This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Grant Park 165
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Course: Chicago Street Course
Format: 2.2-mile road course
Laps: 75
NASCAR Grant Park 165 Race Preview
Joey Logano gambled on fuel mileage and wound up winning his first race of the season a week ago at Nashville. That race turned into a marathon with five overtime attempts, enabling Logano to move into the lead as those previously ahead fell back through a myriad of problems. A year ago, NASCAR's first visit to a street course provided similar excitement as Shane van Gisbergen delivered an impressive drive in his series debut to win on a wet track in Chicago. This week, the NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers return to try it all again. William Byron and Kyle Larson won the two previous road course races held this season and only five playoff spots remain available with seven races left for someone to win their way in. This week's street course may just be what some of those aspiring contenders need to put their foot in the door and have a chance to race for the series title. Those drivers who have proven themselves on road courses in the past will be licking their chops at the potential to do just that in this week's Grant Park 165.
Key Stats at Chicago
- Number of races: 1
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 1
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 60.281 mph
Previous Grant Park Winners
2023 - Shane van Gisbergen
Chicago's 12-turn 2.2-mile circuit provided plenty of action in last year's first street-course visit for the NASCAR Cup Series. The weather that weekend made for a treacherous track, which are tricky under the best of circumstances considering normal streets aren't as clean, flat, or smooth as most race courses. The track took some time for drivers to figure out, but the race was one of the more entertaining events. Most challenging for the drivers was grip. That can be expected to be the same again this year, especially if it rains again. If the weekend remains dry, powering off of corner exit and late braking into the slow turns will be what drivers work on. Getting the tires to maximize grip on the slippery surface will contribute to finding the limit. As it did last year, grip will build throughout the weekend, but traction early will be a premium. Like last year's race, fantasy players will want to focus their choices on drivers that have a proven road-course pedigree. Similarly, road courses also tend to favor drivers that start in the first few rows. Starting position will be a major factor for fantasy players to consider.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Grant Park 165 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Christopher Bell - $10,200
Shane van Gisbergen - $10,000
Tyler Reddick - $9,800
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,600
William Byron - $9,400
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,200
AJ Allmendinger - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chris Buescher - $8,800
Michael McDowell - $8,600
Ty Gibbs - $8,400
Ross Chastain - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Denny Hamlin - $8,000
Ryan Blaney - $7,800
Kyle Busch - $7,700
Austin Cindric - $7,500
Justin Haley - $6,700
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Grant Park 165
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Christopher Bell - $10,200
Tyler Reddick - $9,800
Michael McDowell - $8,600
Kyle Busch - $7,700
Austin Cindric - $7,500
Bubba Wallace - $6,200
Though he didn't finish at the front of last year's race, Christopher Bell (DK $10,200, FD $12,500) led 37 laps and won both stages. He was fast again last week before crashing and finished inside the top 10 in both road course races so far this season. Bell should be one of the top contenders to win Sunday's race. Tyler Reddick (DK $9,800, FD $13,000) may have something to say about that, though. Reddick qualified on the front row at Chicago last year before finishing second and third in the first two stages. He finished fifth at Circuit of the Americas and was eighth at Sonoma, too. Reddick has proven himself on road courses and could be a factor in the outcome this week again. Michael McDowell (DK $8,600, FD $11,000) is also a driver to take notice of on road courses. He was the runner up at Sonoma just a few weeks ago and also finished seventh at Chicago last year. He was one of the few drivers to start and finish in the top 10 in that tricky race, which makes him a top-10 contender again this week.
Despite his recent poor finishes, fantasy players may want to consider Kyle Busch (DK $7,700, FD $8,000) this week. He started 18th in this race last year, nosed his car into the tire barrier, but still managed to finish fifth. Busch was also running inside the top five last week before being caught out and crashing on one of the late restarts. Given the fact that he overcame drama to score a top-five here last year, Busch may have a better shot at a top finish this week versus the last few. Austin Cindric (DK $7,500, FD $7,000) should also be on fantasy shortlists. He was a dominant road course racer in the Xfinity Series and has proven to be fast on these tracks in Cup, too. He started just 31st in this race last season but used his skill to move all the way up to sixth for the finish. Despite his win, 2024 hasn't been the best for him, but this week should be a chance for him to score another top finish. Finally, Bubba Wallace (DK $6,200, FD $4,500) may have started a turnaround last week at Nashville. That seventh-place finish was his first top-10 since Darlington and he sits just outside the playoff positions in the standings. He needs consistent top-15 finishes now (or a win) to help that championship effort. He finished 15th at Circuit of the Americas earlier this year but suffered in Chicago's tricky conditions last year. However, he qualified 14th for that race, which suggests a tpo-15 might be within reach this time.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Shane van Gisbergen - $10,000
AJ Allmendinger - $9,000
Ty Gibbs - $8,400
Denny Hamlin - $8,000
Ryan Blaney - $7,800
Justin Haley - $6,700
Shane van Gisbergen's (DK $10,000, FD $13,500) drive to win last year's Grant Park race was one for the ages. He quickly got up to speed with NASCAR machinery and then powered to the race victory in his series debut. The New Zealander has been racing full time this season in the Xfinity Series and has won two road course races so far. He'll try to defend his Cup win this week, but going back to back is always more difficult. Challenging him will be NASCAR's own road course ace, AJ Allmendinger (DK $9,000, FD $10,500). Allmendinger is no stranger to these races despite moving back to Xfinity for 2024. This will be his eighth series start of the season and he has three top-10s from those seven other starts. He qualified 10th for this race last season but only finished 17th. His abilities on these types of tracks make him a top choice, though.
Ty Gibbs (DK $8,400, FD $11,500) is no stranger to success on road courses. He won multiple Xfinity road course events and finished in the top five in three of the last four Cup Series road course stops. Gibbs braved the Chicago conditions in this race last year, too. He started that race 12th and finished ninth. His teammate, Denny Hamlin (DK $8,000, FD $8,500) didn't do so bad himself. He started at the front and soldiered on to an 11th-place finish, which was a respectable result for a driver that hasn't had as much road course success as some of the other contenders. Regardless, Hamlin is a consistent top finisher on every type of track, and fantasy players should be optimistic when snagging him for such a low price this week. Hamlin nearly had the win a week ago and finished 14th at Circuit of the Americas in March. Like Hamlin, Ryan Blaney (DK $7,800, FD $7,800) is also fast enough recently to warrant consideration at Chicago. Blaney is a former road course winner but isn't known for this type of racing. However, he has been on a hot streak and could have won more than just his one race so far this season. Wall contact in last year's race helped turn his 17th starting spot into a poor finish, but he finished seventh at Sonoma and 12th earlier this year at COTA. Blaney could be another value option for rosters this week. The final value option this week should be Justin Haley (DK $6,700, FD $5,200). Haley finished second in last year's race in an impressive drive from the 37th starting position. He led 23 total laps, which makes him a risky but optimistic choice again this year.
