North Wilkesboro strips away the aero excuses. Track position and short-track racecraft decide Sunday night, not raw speed. Toyota holds the edge, but a handful of Fords and Chevys can crash the party.
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Top DraftKings Picks for the Window World 450
- Denny Hamlin ($11,000) — The man is on a mission. Hamlin lost his father and the Cup Series championship in 2025. This year the No. 11 JGR Toyota is going scorched earth. One of the greatest racers ever is becoming the greatest racer ever.
- Christopher Bell ($10,200) — The short, flat tracks are the leading indicators for North Wilkesboro. Bell had the fastest car at Phoenix (119 fast laps and 176 laps led). He had a borderline top-five car at Martinsville. To top it off, Bell won the 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro.
- Kyle Larson ($10,500) — Can anyone go toe-to-toe with Toyota? Larson’s on the short list of maybes — but just maybes. Conviction is low with bowtie and blue oval DFS picks. Larson nearly lapped the entire field in North Wilkesboro’s return. The 2023 All-Star race seems like a lifetime ago.
- Ryan Blaney ($10,700) — There are a handful of drivers that check two big boxes this week. Blaney won at Phoenix and was a top-five driver at Martinsville. The short, flat tracks have always been a strength for the Team Penske No. 12 Ford.
- Joey Logano ($9,500) — Has anyone seen this movie before? Logano is done and it’s all about the Toyotas. Fast forward to the end of the season and Logano is hoisting the Cup. Logano’s wARP (weighted average running position) ranked in the top three at Phoenix and Martinsville. He won at North Wilkesboro in 2024 and was the runner-up in 2025.
- Ty Gibbs ($8,500) — The only thing holding Gibbs back is experience. That’s not a factor this weekend. The entire series lacks experience at this historic short track. Gibbs had top-five speed with the short-track package at Phoenix and Martinsville. The young Toyota star earned his first Cup Series win at Bristol.
- Chase Briscoe ($8,900) — Toyota is stacked. Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI are bursting at the seams with talent and speed. Briscoe gets lost in the sauce. With track position, Briscoe can walk away with this race. He’s been an exceptional short-track driver in the Gen-7 package.
- Chase Elliott ($9,700) — Martinsville is the reason to consider alternative outcomes. Toyota will likely have all of the speed, but strategy and track position is a neutralizer in the Gen-7 package. Hamlin was better, but Elliott was the winner at Martinsville.
- Tyler Reddick ($9,200) — Short, flat tracks are one of Reddick’s few weak spots. He’s fine, but there are much better top-tier options for Sunday night’s North Wilkesboro race.
- William Byron ($9,900) — It’s not too late to turn things around. With the new points system, any driver can go on a run à la Tony Stewart’s 2011. While it’s not too late, time is running out if the No. 24 Hendrick Chevy wants to catch up to the Toyotas.
- Josh Berry ($7,100) — His future has never been certain. The legendary late-model short tracker and iRacing hero has always fought for a national series ride. He’s always overcome adversity. Most famously, he established himself in a loser-leaves-town race at Martinsville. With his career on the line, he took a part-time ride to Victory Lane. The rest is history.
- Shane van Gisbergen ($6,800) — Track time is limited in the modern era of NASCAR. This doesn’t matter for most Cup Series drivers. Teams have strong notebooks. North Wilkesboro is an empty book. SVG is running double-duty this weekend. Also, SVG finished 11th at Phoenix and Martinsville.
- Carson Hocevar ($8,700) — Double-duty helps Hocevar, but the cocky young star doesn’t need the reps. The kid races everyday. He loves and lives racing. On any given Tuesday, he’s running a late model or a winged sprint car on dirt. Like him or loathe him, he’s a contender. Facts over feelings.
- Bubba Wallace ($7,900) — Similar to Chase Briscoe, Wallace is another talented Toyota driver that is often too quickly dismissed. He carries a lot of baggage. Some earned and some not. Either way, he has enough talent to win in a Toyota. Bubba was the runner-up and one of the few drivers not lapped by Kyle Larson in the 2023 North Wilkesboro All-Star Race.
- Erik Jones ($6,600) — The Legacy Motor Club Toyotas are Digimon. They’re not Pokemon. They’re a cheap knockoff, but they’re cheap. Jones will get little heat this week because his small team struggled early in 2026. His Phoenix and Martinsville stats are weak. This is a different team. Low-owned Jones is the way to go.
