NASCAR DFS: Window World 450 @ North Wilkesboro Speedway

Welcome back, race fans. This week, the NASCAR Cup Series travels to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first points-paying race since 1996. There is some recent history here at North Wilkesboro, as it was the host of the All-Star race in each of the last three years. With completely different formats that will be tough to draw any fantasy relevance from those, but we will look closely at comp tracks in the short/flat category.

In this article we will look at the track, some short/flat trends, and then break down a few drivers who are high in the pre-qualifying model heading into the weekend. Let’s get started.

NASCAR DFS: Window World 450

Track Preview & Fantasy Angle

North Wilkesboro is a .625 mile short track with 14 degrees of banking in the turns, putting it into the short/flat group of tracks. This race will have 450 laps and should produce multiple dominators this week, similar to what we see at other short/flat tracks like Phoenix, Martinsville, New Hampshire, Gateway, Iowa, and Richmond. All three All-Star races here also saw one driver lead 100+ laps (139, 199, 145).

Top Pre-Qualifying Targets for DraftKings

Ryan Blaney ($10,700)

While I will likely have exposure to both Blaney and Hamlin, I side with Blaney at this point for multiple reasons. He has been a short/flat track master, leading the series in wins (4), top 5’s (8), top 10’s (10), average run (6.4), and average finish (5.8) on short/flat tracks since the start of last season (12 races). He is also coming in red-hot, winning last week at Atlanta, extending his top 10 streak to eight. While I am not really weighing it, he also has the edge on Hamlin here at North Wilkesboro, finishing 6th or better in two of the three All-Star races.

Joey Logano ($9,500)

Overall, it has been a rough year for the #22 car, but like his teammate Blaney, he is excellent on short/flat tracks. Looking at the data over the last 12 races since the start of last season, Logano has no wins but has been very consistent with six Top 5s and is T2 with nine top 10 finishes over that stretch. He was also excellent here at the All-Star race over the last two years as one of two drivers with top 10s in all three, including a win in 2024 and a runner-up in 2025.

Chase Elliott ($9,700)

Elliott is the other driver who has finished top 10 in all three All-Star races here at but also checks other boxes and is another top-tier target for me this week. He hasn’t flashed the upside recently, but has a shot to turn it around based on his form on short/flat tracks as he was 7th at Nashville, won at Martinsville, and has top 10 finishes in six of the last seven on the track type.

Austin Dillon ($6,300)

For value, Dillon is a driver I will look to based on his PTS/$ consistency on short/flat tracks. He leads all drivers under $9K on DraftKings with 10 top-20 finishes over the last 12 races on the track type and scored top-20s in both All-Star races here at North Wilkesboro. He is also riding some momentum coming off a 7th-place finish last week at Atlanta.