Corey Heim Unlikely to Match 23XI Racing Teammates' Speed at Nashville
Source: Racing Reference
Although Corey Heim is only making his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville on Sunday, he actually finished last year's race where he started and finished 29th. Last year's race was so chaotic and unrepresentative that it's necessary to look at average running positions to predict this year's speed. While Heim's average running position of 22nd wasn't awful considering his inexperience, he was significantly slower than his veteran teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, who had average running positions of sixth and 14th, respectively. Both of them also qualified much better in Sunday's event, and it seems like they will be likely faster, which is not surprising since few drivers learn the Next Gen car quickly. Having said that, Heim was the highest finishing 23XI car in his last start at Kansas, but Reddick certainly ran significantly better despite his late collapse. The car is fast enough that he might be worth starting for DFS, but at $6,700, he's probably a little too overpriced.Cole Custer Likely Needs Strategy Shakeup to Have DFS Value at Nashville
Source: Racing Reference
Cole Custer makes his return to Nashville after his two-year return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, starting from the 29th position on Sunday evening. In his two previous starts at Nashville, Custer actually qualified pretty well, starting seventh in 2021 and 17th in 2022 before eventually falling to 31st and 26th, respectively. His average running position was 21st in both races. Since he has been rather slow all season, he has tended to steadily lose positions here and is driving for a Haas Factory Team that does not seem to be as fast as Stewart-Haas Racing. He also qualified significantly worse, and it's hard to see a good reason to start him unless you think the race will be chaotic like it was last year. The only good things are that his DFS salary is only $5,300, and that not many of the top drivers qualified poorly.Ty Dillon Likely Needs Another Chaotic Nashville Race to Contend
Source: Racing Reference
Ty Dillon qualified 31st for Sunday's race at Nashville Superspeedway, which is consistent with his 31st- and 32nd-place finishes in his two previous Nashville starts in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Since he got lapped multiple times in both races, it's hard to envision Dillon gaining enough positions to obtain sufficient place-differential points to be worth starting for DFS play on speed. However, last year's Nashville race was the most chaotic race of last season, as the actual finishing order was entirely unrepresentative of how drivers ran in the race. If you believe the race will be wacky like last year's, there might be a case to consider Dillon, especially since his DFS salary is only $5,000. However, if you think it will be a more humdrum affair like 2022 or 2023, you should likely look elsewhere.Brad Keselowski Finally Gets a Good Finish in 2025
Source: The Racing Experts
Brad Keselowski has had a good finish in 2025, a full 13 races into the season. The No. 6 Ford crossed the finish line in fifth-place in Sunday evening's Coca-Cola 600, the first top-five finish (and top-10) for Keselowski this year. It has been a disastrous season thus far for the team owner, as Brad's average finish for the season now sits at 25.5 even after his top-five result at Charlotte. He currently sits 32nd in the points standings and will likely need a win if he wants to make the Playoffs. "We had a really good car," Keselowski said after the race. "We got mixed up in some of the different stuff in the midpoint of the race and just clawed our way out. I feel like if we could have got to the lead, we could have won the race. I wish it was a 700 mile race."William Byron's Dominant Charlotte Performance Falls Short At the End
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron had the most dominant car of the week for this week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Beginning the race from the third position, Byron quickly jumped to the lead after the first lap, ahead ofTyler Reddick's Strong Coca-Cola 600 Run Ruined By A Late Pit-Road Penalty
23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick displayed plenty of speed during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, but could not capitalize on it with another underwhelming finish. Reddick started the race from the 12th position, but quickly climbed to theDenny Hamlin Is Relegated to 16th Place At Charlotte Despite Strong Car
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was highly competitive during Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 before he had issues and was relegated to a finish of 16th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin began Sunday's race from the 20th position and slowly progressed throughKyle Larson's Coca-Cola 600 Performance Crashes Down In Disappointment
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports ended the Coca-Cola 600 in disappointment as he finished in the 37th position. This week, Larson participated in the Memorial Day Double, which is where a driver tries to compete in the Indianapolis 500 andChristopher Bell Disappoints by his High Standards But Gains on Points Lead
Source: Racing Reference
