The DFS NASCAR rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR salaries. The order is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the DFS value of each driver.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Martin Truex Jr ($11,000) — It doesn’t matter what the racing package is or the track. Truex is winning everywhere and the wins are in dominant fashion. He stunk up the show in New Hampshire by leading 254 of 301 laps at the one-mile flat track.
2. Kyle Larson ($10,800) — Richmond, Martinsville and North Wilkesboro are all short, flat tracks and each were wins for Larson in 2023. He should have won at Phoenix, too. It shouldn’t be a surprise that his lap times have been the best in the short-track package.
3. Christopher Bell ($10,200) — Last fall, Bell ran out of laps while chasing down the winner Kevin Harvick. Bell has three Xfinity Series wins at Richmond.
4. William Byron ($9,900) — Martin Truex is on a heater, but Byron has been hot all season. His short-track lap times have been the second quickest this season.
5. Denny Hamlin ($10,500) — Richmond is a great opportunity for Hamlin to silence the haters. It’s also a great opportunity for his haters to put him in the wall at his home track.
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6. Ross Chastain ($9,200) — The last couple of weeks have been disappointing for Trackhouse, but they can’t run hot forever. In the spring, Chastain finished third at Richmond after running the third most laps inside the top 5.
7. Kevin Harvick ($10,100) — Last fall, Harvick won at Richmond. This season, Harvick earned a top-10 driver rating at Phoenix, Richmond, Martinsville and New Hampshire.
8. Erik Jones ($6,300) — Coming into the 2023 season, big things were expected from Legacy Motor Club. That did not transpire. However, Jones has turned his season around. Over the last five races, he’s averaging an 11th place finish.
9. Alex Bowman ($8,100) — Hendrick understands the new short-track package. Don’t be surprised if Bowman steals one this weekend. He drove a top-5 car to Victory Lane at Richmond in 2021. In the spring, Bowman had the seventh-fastest car based on lap times.
10. Ty Gibbs ($8,300) — The JGR Toyotas are fast everywhere. In the spring Richmond race, Gibbs earned a top-10 driver rating and a top-10 finish. The rookie led 117 laps and won the 2022 Xfinity Series race at Richmond.
11. Tyler Reddick ($8,900) — He’s been a top-10 driver in the short-track package for 23XI Racing. His average lap time has been inside the top-10 in every short, flat track race except the one that matters the most — Richmond.
12. Chase Elliott ($9,500) — Time is running out. The sun has set on the summer schedule. The same schedule that normally favors Elliott. The good news is that his No. 9 Hendrick Chevy finished second with Josh Berry driving in the spring Richmond race.
13. Kyle Busch ($10,400) — RCR and Randall Burnett have not been able to wrap their heads around the 2023 short-track package. Busch’s lap times at the short, flat tracks rank 20th.
14. Joey Logano ($9,700) — The last time Logano won at Richmond was 2017. That was practically a different sport back then. However, he does have nine top-10 finishes in the last 12 Richmond races, and six top-5 finishes over that span.
15. J.J. Yeley ($4,800) — The Rick Ware Racing cars aren’t bad this season, and Yeley isn’t a bad driver (a legendary dirt-track racer). In his last eight races with RWR, all of them are top-30 finishes and his average finish is 21st over that span.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $350K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.