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Sean's NASCAR DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel for the Cook Out400 at Martinsville Speedway (2026). His top NASCAR daily fantasy lineup plays and DFS sleepers.
The NASCAR Cup Series has completed six races in the 2026 season after last week's race at Darlington Raceway, where Tyler Reddick got his fourth win of the year. Reddick became only the third driver in NASCAR history to win four of the first six races of the year and the first to do so since 1992. For race No. 7, the Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway, the "Paper Clip," marking another short track race. Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the Cook Out 400 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 3/29/2026 at 3:30 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.
Martinsville is one of the most unique short track ovals in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track is shaped like a paper clip and is known for being tough on equipment, including brakes. It is also 0.526 miles long and has been open since 1947, making it the oldest active NASCAR race track. Races at Martinsville tend to feature plenty of close-quarters action, where it's hard for drivers to make passes for position without bumping others out of the way, relying on traffic holding racers up, or using pit-road strategies.
This race will feature the 750-horsepower rules package, which has not been used at Martinsville before. As a result, there are some unknowns regarding track conditions and how the cars will handle beyond what is seen during pre-race events such as practice and qualifying. Despite that, Martinsville is a track favoring drivers with plenty of experience managing tires, defending positions, and those who have shown proficiency at the site before. For DFS lineups, it is important to roster one or two drivers who can be potential dominators who likely can lead whole portions of the race. The rest of a potential lineup should consist of drivers who can survive while maintaining a quality finish based on their salaries. Martinsville is all about drivers who maintain their positions and their equipment best, which favors those starting towards the front with nobody else in front, allowing them to set faster lap times by not worrying about passing others.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Once you've read this article, be sure also to check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. You should also check out our NASCAR DFS lineup tools for the ultimate combination of DFS resources to help you win big, including our Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheet, Research Station, and more.
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Disclaimer: All the drivers presented as picks for this week's race are meant to be some of my top DFS recommendations of the week. They are not originally intended to fit all into one lineup.
Denny Hamlin
Starts 1st - DK: $11K, FD: $13.5K
If there is one driver that defines success at Martinsville more than anyone else, it is Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver has always been strong at Martinsville throughout his whole Cup career and was dominant in last year's spring race at the site. He led 274 laps and went on to win after starting in fifth place in March 2025.
DENNY HAMLIN WINS AT MARTINSVILLE! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9cSSnpgjiJ
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 30, 2025
In 40 Cup starts at Martinsville, Hamlin has six wins, 27 top-10 finishes, and 2,722 laps led, all of which are the most of all active drivers in the field this week. Hamlin's average finish of 10.4 at Martinsville also ranks second-best of all drivers in the field this week. Since 2022 at Martinsville, Hamlin has had two finishes worse than 11th, led over 150 laps three times, and has five top-5 finishes in that span.
In practice, Hamlin ranked 13th in overall lap averages and as high as 11th in 25 consecutive lap averages. Despite his practice speeds not being the best, the track history at Martinsville supports the idea of Hamlin being a dominator and a threat to compete for the win.
Kyle Larson
Starts 13th - DK: $10.5K, FD: $13K
No team has been more successful at a single track in NASCAR history than Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway. It's a track that has also been important in the team's overall history, as it is also the site of their first win. Drivers from Hendrick tend to always be competitive at this track more than any other, and there are plenty of strong examples in the team's history, including Kyle Larson.
Kyle Larson on what happened at the end of the Darlington race. pic.twitter.com/VqdUPPXTjx
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 28, 2026
In 22 Cup starts at Martinsville, Larson has one win, 10 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.0. In the last six Cup events at the site, Larson placed inside the top 10, finishing no worse than sixth in that span with four consecutive top-5 finishes going into this week's race.
In practice for Sunday's race, Larson ranked sixth in overall lap averages, while being the fastest driver in the 15, 25, and 30 consecutive lap average categories. Considering his track history, excellent practice speeds, and overall upside, Larson is a driver who can be comfortably utilized in all DFS formats this week.
Joey Logano
Starts 9th - DK: $9K, FD: $11K
Last week at Darlington, Team Penske's Joey Logano had his worst performance of the season, finishing 33rd and three laps off the lead lap. Martinsville, however, is a track where that kind of performance is not likely or expected to occur again, especially considering Logano's career results at Martinsville.
