NASCAR Fantasy Rankings: Top DraftKings Picks for the 2026 NASCAR eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

Chicagoland Speedway returns to the Cup Series schedule with almost no recent form to lean on. The track sat dormant for years, and the current Gen-7 package has never touched its pavement in a points race. Every projection this week is a guess dressed up as analysis — so trust the process, not the practice sheet.

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Top DraftKings Picks for eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

1. Tyler Reddick ($10,700) — Weighted average running position paints an accurate picture of a driver’s race. Laps turned in the later, more consequential stages of the race are factored heavier. This is Reddick’s wARP at the six intermediate tracks this season: second, fourth, second, second, third and seventh.
2. Denny Hamlin ($11,000) — A significant stat for this weekend is Hamlin’s last segment cPOMS — did the team and driver make positive adjustments? Hamlin was the fastest driver in the second half of Las Vegas, Michigan and Nashville. He was the second-fastest at Dover.
3. Kyle Larson ($10,500) — One of the indelible images of modern NASCAR is the final laps of the 2018 Chicagoland Speedway race. The two Kyles swapped spots back and forth. Dale Jr. screamed, “slide job,” over and over on the broadcast. Rowdy, the veteran, got the best of Yung Money, the rising star.
4. Christopher Bell ($10,000) — Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are the terrible Toyota twins. Bell makes it a terrible trio on the traditional intermediate tracks. His median wARP (weighted average running position) is the fourth-best in the Cup Series.
5. Ryan Blaney ($10,200) — Plenty of stats back Blaney. That’s typical when a driver sits near the top of the standings this late in the regular season. There’s just one problem. No one knows what to expect from Chicago. Will there be passing? Will the high groove rule the day? What happens to the tires?
6. Chris Buescher ($8,700) — It’s hard to imagine a Ford dominating this race. It’s Toyota or Larson out front. From there, the Fords are fine. Buescher can go about his typical workday and grind out a clean top-10 finish.
7. Chase Briscoe ($9,900) — Everyone wants to click Reddick, Hamlin or Larson. They are eager to see their early week analysis confirmed by practice speeds. The reality is practice speeds are deceiving in this era. Predictive is an illusion in Chicago. Practice is an experiment. Fast in practice won’t likely translate to 400 fast laps at Chicagoland.
8. Chase Elliott ($9,500) — Chicago is a trap. DFS research overanalyzes. Armchair experts pretend to understand tire wear and how the Chicago surface will rubber up. In the end, it will likely come down to caution and pit cycles. Those factors turn top-10s into wins.
9. Ty Gibbs ($9,000) — The unknowns at Chicago could trump the knowns. What is known? The JGR Toyotas are fast. The unknown is big. What is the setup for Chicago? What is the tire wear? The unpredictability could be what Gibbs needs to leapfrog his Toyota teammates.
10. William Byron ($9,700) — The No. 24 Hendrick Chevy is not a lock to make the playoffs. The new points system is not to blame. Byron just hasn’t been the same. He can’t match Toyota’s speed. He can’t even keep up with his teammates.
11. Carson Hocevar ($8,800) — The Spire Motorsports Chevys are legit. They’re not Toyotas, but the edge is modest in the era of parity created by the Gen-7 stock car. This is the best era to be a young driver. Chicagoland Speedway is the best intermediate track to lack experience because everyone lacks experience.
12. Zane Smith ($6,600) — Front Row Motorsports keeps chugging along year after year. The FRM Fords are top-20 cars every week. A top-10 finish is a reach, but they hold their own against the small teams. Smith was 11th in wARP at Michigan and Nashville. He was 16th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
13. Erik Jones ($7,200) — In the short history of Legacy Motor Club, there have been ups and downs. The legendary No. 43 is back on the up-and-up. Jones has a top-20 wARP in five of the six intermediate track races with a top-10 wARP at Michigan and Nashville.
14. Alex Bowman ($7,300) — A lot has changed since 2019, but that doesn’t change the fact that Alex Bowman is the defending Chicagoland Speedway winner. That was a win in a low-hp package. He won at Auto Club Speedway (Fontana) in a low-hp package in 2020. Both are high tire-wear tracks.
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,200) — Never bury the lead. This is pick 15, so this is deeper than six feet. Chicago stats are worthless. The 2026 stats are weak, too. There isn’t a comparable track with this racing package. Any driver is an option. Place differential will be the play. “Wrecky Spinhouse” is always the GPP leverage pick.