Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400

After a very long couple of weeks out west for this beleaguered bettor, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the superb racing atmosphere of Homestead-Miami Speedway.

I’m sorely hoping that a change of scenery will also be of great benefit to my fortunes. I’m still 0-5 on wagers since the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, and my wife is sick of it!

Picking for this race isn’t super difficult, though. The usual suspects are the ones you can count on, as those who’ve been historically successful here are almost always in the mix. There’s also a good amount of drivers who are on a roll momentum-wise that you should consider.

2025 Pennzoil 400 Fantasy/Betting Breakdown

Right on the Money	Lick Your Wounds
Kyle Larson, 69.3 points scored	Kyle Larson (+500) to win (finished 9th)
Alex Bowman, 43.3 points scored	Kyle Busch, -20.3 points scored (ouch)
Chris Buescher, 30.7 points scored	Noah Gragson, 0 points scored

DraftKings Rules of the Road

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 place 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 and 31st gets 10.

However many spots drivers lose or gain on the track are added or subtracted from their score. If the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 for each fastest lap.

Fantasy Forecast

1. William Byron ($10,500)

William Byron has been super productive since the Daytona 500, and next to Christopher Bell, is undoubtedly having one of the best seasons among the field.

Byron has only one finish outside the top 10 so far this year and he and crew chief Rudy Fugle always bring the speed to these big, fast intermediate tracks. Byron also has won here in the recent past, which is just another reason to sign him.

I don’t think he’ll be standing in victory lane at the end of this one, but he’ll bring a whole heck of a lot of points to your bucket.

2. Denny Hamlin ($9,700)

The elder statesman of the garage has had a great week after announcing a partnership with Progressive Insurance that helps fill the gap left behind by FedEx.

Off-track momentum and on-track momentum go hand in hand, so that’s why I’m going with Denny Hamlin this week. He’s won here before also, and he and the No. 11 team excel on tracks like this, despite the result from last week’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

As far as expectations for Sunday, look for a strong top three-four effort from Hamlin.

3. Josh Berry ($7,700)

Did anybody have Josh Berry bringing home Ford’s first win of 2025 last week? That was a huge payday for all those Berry believers out there. Honestly, we should’ve seen it coming.

Back when he started hitting his stride in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he was lights out on tracks like this. He picked up wins at Vegas, Michigan International Speedway and did so in convincing fashion.

There is a solid chance that Berry falls victim to a peaks and valleys situation at Homestead, falling into trouble not of his own making. I don’t think that’ll be the case, and he should be able to grab another great run on Sunday.

4. Daniel Suarez ($7,600)

Daniel Suarez finally got a great run in 2025 with a runner-up effort at Vegas.

After the disastrous start he’s had to the season, it was much needed. Despite the way the stat sheet looks for him, he’s run pretty well at times but ended up in a bad spot for some reason or another and back in the garage area.

As most of my longtime readers know, I believe a good run is the best medicine for a poor season, and the Trackhouse Racing No. 99 is in line for a hot streak of sorts.

He’s not somebody you think of when you’re thinking about guys to sign here, but the performance is there if he can execute.

5. Carson Hocevar ($7,500)

It’s been a tough few weeks since Carson Hocevar almost won at Atlanta Motor Speedway last month.

He has no finishes inside the top 10 since then and ended up wrecked at both Phoenix Raceway and Vegas. However, I have a cool statistic that is driving this selection.

Last season, Hocevar recorded his first career top-10 finish in the Cup Series at this very track. He’s got a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win there also, so he knows how to successfully run the place.

Could this be setting the stage for another first-time winner this weekend? I think so. I may put money on him too.

6. AJ Allmendinger ($7,000)

Why, you may ask, is the road course specialist here on this list for an intermediate oval race?

Well, the answer is quite simple, so hear me out. Not only did AJ Allmendinger deliver a surprising top-10 finish at Vegas, he’s pretty darn good at Homestead.

He has a career average finish of 14.9 on the Cup side of things and a 10.4 career average finish on the Xfinity side.

I am in no way envisioning a win for this team Sunday, but hey, crazier things have happened, and he’s a perfect sleeper pick.

Prop Bets and Locks

1. Hocevar (+1,100) to finish top three: As stated in the forecast, I like Hocevar to do well this weekend. It’s one of his best tracks across all three series and I could see him possibly winning the race, but don’t feel good enough about it to go all in.
2. Chase Elliott (+1,200) to win: Elliott has been quietly putting together top-10 finishes since the race at Circuit of the Americas, despite encountering crazy adversity along the way. The main reason I like this bet is because had it not been for an early speeding penalty, he might’ve won Vegas. His car looked great in clean air but was a whole different monster mired back in traffic. The No. 9 team may be onto something with their resilience and he has some good betting odds for low-risk, high-reward wagering.
3. The Kyle Larson Special (+1,200): By the time this article is published, this may be irrelevant, but I wanted to put it here because it’s so fun. This wager has you betting that Larson will pull a legendary weekend sweep, winning all three of the races at Homestead. If there’s anybody who can wheel three different race cars to win any given weekend, it’s Larson. I’m not sure if DraftKings will make it to where you can bet on him just winning Xfinity and Cup if he doesn’t win in the Truck Series, but if DraftKings does, take the chance.