RADIO
Daniel Suarez Wins at Charlotte in Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600
Daniel Suarez won this year's Coca-Cola 600 with some late-race strategies that paid off well at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Suarez started the race from 14th after qualifying was canceled due to rain, and starting positions were set by a metric from the NASCAR rulebook. Early on in the first stage, Suarez made an unscheduled pit stop and fell a lap down until getting a caution a few laps later. Suarez spent the rest of the stage recovering from his loss in track position, but ended it in 12th and fell short of earning stage points. In the second stage, Suarez continued to challenge for a top-10 running position, but ended up pitting an extra time due to a vibration in his car. As a result, he lost more track position and ended the stage in 30th. He then spent the third stage trying to recover more track position, but only made it up to 21st. In the final stage, Suarez continued to gain more positions, but in the late part of the stage, his team made a call to take two tires instead of four and started at the front as he beat everyone out on pit road. Then, through two consecutive restarts, Suarez got a push from Kyle Larson and held off Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick while the race was called early for rain on lap 372. Suarez scored his third career Cup Series win and his first with Spire Motorsports in 2026. With his victory, Suarez now moves up to 10th in the regular season standings after 13 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Christopher Bell Finishes as the Runner-Up in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing finished as the runner-up in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bell started the race from 17th and was improving to a top-10 running position until midway through the stage, when he had an equipment interference penalty on pit road. The No. 20 Toyota driver could not recover from this penalty in the first stage and ended up 31st without any stage points. In the second stage, Bell made his recovery and took advantage of pitting late into the stage for fresher tires than the leaders. This allowed him to make it back up to sixth by the end of the stage for his first batch of stage points. Bell repeated the strategy in the third stage, and it paid off even more, as he went on to win the third stage by passing his teammate Denny Hamlin a few laps before the end of the stage. In the final stage, Bell continued to run inside the top five through most of the stage, but failed to take the lead from Daniel Suarez in the closing laps before the race was called early due to weather. Bell ended up in second for his best finish of the season and now moves to eighth in the regular season standings after 13 Cup races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin Falls Short of Winning and Places Third at Charlotte
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin ended the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in third place. Hamlin began the race from 11th and then spent the first stage passing cars until he made it to the top five. The first stage ended with Hamlin in third while Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe stayed ahead of the driver of the No. 11 Toyota. In the second stage, Hamlin got by Briscoe mid-way through the second stage and ended up winning it with a commanding lead over Ty Gibbs. Hamlin continued to run inside the top five through most of the rest of the race, falling short of winning the third stage to Christopher Bell after losing the lead to him before the end of the stage. In the final stage, Hamlin came close to winning the race in the late stages, but cautions kept him from passing Daniel Suarez for the win, and instead left him finishing third. With his sixth top-5 finish of the season, Hamlin is now second in the regular-season standings, 122 points behind Tyler Reddick.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Tyler Reddick Places Fourth After Leading Laps at Charlotte
Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing placed fourth at the end of this year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reddick was the polesitter for the event and started first after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The No. 45 Toyota driver held the lead through the first half of the first stage until a lap 53 crash caused him to head to pit road, where he lost the lead. Although he charged back through the field against other drivers on two tires, he was overtaken by Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe and finished the first stage in third. Reddick continued to run well throughout the entire race, finishing the second stage in fourth, while in the third stage, he reacquired the lead and held it until he wore his tires out and lost positions. He ended the third stage in sixth and finished the race in fourth after failing to pass Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and eventual race winner Daniel Suarez in the closing laps. With his 10th top-10 finish of the year, Reddick now holds a lead of 122 points in the regular season standings over Hamlin.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Kyle Larson's Strong and Consistent Day Ends in Fifth at Charlotte
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports finished in fifth for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson began the race from 18th and showcased that he was one of the fastest cars early in the race. In the first stage, Larson climbed from 18th to the top-5 until a couple of early cautions shuffled the field around for pit stops. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver took advantage of the restarts and walked away with winning the first stage. For the rest of the race, Larson consistently ran inside the top five for most of the race, finishing fifth at the end of both the second and third stages. In the final stage, Larson continued to compete for the win, but never held the lead again. Larson ended the race with his best finish since his 2021 victory at Charlotte and now moves up to sixth in the regular season standings.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin the Favorite to Win at Charlotte
Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win this year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and that shouldn't be too surprising for any NASCAR fan. The No. 11 Toyota has been the strongest car on 1.5-mile tracks this season, and it hasn't really been that close. Hamlin has also been strong here at Charlotte, with 53 laps led in last year's race to go along with a win in the 2022 Coca-Cola 600. As far as DFS goes, Hamlin makes for an excellent fantasy pick this weekend, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has some Place Differential upside (he starts 11th) along with the dominator and race-winning potential. Even at $11,500 on DraftKings, Hamlin is a good pick, as there is no reason to think that the speed won't be there for the No. 11 Toyota on Sunday night.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Tyler Reddick on Pole for Coca-Cola 600
Tyler Reddick will lead the field to the green on Sunday evening for the Coca-Cola 600, as the Cup Series points leader got the best starting position this weekend after qualifying was rained out and the field was set by the metric. Reddick is no stranger to running up front at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and should be a contender on Sunday night. He has the best average finish (10.3) at this track among all drivers in the series, and has finished ninth or better in four of the last five races here. At similar tracks this year, Reddick has a 13th-place finish at Vegas, a win at Kansas, and a fourth-place result at Texas. As far as DFS goes, Reddick is the leading candidate to be the early dominator of the Coca-Cola 600 due to his starting position, and makes a solid fantasy play even with his high salary ($11,000 on DraftKings).
