NASCAR is going dancing on Sunday night with The Lady in Black. DraftKings is celebrating the crown jewel Labor Day Weekend race with a $100K grand prize fantasy NASCAR contest. Check out the DFS NASCAR rankings below and make your fantasy racing picks for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $333K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) — The 2024 Goodyear 400 at Darlington didn’t work out for Reddick (late-race wreck). Reddick came up short in the 2023 Cook Out Southern 500 (runner-up). He scored 77 Hog Points (laps-led and fast-lap points) in the spring and 35 Hog Points last fall. He’s fast at the Track Too Tough To Tame.
2. Kyle Larson ($10,700) — The reigning Southern 500 champion has always been fast at Darlington. The legendary rim rider always dances with The Lady in Black. It’s always a fast dance, but Larson rarely makes it to the end of the song.
3. Denny Hamlin ($11,000) — The statistics are clear. Hamlin is the best driver this season. Hamlin is the best driver at Darlington. This would be a lock if it weren’t for Larson and Reddick.
4. William Byron ($10,200) — The No. 24 Hendrick Chevy has been quiet after a loud start to the 2024 season. It could get noisy on Sunday night. Byron has earned a top-5 driver rating in five of the last six Darlington races.
5. Martin Truex Jr ($9,500) — The 2021 spring Darlington winner wrecked on a restart in the middle of the 2024 spring race. That was Truex’s fifth consecutive finish outside of the top 15 at Darlington.
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6. Christopher Bell ($9,300) — His categorization as a rim rider is erroneous. Bell’s background as a cushion-riding dirt racer has not translated in the Cup Series.
7. Brad Keselowski ($9,800) — The No. 6 RFK Ford was fast but not the fastest in the spring. Keselowski has been fast but not the fastest in four straight Darlington races.
8. Joey Logano ($8,700) — A penalty during the last caution ruined Logano’s spring race at Darlington. Logano won at Darlington in 2022. He will need similar speed to compete in the Southern 500.
9. Ty Gibbs ($8,300) — This is a sleeper pick. The often-overlooked JGR Toyota was fast in the spring race. Gibbs has been a top-5 driver in the summer intermediate-track races.
10. Chris Buescher ($8,500) — RFK has figured out the Gen-7 setup at Darlington. Buescher finished third in the 2023 Cook Out Southern 500 and should have won the 2024 spring race.
11. Chase Elliott ($9,000) — There is just a little bit of speed missing. Elliott can earn a top-5 finish, but it’s hard to imagine that he beats the top-tier Darlington drivers in faster cars.
12. Justin Haley ($5,700) — The Rick Ware Racing cars were fast in the spring race. It’s one race, but how they found speed was intriguing. The cars were slow in practice, qualifying and Stage 1. The team made in-race adjustments and hit the right setup. The Southern 500 requires many setup adjustments for a changing track. Haley could earn another surprising top-10 finish.
13. Bubba Wallace ($7,700) — The No. 23 Toyota is a top-10 car from a statistical standpoint. It’s the 17th car in the standings. Wallace is 21 points below the playoff cutline. It’s win or go home for Wallace. This is an alluring DFS NASCAR GPP pick. Wallace has the speed to win and has been fast at Darlington.
14. Josh Berry ($7,100) — The SHR Fords had speed in the spring Darlington race. Berry started the race in 33rd and finished third. Chase Briscoe ($7,200) finished fifth, and Noah Gragson ($7,000) finished 14th.
15. Alex Bowman ($7,500) — The showman has been a yeoman in 2024. It hasn’t been a flashy season. Bowman grinds out top-15 finishes. He earned a top-10 finish with a top-15 car in the spring race by running a mistake-free race.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $333K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
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