Anduril 250
Location: San Diego, Calif.
Course: Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado
Format: 3.4-mile street course
Laps: 75
NASCAR Cup Series Race Preview
Denny Hamlin kept his winning ways alive a week ago at Pocono, topping a strategy-dominated race to earn his third consecutive victory and cut Tyler Reddick's championship lead to fewer than 20 points. Even with Hamlin out front, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets appeared to be gaining on the streaking Toyotas. William Byron and Kyle Larson both finished inside the top five, while Chase Elliott led nine laps on his way to an 11th-place finish. That picture could change with back-to-back road course races next up on the schedule. The first is a new 3.4-mile street course at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. It will be NASCAR's first visit to the venue and the Cup Series' second different street course, following the Chicago Street Course that featured on the calendar for the past three seasons. Regardless of the venue and its many question marks, the focus now shifts to the road course specialists and Shane van Gisbergen, who won five road course races last season and already has another victory under his belt in 2026.
Key Stats at Qualcomm Circuit
- 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
2026 Watkins Glen - Shane van Gisbergen
2026 COTA - Tyler Reddick
2025 Charlotte ROVAL - Shane van Gisbergen
2025 Watkins Glen - Shane van Gisbergen
2025 Sonoma - Shane van Gisbergen
2025 Chicago Street Course - Shane van Gisbergen
2025 Mexico City - Shane van Gisbergen
2025 COTA - Christopher Bell
2024 Charlotte ROVAL - Kyle Larson
2024 Watkins Glen - Chris Buescher
NASCAR's newest street course comes with plenty of unknowns. What is known is that its 3.4-mile length makes it the longest road course on the calendar. It also features technical sections and what should be heavy braking zones at the end of long straights. The course is also expected to include both narrow and wider sections, which could tempt drivers into opportunistic passing attempts in certain spots. Still, the braking zones at the end of the fast straights into tight corners should be the prime passing opportunities.
As with any street or road course, track position will be king. Being able to run fast laps without getting held up in traffic can make or break a day, and pit strategy will come into play as teams jockey for positive track position. The winner will still need speed and handling, though. The everyday-use roads are expected to be rough and bumpy, which will challenge teams to find a setup that works well under braking without putting the driver so close to the edge that the car wheel hops on corner entry.
Settle in and buckle up because this newest race on the Cup Series calendar could throw everyone a few curveballs.
RotoWire NASCAR Cup Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Anduril 250
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Shane van Gisbergen - $13,000
Tyler Reddick - $10,200
Ty Gibbs - $9,700
Christopher Bell - $9,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chris Buescher - $9,200
Chase Elliott - $9,000
Kyle Larson - $8,900
Michael McDowell - $8,800
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chase Briscoe - $8,600
AJ Allmendinger - $8,500
Ryan Blaney - $8,300
Denny Hamlin - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Daniel Suarez - $7,600
Joey Logano - $7,400
Austin Cindric - $7,100
Austin Dillon - $5,600
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Anduril 250
Shane van Gisbergen - $13,000
Michael McDowell - $8,800
AJ Allmendinger - $8,500
Austin Cindric - $7,100
Carson Hocevar - $7,000
Austin Dillon - $5,600
Domination on the road courses since his arrival in the NASCAR Cup Series makes Shane van Gisbergen (DK $13,000, FD $14,500) the obvious top choice for fantasy players this week. He brings the potential to lead every lap and capture the win, like he did at Sonoma last season, and his advantage on road courses could be amplified by the fact that this is the first race at this track. SVG is working to shore up a spot in The Chase, and another road course win this weekend would go a long way toward achieving that goal.
Michael McDowell (DK $8,800, FD $11,500) has proven to be an excellent option for fantasy players at road courses. Both of his top-five finishes this season have come on road courses, and he has finished in the top five at just about every road course he has raced on. He won on the Indianapolis Road Course in 2023 and started inside the top six in every Chicago Street Course race with a best finish of fifth in 2024.
Whenever the series makes a road course visit, AJ Allmendinger (DK $8,500, FD $7,800) is part of the conversation. While his advantage in recent seasons has diminished, Allmendinger is still one of the best options at new places like San Diego. Even still, both of his 2026 top-10 finishes came on road courses. Those races show he still has what it takes and fantasy players would be right to have bigger than normal expectations of him this week.
Fans are still waiting to see Austin Cindric (DK $7,100, FD $6,200) live up to the road course promise he showed on his path to the series. There have been flashes of his abilities on these circuits, but something usually gets in the way. However, a ninth-place finish at Watkins Glen just last month may be a signal of more to come. In 2023, Cindric also finished sixth in the Chicago Street Course debut despite starting 31st. This week's entirely new track should be a boost to Cindric's chances against the competition if he can execute a clean race.
While Carson Hocevar (DK $7,000, FD $6,000) is not known for his road course skills, he has shown signs of promise. He started inside the top 15 in both of his series attempts in Chicago as well as at both road course stops already this season. He and Spire Motorsports have competitiveness in hand, and if they can avoid mistakes this weekend, a top-15 finish should be within reach.
Austin Dillon (DK $5,600, FD $3,200) could be another viable selection given his low price this week. It has been a tough season for the No. 3 team, but the two road course races run so far were bright spots. His 19th-place finish at COTA was his best finish from the first three races of the season, and he went on to land his only top-10 finish so far at Watkins Glen. Despite not being a name fantasy player typically think of at these tracks, Dillon may be one not to overlook this time.
Best Bets for the Anduril 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Tyler Reddick +900
Top-Five Finish - Ty Gibbs +210
Top-10 Finish - Daniel Suarez +200
Winning Manufacturer - Toyota +380
While Shane van Gisbergen is the obvious favorite to win this week, his odds make it a tough pill swallow. The good news about his road course domination is that it makes other quality drivers have better odds than they would otherwise have if SVG weren't in the field. Top of those would be Tyler Reddick. He won at COTA earlier this season has been amassing a very impressive road course resume in the shadow of Van Gisbergen's arrival on the scene. Anything can happen in motorsport, and if anything impacts SVG's race, you can be confident that Reddick will be there to pick up the pieces.
For all of those same reasons, wagerers may want to select Toyota as the winning manufacturer. Chevrolet's odds are super low because they have both Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. However, fans know that Toyota has had the better equipment all season, and they've even won on a road course already. Taking advantage of Toyota's very generous odds this week could end up being a very profitable choice.
Another standout road course racer is Ty Gibbs. In fact, Gibbs was in position to win at Watkins Glen before having slow toward the finish to conserve. Even with him backing off, Gibbs still finished third. He was also fourth at COTA. Gibbs is one of the best road course racers in the series and his odds to score a top-five finish this week are a solid play.
One stretch bet worth consideration is Daniel Suarez for a top-10 finish. Suarez is a road course winner and Spire Motorsports are at the top of their game. Suarez was 13th at Watkins Glen and had a best finish of 11th in his three starts on the streets of Chicago. Given the many unkowns that surround this week's race, the confidence Suarez and Spire bring into the race weekend could be factors that push them further up the running order than usual.
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