NASCAR heads west for the second round of the playoffs. DraftKings is amping up the excitement with a $25K grand prize fantasy NASCAR contest. Check out the DFS NASCAR rankings below and make your fantasy racing picks for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $125K Engineer [$25K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Kyle Larson ($11,500) — The intermediate track package is back, and Larson is back on the attack. His talent and No. 5 Hendrick Chevy were on full display at Bristol — 462 laps led. Larson is going for the season sweep on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
2. Denny Hamlin ($11,000) — The difference between Larson and Hamlin is track position. Hamlin had it at Dover. He managed the lead, and Larson trailed in the dirty air. Larson ended up on top at the multi-groove intermediate tracks in Las Vegas and Kansas.
3. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) — All eyes are on the Larson-Hamlin battle, but Reddick deserves to be a part of this feud. The No. 45 Toyota turned it on this summer and hasn’t turned it off. Reddick won the fall 2023 Kansas race.
4. Christopher Bell ($10,300) — The fourth driver in the rankings is the fourth-highest-rated driver in the intermediate-track package this season. Bell earned the third-best rating at Darlington and the second-best rating in this racing package last week at Bristol.
5. William Byron ($9,700) — Kansas has been dominated by Larson, Hamlin and the 23XI Toyotas. They’ve led nearly all the laps in the last handful of races. Byron is the only driver to score a significant amount of Hog Points (fast-lap and lap-led points) over the last seven Kansas races (10 Hog Points per race).
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6. Chase Elliott ($10,000) — Straight up, Elliott isn’t likely a winner at Kansas. But, nothing is straight up in a modern Cup Series race. The late-race caution lurks and Elliott could be lurking in the top 5 when the flag flies. Elliott could capitalize when the checkered flag flies.
7. Ryan Blaney ($9,800) — The defending champ is chugging along and picking up points. Will he have enough to go toe-to-toe with Hamlin and Larson? It’s doubtful, but it’s racing. With cars being so equal, it doesn’t require an engineering breakthrough to have the best car on any given weekend.
8. Joey Logano ($9,300) — It’s a crowded scene for Penske. The three playoff drivers are still alive in the championship hunt. Other teams can focus resources on their few contenders. Penske is still a free-for-all. Logano doesn’t project to be a dominant driver, but Logano wins in other ways. He snuck away with a win at Nashville and can do the same at Kansas.
9. Alex Bowman ($8,000) — The Showman hasn’t put on a show this season. Bowman has been a no-show. That is, in terms of dominance. In terms of consistency, the show doesn’t sell out, but it keeps getting renewed. Bowman’s show isn’t winning awards. It lacks critical praise, but the ratings are good enough.
10. Martin Truex Jr. ($9,500) — This is not how Truex wanted it to end. The season isn’t over but the situation isn’t great. Two JGR Toyotas were knocked out of the playoffs at Bristol. Truex was one of them. It’s entirely possible that JGR allocates most of its resources to their playoff contenders and Truex runs out the string.
11. Ty Gibbs ($9,200) — Great, Gibbs has not been. But, Gibbs is good. That might be an understatement. It’s hard to win races against Larson and Hamlin. Gibbs has a top-5 driver rating in the intermediate-track package. The shuffling of JGR resources may limit his speed, but the reality is that Young Gun Gibbs was already getting the short end of the stick.
12. Bubba Wallace ($9,000) — There is a concern that the 23XI Toyota team will concentrate its resources on their playoff driver. The good news is that this team has a deep notebook for Kansas. Three different 23XI drivers — including Wallace — have earned Michael Jordan a win at Kansas.
13. Justin Haley ($6,400) — There are just some tracks where Haley is an optimal DraftKings DFS NASCAR pick. Haley has been an optimal pick in three of the last four Kansas races. He was less than a fantasy point away from being optimal in the spring race.
14. Brad Keselowski ($8,300) — The RFK Fords are top-10 cars. They do not have race-winning speed. Race-winning speed is irrelevant when most Cup Series races come down to strategy and late-race restarts.
15. Zane Smith ($5,400) — The former Truck Series champ is running well late in the season, and it’s going unnoticed. Smith has seven top-20 finishes in the last 11 races. His average finish is 11th in those seven races.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $125K Engineer [$25K to 1st] (Cup)
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