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Christopher Bell Could Break Out of Slump
Keep an eye on Christopher Bell in this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is in a bit of a slump right now, with five straight finishes of 17th or worse, but there is hope for the No. 20 team this weekend. First, Bell is a previous Coke 600 winner, taking home the trophy in the rain-shortened 2024 running. Second, CBell has been super fast on the intermediate tracks this season, posting a fourth-place finish at Las Vgeas, and leading a bunch at both Kansas and Texas before running into issues. There's no doubt that it's hard for fantasy players to trust Christopher Bell right now, but this is a perfect "buy low, sell high" scenario. At $10,000 on DraftKings, Bell makes for an excellent tournament option in DFS contests this weekend. He starts 17th, so there is Place Differential upside to go along with race-winning upside as well.
Source: Catchfence
Source: Catchfence
Kyle Larson May have A Solid Day at Charlotte
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports is starting in the 18th position for this week's NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Coca-Cola 600. Larson was given the starting position after qualifying was canceled due to rain on Saturday. In 15 Cup starts at Charlotte, Larson has one win, six top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 19.0. With 12 Cup races completed for the 2026 season, Larson has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.3. In practice, the No. 5 Chevrolet driver ranked 29th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite his slow practice speeds, Larson has led laps in each of his last four appearances at Charlotte and typically shows plenty of speed in the middle of the race. With his starting position and equipment, he is a driver worth rostering in all formats who can finish in the top 10.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Ryan Blaney Is A DFS Risk for Charlotte Lineups
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney will start in the sixth position for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this week. Blaney obtained the starting position after qualifying was canceled on Saturday due to the weather. In 15 Cup starts at Charlotte, Blaney has one win and four top-10 finishes. After 12 Cup races so far this year, Blaney has one win, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.9. In practice for this week's Cup race, Blaney ranked 20th in 10 consecutive lap averages and seventh in 15 consecutive lap averages. The No. 12 Ford driver does not offer much DFS upside for fantasy players this week due to his high starting position inside the top 10. Considering his practice speeds, track history, and low upside, Blaney is only playable in tournament DFS contests, but even then, there are alternatives with more upside and cap flexibility.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
William Byron Could have A Great DFS Performance at Charlotte
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start 31st for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The position for Byron was set based on a formula and equation used by the NASCAR rule book to determine the starting lineup. In nine Cup starts at Charlotte, Bryon has five top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.7. Through the first 12 races this season, Byron has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.0. In practice, Byron ranked first in overall lap averages, but he comes with enormous upside from his starting position. Due to his great track history, equipment, and upside, Byron is a must-start for all DFS formats who can have a massive DFS day.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Briscoe Is A Solid Tournament Option for Charlotte DFS Lineups
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe will start in the fifth position for this year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Briscoe was given the starting position after qualifying for this week's race was rained out, and the starting lineup was set by the NASCAR rulebook. In five Cup starts at Charlotte, Briscoe has two top-5 finishes, including a career-best finish of third in last year's Coca-Cola 600. In 12 Cup races so far this year, Briscoe has five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.5. In practice, Briscoe ranked 10th in 10 consecutive lap averages of all drivers. Although Briscoe has been hit-or-miss at times at this track and throughout this year in finishing results, he looked fast enough in practice to warrant rostering in this week's race. Due to his low upside from his starting position, however, Briscoe works best for tournament games over cash games in DFS.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Ty Gibbs May not be Worth his Salary for Charlotte DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing is starting on the outside of the front row in second for this year's Coca-Cola 600. This is the second-highest starting position of Gibbs' Cup career at Charlotte after qualifying was canceled due to weather. In three Cup starts at the site, Gibbs has one top-10 finish of sixth back in 2024. After 12 Cup races completed this season, Gibbs has one win, eight top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.8. In practice, the No. 54 Toyota driver ranked 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages, 12th in 15 consecutive lap averages, and fourth in 20 consecutive lap averages. While Gibbs has been performing on a higher level this season, Charlotte is a track where he displayed mixed results, and his practice speeds do indicate that he will compete for a top-10 rather than a win. Fantasy players should only consider Gibbs for tournament games since he has very little upside to offer in this week's race.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chris Buescher May be a Sneaky Tournament Option for Charlotte Lineups
Chris Buescher of RFK Racing will start in the seventh position for this week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Buescher obtained the starting position after qualifying was canceled due to weather and the field being set by the NASCAR rulebook. In 13 Cup races at Charlotte, Buescher has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 18.8. Through 12 races this year, Buescher has six top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.3. In practice for this week's Cup race, Buescher displayed top-10 speeds in the 15 through 25 consecutive lap average categories. The No. 17 RFK Ford driver does not have much upside from his starting position, but he has solid long-run practice speeds and is one of the most consistent performers of the year. Although he is best suited for tournament lineups, he is one of the more underrated options of the week to consider.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Bubba Wallace Has Favorable Upside for Charlotte DFS Lineups
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace is starting in the 24th position for this week's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Coca-Cola 600. Wallace was given the position by NASCAR under the rulebook after qualifying was canceled on Saturday due to rain. In nine Cup races in his career at Charlotte, Wallace has four top-20 finishes with one inside the top five. After 12 races completed so far this season, Wallace has six top-10 finishes with an average finish of 17.0. In practice for this week's race, Wallace ranked 10th in 15 consecutive lap averages and sixth in 20 consecutive lap averages. Considering his top-notch equipment and fast practice speeds, Wallace is worth consideration for all DFS formats with favorable upside.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