In 34 Cup starts at Martinsville, Logano has one win, 22 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 10.6, which ranks third-best of all active drivers in the field this week. The No. 22 Ford driver has an incredible streak of consistency at Martinsville with 13 straight top-10 finishes in a row going into this week's race at the site.
Joey's top 10 streak at Martinsville is the 4th longest in the tracks history and the longest active top 10 streak at a track:
Active top 10 streaks:
Joey Logano (Martinsville) - 13 races
Brad Keselowski (Chicago) - 9
Denny Hamlin (Michigan) - 8
Kyle Larson (Martinsville) - 7 https://t.co/YpeqSxJruT— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) March 27, 2026
In practice for this week's race, Logano ranked fifth in overall lap averages and 20 consecutive lap averages. He also ranked as high as fourth in 25-30 consecutive lap averages. With a salary that is cheaper than most top-priced picks combined with his great consistency at the track, Logano is a solid DFS option to consider for this week's race.
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Ryan Preece
Starts 17th - DK: $8.1K, FD: $9K
Some drivers have plenty of extensive experience outside of NASCAR when it comes to driving certain tracks, showcasing that they know how to get around them well and be competitive. For Ryan Preece, Martinsville is one of those tracks, as he raced at the Virginia short track in modified racing plenty of times before joining NASCAR.
In 13 Cup races in his career, Preece has three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 20.4. Each of Preece's top-10 results occurred within the last four Cup races, and he's finished in the top 20 in every Cup event at Martinsville since 2023. Through the first five Cup races this season, Preece has four finishes of 13th or better in the last five Cup races this season.
Seven drivers finished in the top 10 in both Martinsville races last year, tied for the most ever in a season for Martinsville:
Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Ryan Preece
Joey Logano
Todd Gilliland pic.twitter.com/yCYfrknumQ— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) March 25, 2026
In practice for this week's race, Preece ranked 10th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories. With favorable upside on one of his best statistical tracks, fantasy players should not underestimate Preece as a DFS option this week.
Brad Keselowski
Starts 23rd - DK: $7.8K, FD: $8.2K
Brad Keselowski has been off to a very solid start to the 2026 Cup Series season. In six races this year, Keselowski is one of only two drivers to finish in the top 20 in all of them. He also led the most laps in last week's race at Darlington (142) and finished as the runner-up.
In 32 Cup races at Martinsville, Keselowski has two wins, 18 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.0. Although he has largely struggled in recent ones, Keselowski has still displayed enough speed at times to compete for the win. One such example is the November 2024 race at Martinsville. That day, Keselowski led the most laps (170) and still went on to finish in the top 10.
Ahead of his 600th career Cup start tomorrow, Brad Keselowski tells Prime that he wants to get past 800 Cup starts in total.
"I've still got a lot more left in me. I want to get past 800, so that's a lot more races."
Much more road to run for Brad K pic.twitter.com/IQ4cVcZLeT
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) March 28, 2026
In practice for this week's race, Keselowski ranked 23rd in overall lap averages while ranking 15th in the 25 and 30 consecutive lap average categories. Keselowski's momentum has been hard to ignore as he's been performing regardless of track type, and he has decent upside from his starting position. Fantasy players should not overlook the driver of the No. 6 Ford on Sunday.
Todd Gilliland
Starts 29th - DK: $5.7K, FD: $5.8K
For those looking for a respectable, deeper value driver for Sunday's race, consider rostering Todd Gilliland. The Front Row Motorsports driver is 30th in the standings after six races, but he also scored positive Place Differential in three of the last five Cup events.
In eight Cup races at Martinsville, Gilliland has five top-20 finishes with three inside the top 10. The No. 34 Ford driver also obtained positive PD in five of the last seven races. Gilliland is also a former Truck Series winner at Martinsville.
Kyle Larson tells MRN Radio that he didn’t really notice anything different with the added horsepower in practice.
Todd Gilliland also said that things felt similar for their car to last year. They are still struggling with the same things. #NASCAR
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) March 28, 2026
In practice for Sunday's race at Martinsville, Gilliland ranked third in overall lap averages and 16th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Martinsville is one of Gilliland's top statistical tracks, and he has displayed enough speed in pre-race events to show that he can compete for a top-20 finish. Overall, Gilliland is one of the most favorable value options of the week and should be highly considered in all formats.
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