Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2025 Cracker Barrel 400

The NASCAR Cup Series suddenly became fun again thanks to a raucously entertaining Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday (May 25), and so too did fantasy picks.

I’ll admit, I was a bit weary after the All-Star Race, where I absolutely whiffed on everything I wrote about. But the welcome surprise of the sport’s longest night reignited my fire, and I’m sure ready to get my lineups set for Nashville Superspeedway.

Don’t let that name fool you though: This track’s layout has more in common with Michigan International Speedway in terms of length and Dover Motor Speedway in terms of surface, and its tight turns are also more reminiscent of Pocono Raceway. With all that going on, to say that Nashville is unique is an understatement.

When making your picks, these elements will be key. Drivers who are good on traditional asphalt intermediates are a must-have, but so too are guys who have multiple wins at Bristol and Dover. When these guys are good at concrete tracks, they tend to be good on all of them.

Let’s take a look back at last week. I was only truly disappointed in one of my picks, and I stayed away from betting (wife’s orders), but they were all complete busts.

Fantasy/Betting Breakdown: 2025 Coca-Cola 600

Right On The Money	Lick Your Wounds
Brad Keselowski: 74.8 points scored	Ryan Blaney: -14 points scored
Michael McDowell: 48.6 points scored	Kyle Larson (+600, 1800) to win the Indy 500 and Coke 600
Chase Briscoe: 43.6 points scored	Christopher Bell/Blaney (+650) to win

Before I get to the rules, I want to shoutout Keselowski for an awesome run. His big night put me over the top to win my group for only the second time all season.

2025 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

William Byron ($10,800)

I couldn’t help but feel for Byron after last week’s race.

Yet another dominant performance, and yet another tough loss. I definitely have some doubts about his ability to close the deal now. But, I think he’ll rebound this week.

Byron’s a contender week in and week out, and that is usually enough for me. His record is actually pretty impressive at Nashville to boot.

He has two top fives in four starts there. I don’t think he’s the winner of this race, but I look for a podium finish at the very least.

Ross Chastain ($10,000)

After a year chock full of gritty stellar performances, Chastain gutted out a long-awaited return to victory lane last Sunday.

Based on the numbers Chastain was putting up prior to that, it was a long time coming, and I think it’s going to kick of a smoking hot summer for him.

Chastain’s a former winner here, so he knows how to get around this place very well. I’m not going to commit to back-to-back wins, but I’ll say a solid top five is probably in the cards.

Chase Elliott ($9,500)

Call me crazy, but I think this No. 9 team might be closing in on being a contender again.

Elliott was in contention at Kansas Speedway, ran well at the All-Star Race, and he must’ve found something at the end of the 600.

Elliott drove all the way from 17th to sixth in less than 25 laps, and that was super impressive.

Elliott’s won at Bristol and at Dover multiple times so he’s a concrete maestro. I may regret this, but Elliott is your winner this week.

Alex Bowman ($7,800)

It was a tough 600 for “The Showman,” that’s for sure.

An early crash severely damaged his No. 48 Chevrolet, and he just never could rebound. However, I think he’ll be back in the mix this week, which is a common theme for him.

Bowman had two straight top fives going into the race though, and was kind of a top-tier dark horse contender because of the performance he’s had at intermediates this season.

I think it’ll be another rebound week for Bowman, but he’s never finished better than 14th at Nashville. He’ll be right around there when the checkered flag falls Sunday night, and I firmly believe that’ll get you crucial points at this price tag.

Zane Smith ($6,300)

It’s wild to realize that Smith’s true coming out party was already a year ago in this very race.

That night, he was able to get his career-best finish of second to Joey Logano and to this day, that is his best ever Cup result.

I don’t think he’ll have that kind of magic this year, but you never know. Front Row Motorsports continues to improve each week, as Noah Gragson proved for much of last week’s race at Charlotte.

I think Smith is a shoo-in for a top 20, but a sneaky top 10 is certainly possible. I love nothing the way I love a sneaky top 10, after all.

John Hunter Nemechek ($5,500)

For about two hours there watching the Coca-Cola 600, I legitimately thought Nemechek was going to win.

I even sat and stared at the live odds and strongly contemplated placing a small wager for a big payoff for awhile, but logic prevailed, thankfully.

Nemechek was still very much impressive enough for me to select with my final pick this week. He has a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Nashville, so he knows how to run well.

I’m looking for a top 20-25, maybe a sneaky top 15, which is good for this bargain barrel price.

Prop Bets and Locks

1. Chastain (+260) to finish top three: I may not believe in Chastain’s hot streak enough for him to be a winner Sunday, but I do think of this as a lock. He has finished in the top three in his last three starts, after all. The payout on this won’t be huge, but it’s a good way to get the ball rolling in a parlay.
   
2. Briscoe (+320) to finish in the top five: I’m telling you guys, this team is really starting to gel. His third-place run at Charlotte was his third top five in the last six races. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Briscoe won, and I wouldn’t blame you a bit for putting your money on him to do so.
   
3. Corey Heim (+360) to finish top 10: Look y’all, I don’t mean to sound like Captain Obvious here, but this guy is extremely talented. He’s absolutely destroying the Craftsman Truck Series week in and week out, and if I remember right, Heim ran incredibly well here last season. That was his first Cup Series start, by the way. It’s definitely going to be “Heim Time” in the future at this level, but I think it’s definitely a good time to cash in on him this weekend.