The 2026 NASCAR season has arrived, and DraftKings is shifting into high gear with an assortment of fantasy NASCAR contests. Dive into the best fantasy racing picks for the 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $200K Engineer [$50K to 1st] (Clash)
NASCAR Driver Fantasy Rankings for 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
1. Chase Elliott ($10,300) — The recipe is simple: unload fast. The Bowman Gray NASCAR Clash is a sprint. Fast in practice doesn’t necessarily mean fast in the race, but it does translate to track position. Elliott road track position to a dominant win in the 2025 Clash at The Madhouse.
2. Ryan Blaney ($10,200) — The 2025 Clash ended better than it began for Blaney. The No. 12 Penske Ford suffered mechanical issues in practice. Blaney began in the back, but he bounced back and finished second. While other drivers struggled at the grassroots short track, Blaney quickly climbed the leaderboard.
3. Denny Hamlin ($10,000) — The last several months have been unimaginable for Hamlin. The 2025 Cup Series Championship slipped away. More tragic is the house fire that claimed his father’s life. The 2026 season is a welcome escape for Hamlin. No one is more motivated to win this race than Denny Hamlin.
4. Kyle Larson ($10,500) — The legendary short track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, doubles as a college football field. The unique track configuration creates a unique practice schedule that dictates heat race grids that set the starting grid. This race favors engineers over driver skill. That’s not good news for the 2025 Cup Series Champ.
5. Christopher Bell ($9,600) — Can Bell ring the bell? It’s not can. It’s care. This is an exhibition race. North Carolina will be buried in snow. Is Bell that motivated? He has nothing to prove in this race. The Clash is for pole sitters and drivers who need to make a statement.
6. Tyler Reddick ($8,800) — Short track racing favors the starting position. The Gen-7 NASCAR stock car is notorious for its inability to pass on short tracks. Reddick — not the greatest short, flat track driver — started fourth and finished eighth. His finish wasn’t great, but his average running position was fifth.
7. William Byron ($9,800) — This is old-school short-track racing. Bowman Gray Stadium is just that. It’s a football stadium. When the Winston-Salem State Rams aren’t hosting an HBCU rival, there are races. This tightly configured track leads to bumps and dumps. Byron struggled with his setup late in the race, but the biggest story was getting smashed into the wall early in the race.
8. Chase Briscoe ($9,400) — The No. 19 JGR Toyota ran well when it ran. Briscoe retired early, but this was not indicative of his year to come. Briscoe filled Martin Truex’s shoes with ease. He knows short tracks in the Gen-7 car. Joe Gibbs Racing knows short tracks.
9. Chris Buescher ($8,400) — The RFK Ford failed to qualify for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. They need to make a statement. Brad Keselowski will miss the race due to an injury. It’s up to Buescher to prove RFK is real. Buescher had the third-best average running position in the inaugural Clash at Bowman Gray.
10. Ross Chastain ($9,000) — Passing is difficult, but it’s not impossible. Aggressive drivers can move forward. Chastain was an optimal DraftKings fantasy NASCAR pick for the 2025 Clash at Bowman Gray. It doesn’t get more aggressive than Ross Chastain.
11. Carson Hoecevar ($7,200) — Ross Chastain is his mentor. That might not be a good thing. Hocevar is aggressive — too aggressive. His short track experience and aggression were on display in the 2025 Clash. He bullied his way forward until the stars had enough and dumped the kid.
12. Shane Van Gisbergen ($6,600) — Is this the year? Last year was the year. Road courses can be dismissed, but driving is driving. Managing the Gen-7 car at a road course is not entirely different than at a short, flat track. SVG surprisingly finished ninth in the 2025 Clash at the football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
13. Joey Logano ($9,200) — This is a statement race. Logano has little to prove after two championships, but he might have something to say. Logano has stated he has alopecia. He’s going bald, so he signed a hair growth sponsor. He had to shave his head. It’s silly, but in a sponsor-driven sport, he needs to make a fashion statement.
14. Todd Gilliland ($6,200) — Gilly snuck into this race last season. He can do it again. While the stars dump each other in this exhibition, Todd slowly moves through the forest, earning fantasy NASCAR points.
15. Austin Cindric ($7,000) — The Cindric pick isn’t an exciting click. That doesn’t matter. Team Penske is an exciting click at short, flat tracks. Cindric earned a top-10 finish in the 2025 Clash and finished fifth at the short, flat track in Richmond.
