This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Straight Talk Wireless 400
Location: Homestead, Fla.
Course: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile oval
Laps: 267
NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 400 Race Preview
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs head to Homestead-Miami Speedway this week for the second of three chances for championship contenders to claim one of four tickets to race for the series title in Phoenix. Despite Christopher Bell's domination last week at Las Vegas, it was Joey Logano who stretched his fuel to beat Bell's Toyota to the finish. The win was the third of the season for the Team Penske driver, and it earned him a chance to win his third series championship. Bell was understandably disappointed after the race, but his effort was still good enough to leave him atop the playoff standings en route to a race at Miami, that he won last season. However, nothing is guaranteed in racing, and this playoff format heaps pressure onto drivers and teams to find their peak at the perfect time. With last week's win, Logano has two weeks to work on that. The other seven playoff contenders have work to do to join him, and that work resumes this week in Miami.
Key Stats at Homestead-Miami Speedway
- Number of races: 25
- Winners from pole: 3
- Winners from top-5 starters: 15
- Winners from top-10 starters: 17
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 142.654 mph
Previous 10 Homestead Winners
2023 - Christopher Bell
2022 - Kyle Larson
2021 - William Byron
2020 - Denny Hamlin
2019 - Kyle Busch
2018 - Joey Logano
2017 - Martin Truex Jr.
2016 - Jimmie Johnson
2015 - Kyle Busch
2014 - Kevin Harvick
The current version of the Homestead-Miami Speedway has been producing some exciting and competitive racing in recent seasons. The track's progressive banking, especially when coupled with the current generation of car, enables more passing and close racing than in earlier iterations of the oval. As rubber is laid onto the racing line, drivers will work to get as close to the outside wall as possible to take advantage of the steepest portion of banking. Despite the top lane being the fastest, the circuit's turns offer multiple lines for drivers to make passes and adjust for handling. The circuit's worn pavement also makes tire wear a big factor. The surface hasn't been replaced since 2003, and drivers must manage their tires to maximize grip through the long and fast turns. Unexpected caution periods often give teams a chance to get fresh grip and make adjustments if necessary. While most race winners start inside the top 10, two of the last three races have been won by starting 13th and 31st. It helps to have positive track position from the start at this track, but this is a venue where not all is lost if qualifying isn't a success. While all manufacturers have won at Homestead recently, Chevrolet and Toyota have held the lion's share of success.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,000
Christopher Bell - $10,800
William Byron - $10,300
Ryan Blaney - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Denny Hamlin - $9,800
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ross Chastain - $8,800
Kyle Busch - $8,600
Alex Bowman - $8,000
Bubba Wallace - $7,800
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
AJ Allmendinger - $7,300
Daniel Suarez - $7,200
Carson Hocevar - $6,900
Austin Dillon - $6,700
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Straight Talk Wireless 400
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
William Byron - $10,300
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,000
Kyle Busch - $8,600
Alex Bowman - $8,000
AJ Allmendinger - $7,300
Austin Dillon - $6,700
William Byron (DK $10,300, FD $13,000) continued to impress in the playoffs with another top-five finish a week ago at Las Vegas. With four top-four finishes, he now turns his attention to Homestead, where he won in 2021 and led 25 laps to finish fourth last season. In his last three races at this track, Byron led a combined 134 laps. He ran in the top 10 throughout last year's race and is poised for more success in 2024. A sixth-place finish a week ago at Las Vegas is also good news from Martin Truex Jr. (DK $9,000, FD $11,000) when looking forward to Homestead. We predicted his consistent Las Vegas finishes could be give him a bright spot in his poor 2024 season, and we were right as he scored his 11th top-10 of the season. His record at Homestead is also admirable, which makes him one to look to again this week. Truex qualified on pole there last season but suffered an engine failure in the race but had not finished lower than 12th at Homestead in the six years prior. Kyle Busch (DK $8,600, FD $8,200) is also a veteran of note. The Richard Childress Racing driver is still winless in 2024, but he is a two-time Homestead victor with 11 top-10 finishes from 19 career starts. He enters this week with back-to-back 13th-place finishes in the last two races and eager to return to the top 10 and fight for a victory.
Alex Bowman (DK $8,000, FD $8,000) bounced back from his unceremonious elimination from the playoffs with his eighth top-five finish of the season at Las Vegas. The No. 48 team will continue their mission to demonstrate what could have been this week at Homestead, too. Bowman has been improving there recently with two top-10s from the last four races. Someone who is nearly always toward the front at Homestead is AJ Allmendinger (DK $7,300, FD $7,200), though. The part-time Cup Series driver is nearly as successful at this track as he is on road courses, boasting three top-fives and five top-10s from 12 series starts. He finished fifth in this race last season despite starting all the way back in the 25th position, too. Fantasy players would also be wise to not look past Austin Dillon (DK $6,700, FD $6,000) this week. The driver of the No. 3 machine has four Homestead top-10s from his 10 career starts and hasn't finished outside of the top 15 at the track since 2015. His average Homestead finish is 11.4. which makes him a safer option for many rosters this week.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Christopher Bell - $10,800
Ross Chastain - $8,800
Brad Keselowski - $8,400
Bubba Wallace - $7,800
Daniel Suarez - $7,200
Carson Hocevar - $6,900
After narrowly missing out on securing a spot in the final four last week, Christopher Bell (DK $10,800, FD $13,500) will be coming with a vengeance at Homestead. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been heating up recently with back-to-back runner-up finishes. He leads the points and is anxious to book his spot in the championship finale. He won this race last season and has an average finish of 10th from four starts at the track. Bell warrants his position as one of the favorites this week. In comparison, Ross Chastain (DK $8,800, FD $10,000) comes with more risk. The Trackhouse Racing driver has been very good at the 1.5-mile ovals this season, though. His results at Homestead have been improving, too. His best finish came two years ago when he finished second. He then delivered his first top-10 qualifying effort there last season before a crash took him out prematurely. Homestead's rough surface may also suit Brad Keselowski (DK $8,400, FD $9,000). The former champion has a history of success at tracks like this and Darlington. Keselowski's fifth-place finish in this race two years ago was his fourth top-five at the track, and he led 16 laps in last year's race before contact dropped him to a finish of 28th.
Two Toyota drivers, apart from Bell, to keep in mind at Homestead are Bubba Wallace (DK $7,800, FD $7,800) and Daniel Suarez (DK $7,200, FD $7,000). Both have been showing moments of promise both recently as well as at this track in particular. Wallace's best Homestead finish came last season when he finished sixth. He was 13th there two years ago, led his first laps at the track the following year, and then led another nine laps last season in that sixth-place run. That is a positive trend for him. It gets even better when you consider he led 37 laps at Darlington earlier this season, which is a comparable track. Suarez drove a fuel-mileage race last week at Las Vegas to score his first top-five since Atlanta. The Trackhouse Racing driver also finished 16th or better in four of his last five starts at Homestead and won in the Xfinity Series there in 2016 to secure that championship. Some momentum from last week's top finish should help him continue that trajectory at Homestead. Carson Hocevar (DK $6,900, FD $4,500) has also won in NASCAR at this track. He picked up the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory last season and has been giving fantasy players regular top-15 finishes the second half of this season. There is no reason to think that can't happen again this week at a place he stood in Victory Lane at just a year ago.
