Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2025 Cook Out 400

Boy, am I glad to see Martinsville Speedway scheduled for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. Just like some of the hitters of Major League Baseball will be later on this summer (Opening Day was yesterday) I’m currently in one heck of a slump. More on that later, though.

Martinsville has always been kind to me, as last season I cashed in on a podium finish from Chase Elliott and a clutch win from Ryan Blaney. My optimism is at peak levels this weekend to say the least.

When picking for this historic short track, it helps to pay attention to who is historically great on flat tracks. Guys like Elliott, Blaney and even Ryan Preece or Josh Berry are good selections to make.

This week is also unique in that you can get great options for a bargain on the fantasy side. As for betting, this also applies. I’m going with safe bets for my slip this time, but hopefully those of you reading this can take a few risks, which is much more fun.

Now, let’s quickly break down the race from Homestead-Miami Speedway last week from my vantage point. Spoiler alert: it was not at all pretty.

2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400 Fantasy/Betting Breakdown

Right on the Money	Lick Your Wounds
Denny Hamlin, 63.5 points scored	Chase Elliott to win (+1200): finished 18th
AJ Allmendinger, 40 points scored	Carson Hocevar (+1100) to finish 3rd or better: finished dead last
That’s it, folks. That’s all I got right. Worst week of the season by far.	Kyle Larson (+1200) to sweep the weekend: lost on the final restart due to contact

Bad break of the week: Had Larson not had his rear tires sent to the moon on that last restart in last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, my wife would be in a much better mood.

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. Blaney ($11,200)

Listen, I know it’s been a rough start to the season for all you Blaney fans out there. Pure domination followed by crashes and spectacular looking engine failures have been all you’ve seen out of him as of late, but let me give you some hope:

This man is scary good at Martinsville.

A career average finish of 8.3 and two wins in his last three starts here are all you need to know that this is the best pick to make.

Martinsville also does not require a whole lot of horsepower, so he should, in theory, be safe from engine trouble.

2. Elliott ($9,900)

I saw a lot of people on social media calling for crew chief Alan Gustafson’s job following their dismal performance at Homestead.

While I think that’s completely warranted, there’s been some driver error too. Elliott has uncharacteristically garnered back breaking pit road penalties in two straight races now that absolutely derailed a solid day.

Good news is, he’s also very good on flat tracks, as seen by his win in the preseason Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

I think they’ll both clean up their acts this week and get a much-needed win, something that cures all ills.

3. Preece ($7,500)

Here’s a driver who proves that better equipment can make a lot of difference.

The No. 60 team has outperformed expectations the last few weeks, leading laps at Phoenix Raceway and scoring top 10 finishes at both Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead.

That momentum should spell a great run for him again this week. He’s won a pole at Martinsville and won here on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

I think it’ll be another banner day for this group.

4. Bubba Wallace ($7,200)

I am genuinely surprised at how cheap Wallace is to sign this week.

A strong week at Homestead showed that he has great speed and a great crew on pit road that will make him a factor anywhere, but particularly at Martinsville.

It’s one of his best tracks over the course of his career, as he’s won here in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the past and he averages a respectable 16.9 career average finish on the Cup Series side.

He’ll still be searching for that win after this week, but I expect solid points from him.

5. Ty Gibbs ($7,000)

I know Gibbs is in the midst of a horrible campaign thus far, but hear me out:

Aerodynamics aren’t a huge deal at this track, so that shouldn’t hurt him. Plus, he’s got a rather infamous Xfinity Series win here.

Now I may be putting my fantasy well-being in the hands of a defeated and deflated group, but I fully believe he can snag a top 15-20 finish.

That’s a whole lot better than what we’ve seen so far.

6. Austin Dillon ($6,500)

It was kind of cool seeing the iconic No. 3 play a role in last week’s race at Homestead.

While this is a much different can of worms in almost every way you can think of, he’s got a good record on short tracks in the past.

He had that win at Richmond Raceway last year, and he has finished 12th or better at Martinsville in his last four starts here.

At this point of the selection process, you don’t have many options left, and Dillon is far and away the best available.

Props and Locks

1. Elliott (+650) to win: I can’t help but think that they’ll pull it together this weekend. They were so good in the Clash, I don’t see how they will not be in position to win it. After all, in this race last season and the one here last fall, Elliott was leading late but couldn’t seal the deal. I think they’re due and this is their best shot at a win so far this year.
   
2. Chase Briscoe (+150) to finish top five: Briscoe finally showed some performance at Homestead last week, and though he’s not been great here in the past, crew chief James Small has. He led Martin Truex Jr. to great success on the Paperclip, and I suspect he could do the same with Briscoe. I’m tempering my expectations with a top five, but don’t be afraid to bet on that top three run if you feel inclined.
   
3. Toyota (+220) to win: I like this wager because both Hamlin and Christopher Bell have won here pretty recently. This is an underdog with a lot of bite, and a solid low risk wager that could get you on track if you’re struggling alongside me.