Although Christopher Bell entered Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 as one of the pre-race favorites after winning last year's race, he was mildly disappointing by his admittedly very high standards. Although he looked like a potential winner after driving from 10th to third in the opening stage, he spent most of the rest of the race struggling to maintain position in the top 10, while his teammate Denny Hamlin was one of the leading contenders for the win, and his other teammate Chase Briscoe recovered from a pit-road penalty to finish third. Nonetheless, Bell's eighth-place finish allowed him to gain 10 points on the regular-season points lead because the previous points leader, Kyle Larson, crashed twice. He now sits 73 points behind new points leader William Byron.Chase Elliott has Another Invisible Race but Still Improves Playoff Position
Source: Racing Reference
Chase Elliott had another invisible run in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, but he did what he needed to do to remain in playoff contention. Although Elliott was as usual nowhere near as fast as his teammates William Byron or Kyle Larson, he stayed out of trouble and didn't crash like Larson or his other teammate Alex Bowman did en route to a sixth-place finish. Elliott never had top-five speed, but he did finish in the top 10 in all three stages. As a result, he increased his advantage over the playoff cut line from 134 to 148 points, even though he has been running nowhere near as well as that implies.A.J. Allmendinger Earns Highest Oval Driver Rating Since 2011 at Charlotte
Source: Racing Reference
A.J. Allmendinger had one of the best oval races of his career on Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600, where he started fifth and finished fourth. His driver rating of 112.1 was second-highest in the race, behind only William Byron, and it was Allmendinger's highest driver rating on an oval since 2011 at Phoenix, where he started second and finished sixth. Allmendinger scored points in all three stages, and his 49 total points ranked third in the race behind only Byron, who swept all three stages, and eventual race-winner Ross Chastain. The race allowed Allmendinger to re-enter significant playoff contention, as he improved from 25th to 17th in points and now sits only 13 points behind the playoff cut line.Chase Briscoe Recovers from Pit-Road Penalty to Finish Third
Source: Racing Reference
After winning the pole for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600, Chase Briscoe lost the lead to Kyle Larson on the opening lap and fell to fifth before the caution came out for Larson's first spin. During the round of pit stops on that caution, Briscoe technically led one lap in the pits but had an uncontrolled tire violation that dropped him to 35th. As a result, Briscoe did not earn points in the first two stages, but crept into the top 10 by the end of Stage 3. He was one of the main beneficiaries of the attrition in that stage when Carson Hocevar had an engine failure, Denny Hamlin's team ran him out of fuel, and Tyler Reddick sped in the pits, which ultimately resulted in a third-place finish -- Briscoe's best for Joe Gibbs Racing. The finish allowed Briscoe to improve from 34 to 47 points above the playoff cut line.Kyle Larson Qualifies Second For Charlotte and Participates In The Memorial Day Double
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports earned a starting position of second for this week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson is participating in the Memorial Day double by racing the Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar Series and the Coca-Cola 600William Byron Is One Of the Top Favorites To Win the Coca-Cola 600
Source: DriverAverages.com
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start third for this week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after qualifying. Byron's starting position marks the sixth consecutive race at Charlotte where Byron will start inside the top five. In eight starts at the North Carolina track, Byron has four top-10 finishes, including three top-5s in the last four Cup events. Through 12 races so far this season, Byron has one win, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 10.2. In practice, Byron ranked seventh in both 10 consecutive and overall lap averages. Byron's equipment is top-notch, and he has been one of the best drivers at Charlotte in recent years. Expect Byron to compete for the win, especially with his positive momentum from winning the Xfinity Series race earlier in the weekend.Is Denny Hamlin One Of The Top DFS Picks For Charlotte?
Source: DriverAverages.com
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin will start 20th for this week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin was the slowest driver of the four JGR entries for this week's race during qualifying. In 33 races at Charlotte, Hamlin has one win, 21 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.4. In 12 races completed so far this season, Hamlin has two wins, six top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.2. In practice, Hamlin ranked 25th in overall lap averages while ranking sixth in 25 consecutive lap averages and third in 30 consecutive lap averages. Hamlin's history at Charlotte is among the best in the field, and he has excellent equipment and solid upside, making him worth rostering in all DFS formats.