NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 DFS Preview
DraftKings Preview
AustYnThe 2023 NASCAR Cup Series is moving along to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on the most eventful day in motorsports. Monaco has the F1 race today and of course the Indianapolis 500 is taking place around lunch time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 is known to be the final race of the Memorial Day weekend swing and it will take a miracle for it to happen today. Rain is covered in the forecast and barring a miracle in the storm system going away, we will probably see a double-header on Memorial Day itself with the Xfinity race taking place too. In other NASCAR news, North Wilkesboro Speedway returned to life last weekend in holding the NASCAR All-Star Race and it was one to remember. I wouldn’t say in terms of how great the racing was because it was okay…typical of what you would see at a short track, but the utter dominance of Kyle Larson was quite impressive. He passed every single car in the field to come from last (due to an early speeding penalty) to first and he didn’t look back. In fact, after the stage break at lap 100, he had almost a ¾ of a track lead over 2nd place. Nobody was catching Larson on the old 42-year-old surface. I really think a points paying race is inevitable for the track and even though they received grant money from the state…I think the tax-payer dollars were put to good use because I imagine Wilkes County generated a lot of revenue and hopefully profited last weekend. I still believe they can adjust the facility to keep improving it and modernize it, while keeping the “old-school” vibe…because in all reality, the more you keep improving, he higher likelihood that you’ll stay open. On a side note, Charlotte and North Wilkesboro are a lot alike…not only were they built in the adolescent stages of the sport, but they were both built by financiers that ran out of funds to complete the original planned layout. The reason why North Wilkesboro has uphill and downhill straightaways is because they completed half the track and ran out of money, so they hurried the project. Charlotte Motor Speedway has irregular shaped corners one not mimicking the other and it was known to have a very bouncy and rough backstretch…it still is due to grading issues. It was also famously known for busting windshields from the track flying up in the first World 600. If NASCAR can focus on the areas of the country that they have been neglecting for the past 20-25 years, then they will start seeing a greater improvement in the sport…I really hope Chicago will show them this.
We all know that the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the year in terms of mileage and strategies are always important when selecting a lineup. When dissecting a lineup and looking at past results at this track, you will always notice names listed that aren’t necessarily always familiar to the top-15. Last year, Denny Hamlin won the race from the pole, but led a negligible number of laps to warrant him useless in lineups. Picking a dominator is very important, but as we all know, anything can happen like wrecks or penalties, and this can lead to millions of strategies. Qualifying and practice were all rained out, so William Byron will start on the pole, alongside Kevin Harvick on the front row. I will be looking at last season’s results, but more importantly…I will be looking at the tire model they are using at this track. Goodyear is bringing the same tire that they used this year at Fontana, Las Vegas, Kansas and Darlington. Any driver that showed consistency at these tracks will be a great option. I will admit that none of these tracks are a lot like Charlotte, but they are a good indicator of performance. History also plays a role in my selections as well because as I stated earlier, Charlotte has a lot of character and certain drivers are great here and others never figure it out.
Photo Credit: NASCAR.com
Top Pick: Chase Elliott Starting 6th ($9,700)
Ever since returning from his injury, Chase Elliott has been a model of consistency. In 5 races he hasn’t finished below 12th and with a 3rd place finish at Darlington…I think a win is about to happen and I think it will today. His average finish here is 13.8 at Charlotte and in the races with the same tire-model he has an average of 4th (excluding Las Vegas due to injury). I had a gut feeling about him anyway, but I really believe this is where Chase puts the exclamation point on his 2023 NASCAR Playoff hopes.
Supporting Cast: Daniel Suarez Starting 24th ($7,800) & Ricky Stenhouse Jr Starting 10th ($7,300)
Daniel Suarez is starting in a great position for positive return, not to mention he has been great on this tire-model. He has finished inside the top-15 in 3 of the 4 races and Trackhouse led nearly 200 laps last season here. All we need is a top-15 and Daniel can give us a great return. Ricky Stenhouse Jr has been having an amazing season. Winning the Daytona 500 has elevated this team to new heights and not to mention, Ricky has finished 13th or better in 3 of the 4 races on this tire. He is also solid at Charlotte with a career average finish of 16.6. That’s all we need from him, and we are looking good for the Coca-Cola 600.
