The DFS NASCAR rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR salaries. The order is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the DFS value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington slate locks at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K ENGINEER [$100K TO 1ST] (CUP)
1. Kyle Larson ($10,900) — Wins are nice but not necessary in DFS. Larson got dumped on the last lap but the wheelman saved it and saved DFS lineups. He brought the car home second and finished in the optimal lineup.
2. William Byron ($10,300) — All the breaks went his way earlier this season. It’s gone the other way over the last two weeks. He led the most laps at Dover but did not win. He rebounded for a third-place finish after losing three laps at Kansas. Luck aside, this car is fast.
3. Denny Hamlin ($10,700) — The last lap of Kansas wasn’t a good look, but who cares about looks? Hamlin and the Toyotas looked pretty fast on the other laps.
4. Martin Truex Jr ($10,500) — Leading laps matters. Truex led 79 laps at Kansas. He led 68 laps and won at Dover the week before that.
5. Tyler Reddick ($9,900) — Darlington is a track that favors the rim riders. The drivers that are unafraid of racing right up next to the wall will be the fastest. That’s Reddick’s style.
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6. Ross Chastain ($9,400) — Another week, another Ross Chastain drama. Lucky for Chastain, the conflict occurred off the track. It’s been mentioned in the rankings numerous times that the clock is ticking. Soon he will get wrecked and take DFS lineups with him.
7. Joey Logano ($9,000) — Last spring, Logano led the most laps (107) and won at Darlington. In the fall, Logano finished fourth and led 64 laps. He got his season back on track last week with a top-10 finish at Kansas.
8. Kevin Harvick ($8,800) — A mechanical failure resulted in a DNF in his last Darlington race. Before that, he finished sixth or better in nine of 10 Darlington races with two wins and an average finish of 3.9.
9. Christopher Bell ($9,200) — The JGR Toyotas are fast but Bell isn’t the fastest Toyota this season. He’s been fine but not great. Last season, Bell took a step forward at Darlington with finishes of fifth and sixth.
10. Chase Elliott ($9,600) — Darlington has not been a great track for Elliott. He almost won at this oblong track twice in 2020. Almost doesn’t count and that was several years ago in a different racing package.
11. Kyle Busch ($10,100) — The No. 8 RCR Chevy finished on the podium twice at Darlington last season. That was with Tyler Reddick driving. This is a good track for him. Busch has not won at Darlington in 15 years.
12. Erik Jones ($7,100) — This might be too cheap. Jones won the Southern 500 at Darlington last Labor Day weekend. That was the second time he won the Southern 500.
13. Ryan Blaney ($8,400) — As the price indicates, this is one of Blaney’s worst tracks. Over the last 11 Darlington races, his best finish is eighth (his only top-10 finish) and his average finish is 17.5.
14. Noah Gragson ($5,700) — This is a bit of a reach, but it’s not off the wall. In fact, it’s on the wall. Gragson was one of the best rim riders in the Xfinity Series. Legacy Motorsports Club won this race last fall.
15. Ryan Newman ($5,800) — This is without a doubt the worst car he has ever raced. Newman has not been in a NASCAR stock car since 2021. He should be cheaper. He does have a top-15 finish in seven of his last nine Darlington races.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K ENGINEER [$100K TO 1ST] (CUP)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.