NASCAR DFS: Coca Cola 600 @ Charlotte Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Cup series gets back to points racing this weekend as they head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca Cola 600. It is one of the biggest grinds of the season for drivers and teams, as it is the longest race of the season at 600 miles.

In this article, we will preview the track, look at the fantasy angle, and go over some drivers who rank high in my pre-qualifying model.

NASCAR DFS: Coca Cola 600

Track Preview & Fantasy Angle

Charlotte is a 1.5-mile intermediate asphalt track with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. As I mentioned above, it is the longest race of the season at 400 laps/600 miles, and the first thing that stands out with that is the importance of dominator points. William Byron led the way last year with 283 laps led, and there has been a driver who has led 150 or more laps in three of the four Coca-Cola 600s in the NextGen era. It most likely would have been four had the 2024 race not been rain-shortened when Christopher Bell won, leading 90 laps in that race.

Looking at previous optimal lineups, it has been similar to other intermediate tracks in that we have needed one top-end dominator and a total of 2-3 top-tier drivers ($9K+) who have secondary dominator upside, and then mix in some value plays with place differential upside. For the most part, practice gets a bit of a downgrade this week with the nature of the race starting in the daytime and finishing under the lights when the track temperature is cooler. Not that I won’t factor practice into the model, but I will look much more at long run speed than fastest practice lap.

Top Pre-Qualifying Targets for DraftKings

Tyler Reddick ($11,000)

Reddick and Hamlin rank at the top of my pre-qualifying model, and both have reached season-high prices. I don’t think you can go wrong with either driver at this point, but if deciding between the two, Reddick has the slight edge. Outside of the disappointing 26th-place finish last year, he has been good here and is one of just three drivers with three top 10’s in the four NextGen races here. Hamlin has more wins (3) on intermediate tracks since the start of last year, but Reddick has a better average finish (10.2) and average run (7.7). Hard not to ignore the form, as well, as Reddick has a win and four top 5’s in the last five races and leads all drivers with five wins on the season.

William Byron ($9,500)

Even with some ups and downs recently, William Byron ranks 7th in my pre-qualifying model this week, and it starts with his track history. He returns to Charlotte with three straight finishes of 3rd or better and is the only driver with three Top 5’s in the four NextGen races here. The down form is largely due to disappointing finishes at Watkins Glen (36th) and Talladega (35th), but the great news here is that he has Top 10’s in all four intermediate track races this season. I look for him to get back on track (no pun intended) this week, and with a season-low price, he has excellent PTS/$ value.

Chris Buescher ($8,500)

The track history at Charlotte in the NextGen era has been less than impressive, with three finishes in the 20’s, but he does check other boxes. He joins Byron as the only other driver with top 10’s in all four intermediate races in 2026, led 41 laps at Darlington, and is averaging 41 DK points per race during that stretch. The form is also trending as he is second to Tyler Reddick with a 8.4 average finish in the last five races overall.

Ryan Preece ($7,300)

Speaking of form, Preece has been very consistent recently, finishing 14th or better in eight of his last nine races overall and on the season, is second with 11 top 20’s in the 12 races. Going back to the start of last season, he is also 8th in average finish (14.1) on intermediate tracks and has finished 13th or better in two of the four Charlotte races in the NextGen era.