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It's been an exciting NASCAR Cup Series regular season, but I'm ready for some playoff racing -- one of the best times of the racing season. And this year's Championship 4, I believe, is wide open (outside of Kyle Larson).
With the regular season finale at Daytona in the rear-view mirror, the Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the playoff opener. Fortunately for you, it's more clear cut on which drivers you should have in your fantasy lineup(s), though the track Too Tough to Tame is a tricky one to get around.
Here's a couple things to look out for: Hendrick Motorsports won 11 of the 26 regular season races, but weren't untouchable on 750 horsepower tracks (six of those in the playoffs). Nearly 600 feet of Turn 2 at Darlington has been repaved, giving the center lane more of a grip strip. Teams aren't sure what to expect, though know speeds will be slightly up.
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Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles, rankings and and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. Just a reminder, qualifying isn't until Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET, just four hours before the scheduled green flag.
Kyle Larson
(DraftKings $11,500 | FanDuel $14,000 | DK SportsBook +300)
Remember how I just said Hendrick has been beatable on 750 tracks? Well, I'd still put Kyle Larson into your fantasy lineup. However, the No. 5 car comes at a hefty price, particularly on FanDuel at $14,000.
But over the course of his Cup career -- even while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing -- Darlington has been a track Larson gets out front and gaps the field. He hasn't, however, visited victory lane yet.
Larson has led at least 44 laps in the last four Southern 500s he's competed in. Two of those were big nights: Leading 124 circuits in 2017 and 284 in 2018. Surprisingly, the No. 5 car didn't lead a single lap at Darlington in May, though finished a solid second.
Entering this 10-race stretch to the championship, Larson comes in as the championship favorite. Rightfully so after winning five races in the regular season. I feel like I'll be telling you a lot about the No. 5 car a lot over the next 10 weeks. Buckle up!
Martin Truex Jr.
(DraftKings $11,000 | FanDuel $13,500 | DK SportsBook +500)
In May, nobody could touch Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 19 hot rod. At times, he had a near 10-second lead -- a straight up rocket ship. Truex ended the race in victory lane, leading 248 of 293 laps en route to his third win of the season (all in the first 12 races of the year).
Back then, everyone thought Truex was the championship favorite, having won three races in the opening three months of the season. My, how times have changed.
Since winning at Darlington, Truex has just three top-five finishes, though just one of those came on an oval (third at Atlanta in July). The No. 19 team has led a grand total of 86 laps in that time span, just 16 coming on a traditional oval (Dover the following week).
But this where I think Truex gets back on track. The No. 19 team starts 10th on Sunday and has led 444 of the last 660 laps at Darlington. The No. 19 team was also in position to win last year's Southern 500 until contact with Chase Elliott put Truex into the wall.
William Byron
(DraftKings $10,700 | FanDuel $11,000 | DK SportsBook +1200)
Like Truex, William Byron has cooled off to end the regular season. But, the No. 24 Chevrolet still finished runner-up two weeks ago at Michigan.
No matter what happens during the playoffs, 2021 has been Byron's breakout season. Yes, he has just one victory, but his nine top-five finishes matches his total from his first three seasons combined.
At Darlington, Byron isn't too shabby, either. The No. 24 team has consecutive top-five finishes at the South Carolina track and won the pole for the 2019 Southern 500. Byron starts from 14th on Sunday, third worst of the playoff drivers.
Denny Hamlin
(DraftKings $9,500 | FanDuel $12,500 | DK SportsBook +700)
Over the years, Darlington has been Denny Hamlin's playground. In 18 Cup starts at the track, the Virginia native has 10 top-five finishes with four additional top 10s. He's brought the No. 11 Toyota to victory lane three times at the track, including two of the past seven races.
Hamlin has been consistent all season long, despite having no victories entering the playoffs. The No. 11 car is seeded seventh for the postseason and Darlington is likely his best shot to win in the opening round (though he has multiple victories at both Richmond and Bristol).
The No. 11 car will roll off the starting grid from second position, meaning Hamlin could potentially lead laps early and help your lineup. He's led laps in 66.6% of his starts at Darlington.
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Ryan Blaney
(DraftKings $8,500 | FanDuel $9,800| DK SportsBook +2000)
Entering the playoffs, no driver is hotter than Ryan Blaney. For the first time in his Cup career, the North Carolina native has consecutive victories and seeded No. 2. Those are 10 big playoff points the No. 12 team put on the board in the last 14 days.
Surely, 2021 is Blaney's best shot at making his first Championship 4 appearance. At the same time, those two victories at Michigan and Daytona have come via getting a big push on a late-race restart. Still, the No. 12 team captured the checkered flag.
When it comes to Darlington, Blaney hasn't put the best statistics together. In fact, he's coming off his first top-10 finish at the track (nine starts) in May, placing eighth. But momentum means a lot in auto racing and the No. 12 team has that and a whole lot of confidence.
Chris Buescher
(DraftKings $7,800 | FanDuel $7,500 | DK SportsBook +10000)
Man, what a whirlwind of emotions the last few laps of the regular season finale was for Buescher. The No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford went from controlling the last restart of the race, choosing the top lane, didn't get a big shove from Austin Dillon, only to come back and finish second. That was until his car failed post-race inspection, moving him to last.
But that was the past. When I think of Darlington, drivers like Buescher come to mind -- someone that gets up on the wheel and races hard. His ninth-place run in May was his first top-10 at the track, though he had four top-20 finishes competing for Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty Racing.
While playoff drivers will dominate the headlines this weekend, typically one or two non-playoff drivers can contend for a top 10. Buescher could be that guy this weekend. Need another reason to pick the No. 17 for your lineup? He starts 34th, meaning there's pretty much just one way to go.
Matt DiBenedetto
(DraftKings $7,700 | FanDuel $7,800 | DK SportsBook +7000)
In a season that DiBenedetto needed to impress, the No. 21 team missed the postseason. That's unfortunate for a popular driver that doesn't know their immediate future following the conclusion of the 2021 season.
Added to that frustration is DiBenedetto was making a move for the lead last Saturday evening when Chase Elliott blocked the No. 21 car into the wall. That could certainly lead to a clash of fan bases.
At Darlington, DiBenedetto will take the green flag from a distant 30th position. He's finished worse than 30th just one time in nine Darlington starts -- includes two top-10 finishes. Still, the California native has a lot to prove over the final 10 weeks of the season to be guaranteed a spot for 2022.
Erik Jones
(DraftKings $6,100 | FanDuel $5,800 | DK SportsBook +15000)
Since joining the Cup Series full time in 2017, not many drivers have been better at the Track Too Tough to Tame than Erik Jones. But that was while driving for Toyota, four times finishing inside the top five in six starts.
But Jones didn't do too bad in May, his first Darlington start for Richard Petty Motorsports, finishing 18th. The No. 43 car was a top-20 threat for the majority of the event, picking up one of his best finishes on a traditional oval in 2021.
The 2019 Southern 500 winner is well worth his price on DraftKings and FanDuel. The No. 43 Chevrolet is certainly a driver to look at for rounding out your lineup.
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