Optimal: Hamlin, Blaney, Byron, Wallace, Bowman, Berry, Allmendinger
GPP: Reddick, Elliott, Buescher, Keselowski, Busch, Cindric, Preece, McDowell
Pocono always brings a unique DFS puzzle. With just 160 laps on the slate, dominator points are limited, and with varying pit strategies almost guaranteed, it’s hard for anyone to control the race from start to finish. We’ve seen winning lineups here without a true dominator, but more often than not, at least one driver does enough to matter. The key is picking the right one, then focusing your build around place differential and mid-range consistency.
The best overall play on the slate is Ryan Blaney. He looked phenomenal in practice, posting elite long-run speed and backing it up with late-run consistency. He’ll be popular, and for good reason, as he checks every box and has dominator upside from deep in the field. William Byron isn’t far behind. He was the fastest in practice, posting the top 10-lap average and showing legitimate race-winning speed. Starting 31st only adds to his appeal, as he brings a rare mix of place differential and dominator potential that makes him a great play in all formats.
Bubba Wallace continues to show growth on non-superspeedway ovals, and Pocono has become one of his better tracks. He ranked fourth in 10-lap averages during practice and starts in a spot that gives him clear top-10 upside. His salary won’t break your build either, making him a great fit across contest types. Josh Berry and Alex Bowman also stand out as mid-range plays with plenty of finishing upside. Berry missed qualifying and will start deep in the field, giving him a built-in floor with sneaky top-15 potential. Berry has been strong on intermediates this year and looking at the speed of some of the other Fords, he could be very fast today. Bowman was top 10 in practice speed and has enough place differential upside to produce a solid score.
While dominators aren’t the priority, there are still a few worth mentioning. Blaney and Byron are both candidates to lead laps later in the race. Denny Hamlin is always a threat at Pocono, as he starts up front, has seven wins here, and showed enough in practice to be considered. Chris Buescher is flying under the radar but had top-five speed throughout the weekend and starts on the front row. He’s not a household name, but he can lead laps and be a slate-breaker. The most recent comparable track to Pocono is Michigan, where we saw Hamlin and Buescher have the two fastest cars. It is no surprise to see them starting up front, and one of them likely leads the first stage. It’s just a matter if they can keep it near the front all day to still produce an optimal score. Tyler Reddick is a step below the others. He’s shown flashes of speed and wasn’t bad in practice, but he’s just not quite on the same level as the top four when it comes to dominator potential.
One of the most interesting tournament plays on the slate is Austin Cindric. He starts 19th and showed serious speed in practice — third-fastest in 10-lap average. He’s projected for low ownership, but all the signals point to a car that can run inside the top 10. He brings the exact combination of place differential and under-the-radar upside you want in GPPs, especially with so much focus on the bigger names.
For value, AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell are both viable. Dinger was unhappy with his car in practice, but he’s a veteran who should still move up 8–10 spots based on track position alone. His ceiling isn’t massive, but he’s cheap and has a clear path to 5x value. McDowell is never a sexy pick, but he showed top-20 speed in practice and starts far enough back to be relevant. Neither guy is going to win you the slate, but if you need salary relief, they’re worth considering.