The NASCAR Cup Series is back in action at the Action Track, Richmond Raceway, on Sunday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. ET (USA Network, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
After a two-week break, drivers are ready to get on track and vie for spots in the playoffs.
New this week, Cup teams have two different tire setups that they can use: a prime tire (that’s used normally) and an option tire. The prime tires are more for long runs, while option tires wear quickly but also have more grip.
Teams have seven sets of prime tires (including one transferred from qualifying) and two sets of option tires to use during the race.
These setups were used at North Wilkesboro Speedway where Joey Logano dominated the All-Star Race, leading all but one lap.
So you can look at the ASR as well as other short, flat racetracks (like Phoenix Raceway and Iowa Speedway) to help you decide who should be in your lineup.
There’s also a short practice that you can watch on Saturday afternoon; teams will have one tire of each setup available to use. That will run at 4:30 p.m. ET, with qualifying to follow. Both sessions air on MRN radio and stream on the NBC Sports app.
Here’s a rules review before we get into fantasy picks:
Drivers will be awarded points based on their finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 points and 31st gets 10 points.
However many spots they lose or gain on the track are added to or subtracted from their score. Then, if the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 points for each fastest lap.
Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Scoring Rules
Fantasy Forecast
Christopher Bell ($10,300)
Career at Richmond: 8 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 6 top 10s
Average finish at Richmond: 7.5
Christopher Bell has one of the best average finishes at Richmond, even though he’s only run eight races there. This shouldn’t be all that unusual because Bell has won at Richmond three times in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
In Cup, one thing that’s been rather strange for Bell is that he’s started the last four races in the 20s. But it’s not where you start; it’s where you finish. He placed sixth earlier this year, while in August 2022, he was second. He also was fourth in spring of ’23.
Plus, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing pilot already has three victories this season, including two at flat tracks (Phoenix and New Hampshire Motor Speedway). Bell led 149 laps at Loudon on the way to the victory. He also finished fourth at Iowa.
Bell’s a good option on DraftKings if you don’t want to play the more expensive drivers of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.
Ryan Blaney ($9,800)
Career at Richmond: 16 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s
Average finish at Richmond: 20.0
Ryan Blaney finally grabbed his first win of the season at Iowa, flat out dominating the Cup Series’ inaugural event there. It was sweet redemption after he ran out of gas two weeks prior at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Blaney also has a couple of top 10s at other short tracks this year, at Martinsville Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway. But I’d like you to hone in on his recent runs. In the last seven races, the No. 12 Team Penske driver has two victories, three top fives and six top 10s. That’s at all kinds of different tracks.
Although Blaney only has three top 10s at Richmond, his marks at other short tracks and his momentum from recent races show he has a good chance to run well this weekend.
Joey Logano ($9,100)
Career at Richmond: 30 starts, 2 wins, 14 top fives, 19 top 10s
Average finish at Richmond: 9.7
Joey Logano’s two wins came several years ago, but that doesn’t mean his good finishes ended. In fact, since his last victory in 2017, he’s only finished outside the top 10 three times. This year, Logano was runner-up to Denny Hamlin, while last July he was fourth. And in August 2022, he led 222 laps before ultimately coming home sixth.
The driver of the No. 22 finally earned his first points win of 2024 at Nashville Superspeedway. Logano’s finishes as of late have been either really good or really bad, but hopefully with a reprieve from action on the track, he’ll be well-rested to make the right moves in the race and get to the front.
Chris Buescher ($8,900)
Career at Richmond: 16 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s
Average finish at Richmond: 21.7
Chris Buescher is the defending race winner, taking the victory in last year’s Cook Out 400 after leading 88 circuits. The Next Gen car seems to have really helped the No. 17 RFK Racing wheelman, as he finished third in August 2022 and ninth earlier this year.
Additionally, the Prosper, Texas, native has some strong runs at other short tracks. Buescher was second at Phoenix, seventh at Bristol Motor Speedway and fifth at New Hampshire. Though his last three events haven’t gone as well, Buescher should still perform well this Sunday at Richmond.
Josh Berry ($7,800)
Career at Richmond: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10
Average finish at Richmond: 6.5
Josh Berry has done really well at the short tracks this year. He led 32 laps at Iowa on the way to seventh place, while at Richmond he drove from 30th to 11th. Also, at Loudon, he earned a podium finish.
While filling in for Chase Elliott last spring at the 0.75-mile track, Berry advanced through the field, going from 30th all the way up to second.
And in the Xfinity Series, Berry has three top 10s – a seventh and a third in 2022 and 2023, respectively (and another seventh way back in 2015).
Look for Berry to build off of his previous short track results and take home a good result.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($5,700)
Career at Richmond: 22 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s
Average finish at Richmond: 21.0
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is more famously known for getting knocked out of the All-Star Race within the first two laps, waiting for Kyle Busch by the No. 8’s hauler and throwing a punch at Busch.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s had two top 10s on flat racetracks since then at Iowa Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Stenhouse gained 30 positions en route to fifth at Iowa, while at Loudon he placed seventh.
At Richmond, the JTG Daugherty Racing driver has just one top-20 result in the last six races. That came last July when he was 17th after starting ninth. Now, if he begins in the top 10 this weekend, I’ll be less apt to play him, but if he qualifies mid-teens or further, Stenhouse would be a good value play.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.