NASCAR’s longest race of the year is here. What should your NASCAR Fantasy lineup look like for the 2024 Coca-Cola 600? We have the picks.
600 miles across 400 laps will be driven on Sunday, May 26th from Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The Memorial Day Weekend race will occur at 6:00 pm ET (3:00 pm PT) on FOX. Radio coverage will be available on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR Fantasy Live gives fans the chance to partake in driver selection each Cup Series race weekend. One will pick five starters and one “garage” driver per event. The garage driver will not receive any points but can replace a starter who may face trouble in the first part of the race. At the end of stage two, picks will lock, and no changes can be made. Points are awarded based on stage points and finishing positions in addition to four “head-to-head” driver picks. A driver may only be picked ten (10) times across the 26-race Regular Season and then five (5) times in the 10-race Playoffs. See NASCAR’s website here for rules of how to play.
My suggestions are NOT my lineup for Sunday’s event. See immediately below for my personal picks from May 12th’s Goodyear 400 from Darlington Raceway.
Check out my picks for the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte.
NASCAR FANTASY RECAP: Goodyear 400
STARTERS
- Brad Keselowski – 7 uses left
- 40 Place Points (1st) + 17 Stage Points (S1 – 3rd, S2 – 2nd) = 57 Total Points
- William Byron – 4 uses left
- 31 Place Points (6th) + 7 Stage Points (S1 – 9th, S2 – 6th) = 38 Total Points
- Tyler Reddick – 4 uses left
- 5 Place Points (32nd) + 17 Stage Points (S1 – 4th, S2 – 1st) = 22 Total Points
- Kyle Larson – 4 uses left
- 3 Place Points (34th) + 16 Stage Points (S1 – 1st, S2 – 5th) = 19 Total Points
- Chris Buescher – 7 uses left
- 7 Place Points (30th) + 8 Stage Points (S1 – 7th, S2 – 7th) = 15 Total Points
- Denny Hamlin – KEPT IN GARAGE, 3 uses left
- 33 Place Points (4th) + 3 Stage Points (S1 – N/A, S2 – 8th) = 36 Total Points
FEATURED MATCHUPS
- William Byron vs. Denny Hamlin
- PICK: Byron
- RESULT: Incorrect (Byron = 6th, Hamlin = 4th)
- Tyler Reddick vs. Joey Logano
- PICK: Reddick
- RESULT: Incorrect (Reddick = 32nd, Logano = 21st)
- Chase Elliott vs. Ross Chastain
- PICK: Chastain
- RESULT: Correct (Elliott = 12th, Chastain = 11th)
- Kyle Busch vs. Christopher Bell
- PICK: Bell
- RESULT: Correct (Busch = 27th, Bell = 13th)
RANKING (after 13 of 36 races)
- Weekly Points = 171 PTS.
- Total Season Points = 2,567 PTS. (197.5 average points per race)
- Collective Rankings = 3,256th (-161 positions from Kansas Speedway)
CHARLOTTE STARTERS
PICK #1 – Ryan Blaney
Fords are flying, and it comes at a good time for Ryan Blaney.
The defending Series Champion enters as the defend circuit victor taking the Crowned Jewel last season. His dominant performance saw 24 stage points captured out of 30 possible (three stages, excluding the final stint) with 163 laps led and an incredible A.R.P. of 2.5. His win came as a surprise as, until the Next Gen, his track record had not been the strongest. 2022 saw a decent run end midway after spinning off the turn one apron causing “The Big One.”
With his manufacturer winning two of the last races (including the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway), Blaney searches for his first win of 2024. He rolls off 12th on Sunday.
PICK #2 – Tyler Reddick
Talk about flying under the radar.
Dating back to his 2020 rookie season in Cup, Tyler Reddick has been one to excel at the Charlotte. He leads all drivers with ten of twelve Coca-Cola 600 stages inside the Top 10 as well as the only one with five or more in the Next Gen. Reddick has also finished all but one Charlotte event inside the Top 10 with his first Top 5 coming last season. Most impressively, his Next Gen Average Running Position (A.R.P.) of 6.7 ranks over three positions higher than the field.
I do not think a mistake like Darlington will appear this weekend. Reddick will, unfortunately, start in the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty due to a post-inspection adjustment.
PICK #3 – Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. is another former Champion overdue for a trip back to the winner’s circle.
A 25th at Darlington last weekend was his only finish of the year worse than 18th as the No. 19 sits 2nd in the Regular Season standings. Truex Jr. is one of only two entries with three or more Charlotte victories taking two Coca-Cola 600s in 2016 and 2019 and the last Fall race in 2017. He joins Reddick, Blaney, and three others with four or more Top 10 Next Gen stage appearances.
Qualifying 8th and holding the 5th-best, ten-lap average from Saturday practice look decent for a strong day in NASCAR Fantasy.
PICK #4 – Kyle Busch
Fresh off a “Rowdy” post-race altercation in the All-Star Race, Kye Busch looks to put the past behind him.
