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DRAFTKINGS Dominator Points Cheatsheet

Dominator Points in DraftKings DFS games refer to the bonus points awarded to a driver for leading laps and for achieving the fastest laps during a race. These points are crucial for maximizing a player's DFS score, as they reward drivers who perform exceptionally well and dominate the race. Use the DraftKings Dominator Points Cheatsheet to identify key trends in laps led and fast laps at this week’s NASCAR race, with detailed tables, graphs, and projections to help you make informed DFS decisions.

NCTS Race at Watkins Glen

Friday, August 8th, 2025

Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

'Top Dominators' Point Distribution Charts

Before diving deep into strategy, it's crucial to get a quick lay of the land. By studying the bar charts displaying the top dominators for recent races at this track, players can understand the general trend of how dominator points are awarded here. Remember, every track is unique and can favor different strategies.

  1. Spotting the Consistent Performers: Focus on drivers who consistently make it to the top of the Dominator Points table across multiple races. These drivers not only perform well at this particular track but also have the right combination of skill, car performance, and team strategy to maximize their Dominator Points. Consider giving them priority when making your selections.
  2. Understanding Track Dynamics: Some tracks might favor drivers starting from the back due to potential place differential points, while others might reward those who start up front and dominate. Look at the 'start' and 'finish' positions in the table. If you notice that top dominators often start in higher positions, it suggests that qualifying well and maintaining that lead is crucial at this track.
  3. Laps Led vs. Fast Laps: Break down the Dominator Points into its components. Some drivers might lead more laps, while others might have more fast laps. If a driver is consistently leading a significant percentage of laps but isn't clocking fast laps, it indicates they're good at maintaining a lead but might not be the fastest on the track. Conversely, drivers with a high percentage of fast laps but fewer laps led might face challenges in overtaking but have the speed when they find clear track. Adjust your strategy based on what earns more points at this track.
  4. Balancing Risk with Reward: The 'Rank' column provides insights into a driver's overall performance, including non-dominator aspects. A high-ranking driver with fewer dominator points might have a balanced performance across various scoring categories. In contrast, a low-ranked driver with high Dominator Points is a high-risk, high-reward choice: they score big when they dominate but might falter in other aspects.
  5. Take Notes and Adjust: No strategy is foolproof. Use this data as a starting point, but be sure to make notes on race days, especially when unexpected events shake up the usual trends. Over time, you'll develop a nuanced understanding of the track, the drivers, and the hidden dynamics at play.

Remember, the essence of daily fantasy sports lies in combining data with intuition. These insights serve as a guide, but trust your gut, watch the races, and adjust your strategies as you learn more. The beauty of NASCAR DFS is that every race brings new opportunities to score big. So study the stats, enjoy the race, and may your roster lead you to victory lane!

Fast Lap Projections

NCTS Race at Watkins Glen, Friday, August 8th, 2025

The values you see here are what is also displayed in your projection table. I believe in transparency, and understanding the method behind the madness can help you make better-informed decisions. Thanks for trusting my process! Below this table is an explanation of my method for determining fast laps.

DRIVER PROJECTED ACTUAL ABS DIFF PTS IMP
Corey Heim 0
Chandler Smith 0
Layne Riggs 0
Daniel Hemric 0
Grant Enfinger 0
Kaden Honeycutt 0
Ty Majeski 0
Tyler Ankrum 16
Jake Garcia 0
Ben Rhodes 16
Rajah Caruth 0
Giovanni Ruggiero 0
Stewart Friesen 0
Tanner Gray 0
Connor Mosack 0
Matt Crafton 0
Andres Perez de Lara 0
Jack Wood 0
Matt Mills 0
Dawson Sutton 0
Spencer Boyd 0
Toni Breidinger 0
Luke Fenhaus 0
Frankie Muniz 0
Bayley Currey 0
Nathan Byrd 0
Josh Reaume 0
Timmy Hill 0
Luke Baldwin 0
Brent Crews 0
Cody Dennison 0
Parker Kligerman 31
Stefan Parsons 0
Norm Benning 0
Justin Carroll 0
Lawless Alan 0
Patrick Emerling 0
Jordan Taylor 0
Corey Lajoie 0
Cam Waters 0
How I Project Fast Laps: A Peek Behind the Scenes
  1. Historical Data: I start by examining the last 'n' races, giving me a solid foundation of recent performance to predict future outcomes.
  2. Net Laps Calculation: Racing isn't just about speed – it's also about strategy and luck. Caution laps are a testament to that. I subtract all caution laps from the total to get the net laps for each of the races in my data set.
  3. Driver's Fast Lap Percentage: For each driver, I compute the percentage of fast laps they've achieved from these net laps. This gives me a driver's average 'speediness' across the analyzed races.
  4. Track-Specific Adjustments: Each track is unique, and historical trends matter. I look at the last 'n' races at the upcoming track to determine the average number of caution laps. Deducting this from the total laps for the upcoming race gives me the projected race laps.
  5. Projected Fast Laps: With the driver's fast lap percentage in hand and the projected race laps, I calculate the number of fast laps I expect each driver to achieve in the upcoming race using their assigned percentage.
  6. Normalization: Racing is unpredictable, and usually my initial projections may not sum up to the total projected race laps. To ensure consistency, I adjust my predictions so that the total number of projected fast laps equals 100% of the projected race laps.
  7. Continued Evaluation & Refinement: My model isn't static. I continually assess its accuracy using the Mean Absolute Error method. This allows me to identify areas of improvement and ensure my projections are as accurate as possible.

