Published Jun 26, 2026 6:47 PM EDT

Audio By Carbonatix

Sonoma flips the script. Forget horsepower and track position — this week rewards brake feel, late-corner patience, and drivers who treat a road course like a chess match. The road course specialists separate themselves from the pretenders, and the rankings below sort out who’s actually built for wine country.

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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $250K Burnout on the Base [$50K to 1st] (Cup)

Top DraftKings Picks for Toyota / Save Mart 350

1. Shane van Gisbergen ($14,000) — Congratulations to the game theorists who faded van Gisbergen in SD. Try that again. The street course at the Coronado Naval Base was an invitation to disaster, and disaster happened. The road course in wine country is the opposite. SVG should run away from the field.
2. Kyle Larson ($9,500) — The 2024 Sonoma winner is from California, not New Zealand. To be fair, the Kiwi competed in the 2024 Sonoma O’Reilly Series race — which he won. Can Larson beat Van Gisbergen at his own game? Can anyone?
3. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) — A 23XI Racing Toyota finished second at San Diego, but it wasn’t Tyler Reddick. It was Bubba Wallace who made Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin proud. Tyler Reddick was the owner’s favorite driver in Austin, Texas, when he won at the Circuit of The Americas earlier this season.
4. Chris Buescher ($8,700) — Even with a 16th-place finish in the 2025 Sonoma race, Buescher ranks second in median finish at Sonoma in the Gen-7 era. Buescher will never receive the proper recognition for his road-course skills. The media and fans just don’t get it, but DraftKings competitors know the truth.
5. Chase Elliott ($8,000) — His run of road course wins has dried up, but podiums and top-5 finishes are still frequent. Elliott finished third, fourth, fifth and eighth in the four Gen-7 Sonoma races.
6. Michael McDowell ($9,300) — The DraftKings Sportsbook feature parlay is “Track Knowers.” It pays +490 if SVG, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher and McDowell all earn top-10 finishes. McDowell seems like the weakest leg, but his average finish at Sonoma in the Gen-7 era is the second best among the group.
7. AJ Allmendinger ($8,200) — To no one’s surprise, The Dinger is still a ringer on the road. Over the last six road course races, Allmendinger has an average finish of eighth. Experience and technical skills matter at Sonoma. Allmendinger has both in spades.
8. Brad Keselowski ($6,000) — The RFK Fords are in the news. There are rumors that Keselowski’s team will return to Dodge. The veteran won Dodge’s one and only Cup Series Championship in a Team Penske Dodge in 2012. That storyline will likely overshadow his solid numbers at Sonoma — average finish of 12.5 (Gen-7).
9. Chase Briscoe ($8,900) — In his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe earned a runner-up finish at Sonoma last season. The No. 19 JGR Toyota team won the 2019 and 2023 Sonoma races, and the alliance’s other 2018 victory came via the technically affiliated Furniture Row No. 78 Toyota.
10. Ty Gibbs ($9,100) — Joe Gibbs’ grandson has cooled off from his hot start, but his road course stats are stellar this season. This type of racing has always been one of Ty Gibbs’ strengths since his ARCA days. He finished fourth at COTA and third at Watkins Glen.
11. William Byron ($8,400) — Despite finishing outside the top 30 in two road course races this season, Byron still ranks inside the top 10 at road courses during the Gen-7 era. Hendrick always has speed on road courses, and Byron is a premier road-course driver, but this hasn’t been his year.
12. Ryan Blaney ($8,500) — Competent road course drivers do not get their due in the Gen-7 era. The field is filled with elite road course drivers. The days of treating the Sonoma road course like a West Coast road trip are over. In the past, Blaney’s average finish of 10th would be something to write home about.
13. Denny Hamlin ($7,100) — The only hole in Hamlin’s game is his road course skills. The No. 11 JGR Toyota was once a threat at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. The field has since caught up and passed him. This season, he has experienced a slight resurgence with finishes of 16th, 10th and 14th. Not great, but better than previous seasons.
14. Ross Chastain ($7,400) — Trackhouse Racing’s lead driver is no longer the leader. Ross is not the boss, but he’s still an employee of the Cup Series team known for road course expertise. It shows. Chastain has a top-10 finish in three of the four Gen-7 Sonoma races.
15. Austin Cindric ($6,200) — How the mighty have fallen. Cindric was once one of the most expensive Cup Series drivers at road courses. He dominated the O’Reilly Series road course circuit. Has he lost his touch? Cindric earned a top 10 at The Glen.

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