This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Grant Park 220
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Course: Chicago Street Course
Format: 2.2-mile road course
Laps: 100
NASCAR Grant Park 220 Race Preview
NASCAR enters a weekend of unknowns for the first ever visit to a street course. The streets of Chicago will be transformed into a 2.2-mile street course with 12 turns to challenge teams and drivers to get up to speed the quickest and take advantage of the uncertainty to stake a claim on a spot in the playoffs. This will be the third road course race of the season, and the number of potential race winners on these courses continues to grow. This week's race is a bit of a novelty, and it is checking a box for NASCAR by bringing its product to a major metropolitan area to give fans a taste of what NASCAR racing is all about. The unique temporary course will also be the 177th different track the Cup Series has competed on in its history. While the course itself is new, road racing has become a more normal feature on the calendar the past few years. Driver skill has grown with those schedule additions, and that is sure to make this week's trip to downtown Chicago an entertaining and competitive weekend with playoff implications included.
Key Stats at Chicago
- Number of races: 0
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 0
- Winners from top-10 starters: 0
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: N/A
Previous 10 Road Course Winners
2023 Sonoma - Martin Truex Jr.
2023 Circuit of the Americas - Tyler Reddick
2022 Charlotte - Christopher Bell
2022 Watkins Glen - Chase Elliott
2022 Indianapolis - Tyler Reddick
2022 Road America - Tyler Reddick
2022 Sonoma - Daniel Suarez
2022 Circuit of the Americas - Ross Chastain
2021 Charlotte - Kyle Larson
2021 Indianapolis - AJ Allmendinger
The Chicago street course is a 12-turn 2.2-mile circuit sketched out around the famous Grant Park. The start/finish line and pit road are located directly in front of Buckingham Fountain, and the track passes Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears. A street course is not terribly different than other road courses, except for a few things. First, the surface is comprised of normal city streets and all the debris and variations that come along with it. Getting the tires to maximize grip on what is going to be a very slippery surface will be a challenge early in the weekend. The more the cars pound through the course the more grip will build, but traction early in the weekend will be at a premium. Additionally, being city streets, the turns are generally pretty tight. The opportunities to out brake and bump other cars out of line ahead could be one of the favorite ways to make passes during Sunday's race. The Cup Series tends to get rowdy on road courses and the tightness of a street course could amplify that. In the face of all the potential unknowns, fantasy players would be wise to center their choices this week on proven road course winners.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Grant Park 220 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $10,600
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,400
Chase Elliott - $10,300
Tyler Reddick - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $9,900
Kyle Busch - $9,700
Ross Chastain - $9,600
William Byron - $9,400
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Daniel Suarez - $8,900
Michael McDowell - $8,700
Austin Cindric - $8,400
Joey Logano - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Shane van Gisbergen - $7,600
Ty Gibbs - $7,300
Jenson Button - $6,800
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Grant Park 220
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Tyler Reddick - $10,100
AJ Allmendinger - $9,900
Michael McDowell - $8,700
Ty Gibbs - $7,300
Brad Keselowski - $7,200
Jenson Button - $6,800
When looking for road course potential, Tyler Reddick (DK $10,100, FD $12,500) cannot be missed. He won at Circuit of the Americas earlier this season, qualified second at Sonoma, and took two road course victories last season. This driver has established himself as one of the best in the series on these tracks, and the newness of Chicago may play to his strengths. Another name that immediately jumps to the top of the road course list is AJ Allmendinger (DK $9,900, FD $11,500). He is always a contender on these tracks, regardless of the series. He finished in the top 10 in four of the six road course races run last season and grabbed another just a few weeks ago at Sonoma. The unknown track this week should favor Allmendinger and his experience getting up to speed quickly and the maximizing the car's handling. Most are aware of Michael McDowell's (DK $8,700, FD $9,500) abilities on road courses, too. The Front Row Motorsport driver finished 12th at COTA and seventh at Sonoma this season, and scored five finishes of 13th or better in the six road course stops last season.
Rookie Ty Gibbs (DK $7,300, FD $7,200) is no stranger to these types of tracks either. He won his first Xfinity Series race on a road course and came home ninth earlier this season at Circuit of the Americas. Gibbs is in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs, and he would make that quest reality with a win this week. Veteran Brad Keselowski (DK $7,200, FD $6,500) presents a less risky option given many unknowns, too. He has seven career top-fives on road courses and was 16th a few weeks ago at Sonoma. He should be a reliable top-20 option, which is in line with his cost on most platforms this week. Finally, another road course veteran to consider is Jenson Button (DK $6,800, FD $3,000). The Formula 1 champion got his first taste of the Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas where he started 24th and survived the beating and banging to come home 18th. He also spent hours in a modified NASCAR Cup Series car a few weeks ago at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His seat time in that race, coupled with his experience from COTA, make him a potential value this week when every driver is facing an unknown circuit.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Chase Elliott - $10,300
Ross Chastain - $9,600
Austin Cindric - $8,400
Joey Logano - $8,200
Chase Briscoe - $7,000
Ryan Preece - $6,300
It wasn't too long ago when Chase Elliott (DK $10,300, FD $14,000) was the man to beat on a road course. It is hard to ignore his four consecutive road course wins between 2019 and 2020. He has seven total road course victories, but hasn't won one since 2021. His best road result this season so far was fifth at Sonoma. Ross Chastain (DK $9,600, FD $12,000) scored his first series win on a road course last season. He landed his spot in the playoffs with last week's win at Nashville and finished fourth and 10th in the two road races so far this season. He tends to carry momentum with him from week to week and a recent victory should help him climb the order again in Chicago. Road courses are one of Austin Cindric's (DK $8,400, FD $6,800) strengths. He already has six top-10 finishes on the configuration in the Cup Series with a best finish of second at Indianapolis last season. He hasn't had the best run of form recently, but he did finish sixth at COTA in March. He will be viewing this week as an opportunity to turn that form around. His teammate, Joey Logano (DK $8,200, FD $7,500), has a career average road course finish of 14.5 with one win at Watkins Glen. He was third at Sonoma and has a habit of winning a new tracks. He won Bristol's first dirt race two years ago, the current car generation's first race at the Busch Clash, and the first Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway last season. That is no coincidence. Logano and team are among the best at nailing the setup early and often. That leads to an advantage as other teams spend time navigating the unknowns of a new venue.
Perhaps the riskiest play in this lineup is Chase Briscoe (DK $7,000, FD $6,000). The team was landing top-10 finishes as the season began, but then were hit with a heavy penalty after NASCAR discovered car infractions. With those modifications gone the results went away, too. However, Briscoe does have four career top-10s on road courses and seven top-15s. This could be the week fantasy players may want to give him another shot. Finally, Ryan Preece (DK $6,300, FD $5,800) will be on more equal footing this week with the new circuit. He has shown flashes of speed despite being just his first full year with the new generation of car. Recent results have shown him gaining confidence with regular top-15s, including a 13th-plce run at Sonoma.