When looking at all career Charlotte events, Busch has the second-best Top 10 percentage rank (62.9%) of drivers with five or more starts. Most impressively, finishes of 6th or better have resulted in all six of his Coca-Cola 600 runs from 2017 to 2023. Busch held a similar streak in Fall races with no finish worse than 8th from 2006 to 2014. Crossing the finish line first in 2018 stands as his lone trip to the track’s victory lane.
Running in Saturday’s Xfinity Series event was the appetizer for his weekend. He starts from 15th.
PICK #5 – Ty Gibbs
Could this be the weekend for Ty Gibbs?
The No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing qualified on pole for Sunday’s iconic event. His speed was backed up with 10 and 15-lap averages ranking 2nd and 3rd, respectively, amongst the competition. Despite finishing 26th, Gibbs earned the 8th-best A.R.P. (11.80) with two of three stage finishes as a rookie last year. His second career Xfinity Series win came at the track in 2021 in only his sixth start, and the same year, he led all 100 laps in his Championship-crowning ARCA season.
I like his chances for a great day in NASCAR Fantasy. Four 100-lap stints can throw elements of varied strategy, but I think Gibbs will remain a threat for Cup Series win number one.
ALTERNATE OPTIONS
Kyle Larson
- Looking to become 5th driver in history to complete Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double-header (joining John Andretti, Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon (x5), Tony Stewart)
- 2021 Coca-Cola 600 Champion
- Won two of three mile and-a-half’s this season with 321 of 811 possible laps led (39.6%)
Denny Hamlin
- Winner of 2022 Coca-Cola 600
- Third-best career Charlotte Top 10 percentage rate (five or more starts; 20 for 32 = 62.5%)
- Top 5s in three consecutive races (including a win at Dover Motor Speedway)
Chase Elliott
- Two straight Coca-Cola 600 DNF’s; however, snapped streak of three-straight Top 5s
- One finish outside Top 20 in last 24 NASCAR Cup Series races
- Winner of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event
HIDDEN GEM?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Only six Charlotte finishes outside Top 15 in 19 Charlotte starts
- Five Top 10s in last seven races including four Top 7s
- Has four Top 10 stage finishes in Next Gen
AVOID!
Daniel Suarez
- Only two Top 10s since October of 2023 (Atlanta win and Texas 5th this season)
- No Coca-Cola 600 finish better than 11th in seven attempts
Bubba Wallace
- 4th place in 2023 race; however, only 18th-ranked A.R.P. in Next Gen (18.65)
- Only three Top 10 stage finishes in 18 opportunities (no more than one per race)
Jimmie Johnson
- All-time Charlotte win record holder; however, has not been full-time since 2020
- Seven Next Gen starts with no finish better than 28th
NASCAR FANTASY MATCHUPS
Kyle Larson vs. William Byron
Hendrick teammates square off in our first pairing of the day. If rain holds in Indianapolis, Kyle Larson’s endurance will be put to the test. However, the driver has yet to be fazed by the constant change of direction, and his chance of winning at Charlotte looks stronger than ever. William Byron will be a factor, having two Top 5s in his last three Coca-Cola 600s. Both drivers have finished Top 10 three times in Next Gen stages.
Although points do not matter in head-to-heads, the two may trade all race long. Circumstances have me leaning toward Larson this time around.
Jimmie Johnson vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
It has been a struggling path for Jimmie Johnson since returning to NASCAR Cup Series competition. Finishes of 29th at Texas Motor Speedway, 28th at Dover Motor Speedway, and 38th at Kansas saw limited-to-no advancement through the field. He raced in the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 only to crash and later exit before Stage One’s end. Stenhouse Jr., meanwhile, brings a sneakily impressive resume as mentioned in the “Hidden Gem” section.
If the driver below stays out of the picture, Stenhouse Jr. captures the better finish.
Kyle Busch vs. Ryan Blaney
The closest NASCAR Fantasy matchup of the weekend. Both Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney have shared their successes at Charlotte, and on any given day, one or the other will hold the better hand. Busch has tackled the consistency in recent showings, but his seasonal performance with Richard Childress Racing has been somewhat of a downtick. Same can be said for Blaney, but he has still been able to maximize most days with Top 5s and Top 10s.
Both have a solid shot here, but after seeing Blaney’s run and win last year, I have to stay in his corner.
Joey Logano vs. Tyler Reddick
Joey Logano needs to turn his season around quick. Although being a non-points paying event, his dominating run plus victory in North Wilkesboro’s All-Star Race was a crucial shot in the arm. Tyler Reddick saw a hot stretch from Race 6 at Circuit of the Americas (5th) to Race 10 at Talladega Superspeedway (1st). However, he has three straight finishes of 11th or worse including his Darlington mishap two weeks ago.
We need to see speed from Logano on this style of circuit, so I am taking Reddick.
What does your NASCAR Fantasy lineup for the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway? Tweet us @LWOSMotorsport. Stay tuned here at LWOS Motorsports for NASCAR news, results, updates, and more.
