7,500)

Wallace has been on a nice little mini-tear as of late.

He’s grabbed three top 10 finishes in his last four starts, all at different track types. That alone, in my book, makes him a must-have at a meager salary.

It’s definitely time for fantasy owners to cash in on his momentum.

5. Noah Gragson ($6,900)

Gragson has definitely struggled as of late, having not scored a top 10 finish since his ninth place run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the summer.

However, he was very, very good in Sin City in the spring.

In that race, Gragson flexed his muscle at his home track, coming home with an impressive sixth place finish that really put him on the map this season. I think there’s another good run left in the No. 10 team before it goes away for good at season’s end.

6. Justin Haley ($5,900)

Goodness gracious, Haley has been impressive since coming over to Spire in a trade with Rick Ware Racing. All the talent has been on full display in the better equipment, and his future with this team is bright.

Haley won’t light up the stat boxes by any means, but he’s a solid final pick this week.

Prop Bets and Locks

1. Ford to win (+320): Remember when this used to be the Blue Ovals’ playground? I sure do, and I’m surprised they’re riding into the desert as the underdog this week. Could be a good opportunity at quick cash for you this weekend.
2. Kyle Busch (+1400) to win: Busch is running out of chances for that record 20th straight season with at least one win. What better place for him to get it than right here at his home track? Busch has struggled here with RCR, though he very nearly won at Kansas a few weeks back. If it’s going to happen anywhere, it could be here.
3. Alex Bowman to finish in the top ten (+110): I know this isn’t the sexiest bet I’ve ever put on this list, but its one I feel compelled to include nonetheless. After last week’s heartbreak and missing out on the Round of 8, you have to believe “The Showman” is going to go all out the rest of the way, trying to prove he should’ve been. Bank on that, make some easy money.