Draftkings Dominator points from recent races at Watkins Glen International

Here is a breakdown of how the ebb and flow of Draftkings Dominator Points tends to work out at Watkins Glen International for races through the seasons.

The tabs for each race are labeled with: #Race [Season].

United Rentals 176

Saturday, August 7th, 2021

  • Laps: 61
  • Caution Flags: 5 (2 Stage cautions and 3 other.)
  • Caution Laps: 10
  • Lead Changes: 7

Laps Led Dominator Points

Filter Laps Led:
TOP 'LAPS LED' DOMINATOR POINTS LAPS LED DRAFTKINGS POINTS
DRIVER TEAM # MAKE ST FIN LED % LED RNK PD FIN FST LED TOT % OF TOT
Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterpr… 16 Toyota 1st 1st 35 57.4 % 5 0 45 4.95 9 58.70 15.3 %
Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports 38 Ford 2nd 4th 18 29.5 % 7 -2 40 4.50 5 47.00 10.6 %
Zane Smith GMS Racing 21 Chevrolet 8th 6th 4 6.6 % 10 2 38 0.90 1 41.90 2.4 %
John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports 4 Toyota 6th 2nd 2 3.3 % 6 4 42 1.35 1 47.85 2.1 %
Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports 42 Chevrolet 9th 10th 1 1.6 % 13 -1 34 0.45 0 33.70 0 %
Jack Wood GMS Racing 24 Chevrolet 27th 26th 1 1.6 % 21 1 16 0.00 0 17.25 0 %

Fast Laps Dominator Points

Total Fast Lap Dominator points for this race were reduced by 4.5 points. (10 caution laps x 0.45 points)

Filter Fast Laps:
TOP 'LAPS FAST' DOMINATOR POINTS LAPS FAST DRAFTKINGS POINTS
DRIVER TEAM # MAKE ST FIN FST % FST RNK PD FIN FST LED TOT % OF TOT
Austin Hill Hattori Racing Enterpr… 16 Toyota 1st 1st 11 23.9% 5 0 45 4.95 8.75 58.70 8.4 %
Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports 38 Ford 2nd 4th 10 21.7% 7 -2 40 4.50 4.50 47.00 9.6 %
AJ Allmendinger GMS Racing 23 Chevrolet 25th 28th 5 10.9% 25 -3 14 2.25 0.00 13.25 17.0 %
Sheldon Creed GMS Racing 2 Chevrolet 19th 3rd 4 8.7% 4 16 41 1.80 0.00 58.80 3.1 %
Paul Menard ThorSport Racing 66 Toyota 39th 8th 3 6.5% 2 31 36 1.35 0.00 68.35 2.0 %
John Hunter Nemechek Kyle Busch Motorsports 4 Toyota 6th 2nd 3 6.5% 6 4 42 1.35 0.50 47.85 2.8 %
Sam Mayer Bret Holmes Racing 32 Chevrolet 40th 9th 2 4.3% 3 31 35 0.90 0.00 66.90 1.3 %
Zane Smith GMS Racing 21 Chevrolet 8th 6th 2 4.3% 10 2 38 0.90 1.00 41.90 2.1 %
Parker Kligerman Henderson Motorsports 75 Chevrolet 38th 5th 2 4.3% 1 33 39 0.90 0.00 72.90 1.2 %
Carson Hocevar Niece Motorsports 42 Chevrolet 9th 10th 1 2.2% 13 -1 34 0.45 0.25 33.70 1.3 %
Josh Berry Rackley W.A.R. 25 Chevrolet 21st 11th 1 2.2% 8 10 32 0.45 0.00 42.45 1.1 %
Ben Rhodes ThorSport Racing 99 Toyota 5th 15th 1 2.2% 20 -10 28 0.45 0.00 18.45 2.4 %
Tyler Ankrum GMS Racing 26 Chevrolet 10th 7th 1 2.2% 11 3 37 0.45 0.00 40.45 1.1 %