FanDuel Preview
YacsWell, last week wasn’t too exciting of a race, but it was fun to see the Cup Series in our backyard at North Wilkesboro. Short tracks just aren't a fun watch with these new cars, but hopefully that will change in the upcoming years. This week is different. We are moving from the slow speeds of Wilkesboro to the high speeds of Charlotte. If Wilkesboro is in our backyard, then Charlotte is just outside our front porch. It is great to have so much racing around us. I hope the 600 will be a good race this year.
Kyle Larson won, or shall I say owned, North Wilkesboro last week. He was the only car that knew how to pass. There were a lot of green flag laps and I don’t mind that a bit, but other than Larson, cars didn’t move. That is what I don’t like. You have to have some sort of battles, but there was none of it last week. Larson was in a class of his own. This week may or may not be different. Qualifying was rained out as well as practice, so we have no sort of current speeds to base our opinions on this week and they may not be racing until tomorrow. It isn't going to be a fun DFS week unless you get lucky, because with no practice and no qualifying, it will ultimately come down to luck. With the 600, you want a driver that can lead laps. You want drivers that can maintain their car and be smart as well. It is a long race. Anything can happen, but you have to be prepared for anything. We’ll see what FanDuel has to offer this week.
WYFF
The Feud: Kyle Larson ($14,000) Starting 12th; Ross Chastain ($13,000) Starting 14th
I think these two guys will run well this week if they don’t end up in the wall before the night is over. Larson has been the best driver at Charlotte over the span of the last 4 races, averaging a 5th place finish. Well, he only has 2 races completed in the last 4, but those were 2021 and 2022. In 2020, he missed both of the Charlotte oval races due to suspension. He dominated in 2021, winning from the pole position and leading 327 of the 400 laps. I think he could do precisely that tonight if last week was any indication.
As for Ross Chastain, I said earlier that I wanted guys that will be smart and maintain the cars, well, I may be going against that rule for him. Chastain has stirred up a lot of controversy over the last season, well, couple of seasons. His aggressive driving style has upset the driving field, but even if he does sometimes drive like it is his last lap, he will give it everything he has. He was arguably the best driver in last year’s Coca Cola 600, but didn’t get the job done. In fact, he doesn’t have a good track record here at all, but I think he can run well today, as long as he stays out of trouble. If he has a fairly clean race, I think he will be Top 10 all night.
Value Picks: Ryan Blaney ($8,200) Starting 8th; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($7,000) Starting 10th
I can't believe Blaney is only $8,200 this week. He is quietly one of the best drivers in the field week in and week out. His starting spot isn't going to be too attractive for DFS players, but I like it. We have guys that will pass cars and likely finish well in our lineup already, so it don’t hurt to get a couple of guys that will start towards the front. Blaney hasn’t been great here, but I know he can run well today. This track isn't exactly the most predictable either, so even if you do have a good car, it has to hold up for 600 miles. I’m willing to take a chance on Blaney.
As for Stenhouse, he has always been an underrated pick at this track. He is actually one of the better choices in the field at Charlotte. His 10th starting spot doesn’t yield a lot of passing potential, but I don’t think we will need it. As long as he maintains his spot, I think it will be ok. I think he can do it. Stenhouse has 2 Top 10s and a Top 5 in the last 4 races here and has been consistently in and around the Top 10 throughout his Cup career. Look for him to be strong again today.
USA Today Sports
Final Pick: Jimmie Johnson ($5,800) Starting 37th
I never thought that I would be picking Jimmie Johnson in the 2023 Coca Cola 600, but here we are. Johnson doesn’t have a lot of seat time in this new car, but I can tell you this, he has a lot of winning seat time at Charlotte. 8 wins, 16 Top 5s, 22 Top 10s in 37 races. That tells you all you need to know, but obviously there is concern with his car and his current driving ability. I know he is capable of having a great race tonight, but am I confident that he will? Not really, but he is worth taking a shot on with his price and starting spot. Hopefully he does well tonight and hopefully we see the old Jimmie Johnson come alive in Charlotte.