The NASCAR Cup Series heads north to Chicago this weekend for the 2024 Grant Park 165, the second-ever street race in modern history. Last year, Shane Van Gisbergen won here in his first-ever Cup Series start, but a number of things had to cut his way, including, well, rain. With no weather in the forecast on Sunday, we could have a less chaotic (and more predictable) event on tap. Without further ado, let’s dive into our top NASCAR DFS picks for the 2024 Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street, including Michael McDowell.
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NASCAR DFS Picks: Top Drivers for the 2024 Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street
Michael McDowell | 2024 Grant Park 165 DFS Picks | Chicago Street Course
This article was written before our NASCAR DFS projections run. Check back on Sunday morning for Stokastic’s industry-leading NASCAR DFS projections, including our top drivers tool!
With stage breaks back on the menu at road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series, we’re unlikely to see one driver run away with things early and stay out front until the end. Contrarian strategy calls at the end of stages will be commonplace, especially among drivers who need wins to get into the playoffs.
Michael McDowell ($8,600 at DraftKings) is one such driver. At 22nd in points and with no win to his name, his playoff hopes will likely come down to his ability to win a race, likely at either a road course or superspeedway.
Since we don’t get points for stage results — and since road courses feature so few laps — finishing position and place differential are paramount. While it’s a concern that McDowell is starting in P3, giving him plenty of spots to possibly lose, the upshot is that we can trust him to care exclusively about where he is at the end of the race.
McDowell is obviously a talented street and road course racer, having dominated last year’s race at the Indy Road Course so much that NASCAR brought the stage breaks back. He finished P7 at Chicago Street last year after sticking around in the top-five for most of the day. Let’s trust him for a good result on Sunday.
A.J. Allmendinger
This race is all about place differential and final result, and that favors no driver more than A.J. Allmendinger ($9,000). His No. 13 Chevrolet wasn’t good in practice or qualifying, but that has led to him starting in P37. He should cut through the field with relative ease on his way to a bunch of differential points.
Allmendinger is a road course ace. Like McDowell, he won at a road course in the Cup Series — although, unlike McDowell, he has done so multiple times. While Kaulig Racing is certainly struggling for speed, that didn’t keep Allmendinger from finishing P6 at COTA and again at Sonoma earlier this season. While he didn’t have to come from last to do it, he did have to improve upon his starting position to get both results.
It’s a hefty price to pay for a driver starting in P37, but punting on the limited number of dominator points available for the massive amount of potential place differential that Allmendinger can give to your lineup is probably the right play.
