After a fuel-saving battle at Pocono Raceway last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series heads south to the newly-renamed EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia (Saturday, June 28 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT).
The track name may have changed, but there should still be similar racing to what we’ve seen earlier this year. The 1.54-mile oval was reconfigured over three years ago and has already had some signs of wear. That first year in 2022, one driver would lead well over 50 laps. The last few years, several drivers have led about 25-40 laps each.
Regardless, the Atlanta-based racetrack will likely have a mixture of top runners and position gainers in the top half of the field (as is often the case at superspeedways). So your DraftKings lineups should contain drivers who fit the bill. Below you’ll find some who seem to have a knack at EchoPark Speedway and should score quite a bit of points on DraftKings.
Before I go on to that, though, I want to share about NASCAR’s in-season challenge that you can enter before this weekend’s race. Drivers are up against each other in a bracket, and you can choose who you think will finish ahead of the other driver. If you build a perfect bracket, you could win $1 million (which is also awarded to the driver who wins the tournament). Good luck.
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
Ryan Blaney ($11,000)
Usually on superspeedways, I’m hesitant to put the most expensive driver on DraftKings in my lineup. Ryan Blaney‘s an exception, and for good reason.
Since the track’s update in 2022, Blaney hasn’t finished worse than 17th. In fact, that was just in that first year, as the past six results were all in the top 10. Four of those were top fives, including his near-win in 2023. He has one of the best average finish in this span, a 6.7.
The only bad thing about the No. 12 Team Penske pilot is that he usually starts in the top 10. Plus, there have been times where he’s encountered some kind of issue and was sent to the back. Yet Blaney still finds a way to finish up front.
If you’d rather not spend that much on DraftKings, his teammate Austin Cindric is also a good option.
Christopher Bell ($9,200)
I was torn between Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott (who’s $600 more than Bell), but ultimately decided on the most recent winner at EchoPark.
Besides his win, Bell’s appeal is his two other top fives in last fall’s playoff race and in early 2023.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also has a few good results at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. At Daytona, he has three third-place finishes. Then in recent years at Talladega, Bell finished eighth in 2023 and sixth last fall.
While they aren’t the flashiest results (as it seems boom or bust for Bell), it’s a little better than some other drivers.
Kyle Busch ($8,800)
Top 10s are few and far between this year for Kyle Busch. But in Atlanta he’s found success, earning two top fives and three top 10s since 2023.
The finish that probably stung Busch the most was the three-wide finish in spring 2024. He was just inches away from the win, though Blaney and Daniel Suarez finished ahead of him.
Still, Busch has shown consistency at EchoPark that’s hard to come by for many in the field, which makes him a near-lock for your lineups on DraftKings.
Daniel Suarez ($7,700)
See a trend? Well, look beyond Suarez’s photo-finish victory. You’ll see that he has four top fives and five top-10 results in the seven races after the reconfiguration.
Notably, from summer 2023 through fall 2024, the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing driver finished in the top two each time.
On average, Suarez has finished around 11th, although he did crash out of the race this past February.
Interestingly, Suarez placed ninth at ‘Dega earlier this season and scored three consecutive top 10s from fall 2022 through fall 2023 at that large 2.66-mile track. While EchoPark is smaller, the results at Talladega indicate that Suarez can be competitive in Atlanta too.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,900)
Drivers below $7,000 on DraftKings are somewhat hit or miss, but I feel there’s a good chance for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to earn a good finish.
In the past five races at EchoPark, Stenhouse has surprisingly placed 17th or better, taking home one top five (which came earlier this year) and three top 10s in that span.
Even better is that he’s started 27th or worse in that same period. How is that better? It gives an extra boost in fantasy points on DraftKings for the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports driver.
Let’s hope that Stenhouse doesn’t do anything to put him in the back during the race (like doing something intentionally to Carson Hocevar‘s car).
BJ McLeod ($4,800)
Alright, hear me out. I know it’s not someone you’d think for even this track, but BJ McLeod has gained several spots in each of the last four races. He finished 22nd earlier this season and put up 37 fantasy points on DraftKings. That’s a nice little bundle for a very low price.
In the first race at EchoPark after the reconfiguration (in 2022), McLeod earned a 19th-place finish. And in the past four events there, he’s finished in the 20s after qualifying in the 30s.
They may look like small gains, but to me, they’re enough to get loud for McLeod.
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.