RADIO
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
Ross Chastain Is A Strong Addition for DFS Lineups at Charlotte
Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing will start in the 27th position for this week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chastain will start there as a result of starting positions being set by the NASCAR rulebook after qualifying was rained out on Saturday. In eight races at Charlotte, Chastain has three top-20 finishes and is the current defending winner of the Coke 600. With 12 races completed so far in the 2026 season, Chastain has seven top-20 finishes with two inside the top 10. In practice, Chastain ranked 16th in 10 consecutive lap averages and sixth in 15 consecutive lap averages. Chastain's starting position offers plenty of upside, and with equipment capable of competing for a top-15 finish, he is a worthy addition to any DFS lineup this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should Fantasy Managers Roster Austin Dillon for Charlotte DFS Lineups?
Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon will be starting in ninth for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After qualifying was canceled due to weather, Dillon was given the starting position as per the starting lineup equation from the NASCAR rulebook. In 17 Cup starts at Charlotte, Dillon has one win and five top-10 finishes with an average finish of 16.9. Through the first 12 races this season, Dillon has eight top-20 finishes with one inside the top 10. In practice for this week's race, Dillon ranked third in overall lap averages and 26th in five consecutive lap averages. With a high starting position, Dillon does not have much upside for this week's race. Historically, Charlotte is not Dillon's best track, and his practice speeds make him more suited to be a risky tournament play.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Elliott Should Be Strong at Charlotte
Chase Elliott has been strong on the high-speed 1.5-mile tracks in 2026, so there's no reason to think he won't contend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. Now, Chase will start from back in 16th-place when the race goes green, but passing cars has been no problem for the Hendrick Motorsports driver this season; at Las Vegas, Elliott started 15th and finished second, and then at Texas, he started 14th and ended up in victory lane. Over the last two Coca-Cola 600s, Chase has posted finishes of sixth and seventh, and don't forget that he won this Crown Jewel race back in 2020 (after starting 19th). Charlotte Motor Speedway is a strong track for Chase Elliott and he should be a contender this weekend. As far as DFS goes, he's a great pick at an affordable salary ($9,700 on DraftKings).
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Carson Hocevar Confident for Coca-Cola 600
Don't count out Carson Hocevar in the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend. Remember, Hocevar blew an engine in last year's race while contending for the lead, and the No. 77 Chevrolet might be a little bit better this time around. After practice on Saturday, Hocevar stated, "I felt like we were pretty fast. I feel like we're pretty good. I wish we could qualify, but we came from last to the front last year and we're a few spots better than then." Looking at similar tracks this season, Hocevar ended up 13th at Kansas back in April and finished seventh at Texas after starting from the pole and leading 40 laps. He will have to start from back in 23rd for this weekend's race, but with there being 600 miles to race, Carson will have plenty of time to get toward the front. He's a solid DFS play this weekend, even at an elevated salary of $8,700 on DraftKings.
Source: PRN
Source: PRN
Corey Heim a Chalk DFS Pick at Charlotte
Corey Heim will rightfully be a popular DFS pick for the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend. Thanks to qualifying being rained out and the starting lineup being set by the metric, Heim will start from dead last (39th) in this year's Coca-Cola 600. That means that Heim is the safest DFS pick on the slate, as he can not lose any positions during the race. Additionally, he has massive upside in fantasy contests, as the No. 67 Toyota is a very competitive car. In addition to finishing 15th at Kansas earlier this year, Heim also led 69 laps at Texas a few weeks ago--and both of those tracks are relatively similar to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the site of this weekend's race. Priced at just $6,900 on DraftKings this weekend, Corey Heim is an easy pick to make that should make it into the optimal lineup if he doesn't run into any issues during the race.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
