The NASCAR season is revving up and DraftKings is shifting into high gear with an assortment of fantasy NASCAR contests. Dive into the best fantasy racing picks for the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Kyle Larson ($11,000) — The 2024 Bristol Night Race was dominated by Kyle Larson. It was not only Larson’s greatest performance but one of the greatest of all time. He nearly led all 500 laps and came close to scoring 200 DKFP.
2. Denny Hamlin ($11,100) — No one is hotter than Hamlin. Does he have the best car? No. Is he the best driver in the Cup Series? Not quite. Hamlin is easily a top-three driver in a top-three car, enabling him to win races with fast pit stops.
3. Ryan Blaney ($10,500) — Fortune has favored Hamlin, but Blaney’s been on the other side. His luck hasn’t panned out this season, especially at Bristol. Blaney is one of the better Bristol drivers, but he’s struggled to complete races at the bullring.
4. Christopher Bell ($10,200) — The Last Great Colosseum has always been one of Bell’s best tracks. From the Truck Series to the Xfinity Series and now in the Cup Series, Bell thrives on the steeply banked concrete half-mile. He’s yet to win a Cup Series race at Bristol but has earned a top-five finish in three of the last four races.
5. Chase Elliott ($9,600) — The king of concrete hasn’t won in a long time. Fans of NASCAR’s most popular driver are suffering. That suffering could end on Sunday. Elliott has finished second in two Gen-7 races at Bristol.
6. Chris Buescher ($8,300) — The RFK Fords have speed at Bristol. Once upon a time, even Ricky Stenhouse was a regular contender there. Buescher won the 2022 Bristol Night Race and scored 70 Hog Points (fast-lap and lap-led points).
7. William Byron ($9,900) — Chase Elliott is wildly popular. Kyle Larson is a racing god. Alex Bowman is the odd man out at Hendrick. Byron lives somewhere in between. He’s respected, but it always feels like he doesn’t get the attention he deserves. After last week’s No. 1 DFS score, he should be a top target but may go under-owned.
8. Ryan Preece ($7,500) — This track made Preece’s career. In 2018, he mortgaged his house for two races in a JGR Xfinity car and won at Bristol. This is a special place for Preece. He’s been above-average in below-average equipment at Bristol in the Cup Series.
9. Michael McDowell ($7,100) — His stats are surprising. McDowell has a top-15 finish in six of the last seven Bristol races, with an average finish of 11th in those races.
10. Bubba Wallace ($8,500) — Crew chiefs matter. Dig into the stats: Charles Denike, Bubba’s new crew chief, built a race-winning truck at Bristol and Nashville in 2025 (concrete tracks). Wallace finished third at Bristol last fall.
11. Alex Bowman ($8,000) — There aren’t many Bristol ringers. This race is controlled by favorites. Bowman is one of the affordable options who has fared well at Bristol, earning a top-10 finish in both 2024 Bristol races.
12. Kyle Busch ($8,800) — Bristol once belonged to Busch. Past tense matters. RCR Busch is not JGR Busch. Rowdy knows how to navigate the world’s fastest half-mile. Can his Chevy keep up?
13. Ty Dillon ($5,600) — This feels like a punt, but Dillon has been competitive this season. This might be the best Cup car of his career and the best situation. Parity has lifted Ty out of the cellar. He’s finished 21st or better in four of the last five races—all at unique tracks. That’s no small feat for a small team or for Ty Dillon.
14. Riley Herbst ($5,300) — Face it: this is a punt week. It might even be a double-punt week. The Bristol race is 500 laps—plenty of opportunities for laps led and fast laps. Those don’t come cheap. Getting 100+ DKFP drivers requires picking a slug that makes it to the checkered flag. Slugs are fine as long as they don’t get slugged. A punt can make substantial gains through attrition alone.
15. Todd Gilliland ($6,200) — The 2024 Bristol races weren’t kind to Gilly. The 2023 season was better, with two top-20 finishes. This season has been strong, too. Gilly is on a roll with above-expected finishes at challenging tracks—10th at Martinsville and 14th at Darlington.
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,500) — This once wasn’t a punt. It is now. “Wrecky Spinhouse” can’t finish a Bristol race. For most of his career, Bristol was his best track. He could rekindle the magic. If he does, he’ll be low-owned based on recent track history at Bristol.
