Updated May 28, 2026 8:41 PM EDT

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The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Music City for the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. The concrete surface and high horsepower package put a premium on track-position and short-run speed. Let’s break down the slate and find some value.

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Top DraftKings Picks for the Cracker Barrel 400

1. Denny Hamlin ($11,000) — The story this week is concrete. There are three and a half concrete tracks on the circuit — Nashville, Bristol, Dover and Martinsville. Hamlin led 292 laps at Martinsville and 103 laps at Dover (All-Star Race win). In four Gen-7 races at Nashville, Hamlin is averaging a sixth-place finish and 40 Hog Points (fast-lap and lap-led points).
2. Kyle Larson ($10,500) — This hasn’t been a great year. Neither was his 2025, but Larson won the championship. That trophy is meaningless in DFS. At his price, Yung Money needs to be great. He’s been great at Nashville — a win and five top-10s in five races. He was great at Bristol’s concrete track earlier this season — 105 fantasy points.
3. Ryan Blaney ($10,000) — In the four Gen-7 Nashville races, Ryan Blaney’s median finish (sixth) is tied for the best. He scored 60 Hog Points and won the 2025 race. He won in the 2026 high horsepower package at Phoenix earlier this season.
4. Tyler Reddick ($10,700) — Turns out Reddick isn’t going to win 30 races. Michael Jordan — owner of the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota — might be disappointed this isn’t a 1995-96 Chicago Bulls season (72-10). The field has closed the Toyota speed gap, but Reddick is still Reddick-lously fast.
5. Chase Elliott ($9,500) — Is Elliott elite? His Martinsville win seemed lucky, but his Texas win was not. Elliott never lost speed. He lost sight of the checkered flag. It’s hard to win in this series. This season, he’s turning top 10s into wins. Elliott is a great concrete-track driver. He won at Nashville in 2022.
6. Chase Briscoe ($9,700) — The bookends on his oval-track races aren’t good, but sandwiched in between, Briscoe has been a top-5 driver in seven 2026 races. He’s been his best on concrete — fifth at Bristol and second at Dover.
7. Ty Gibbs ($9,000) — In nine traditional ovals, Gibbs has seven top-10 finishes this season. His first career win came on the steep, concrete banks of Bristol. Nashville isn’t Bristol, but it’s concrete, and the same high horsepower package will be in play.
8. Christopher Bell ($10,200) — After a month of disappointing finishes, Bell bounced back in the Coca-Cola 600 with a runner-up finish. His DFS viability ultimately depends on his starting position. He needs to nail or fail qualifying.
9. William Byron ($9,300) — The Cup Series is as competitive as it has ever been. Anyone can win every week. Tyler Reddick was red hot, but now he’s a stranger to Victory Lane. Byron has skill, and the Hendrick No. 24 Chevy has speed, but so do 20 other drivers.
10. Brad Keselowski ($7,800) — DraftKings needs to consider increasing Keselowski’s salary. He’s not a 9K driver in real life, but he is a 9K fantasy NASCAR pick. He routinely qualifies poorly, but walks away in the end with a top 10. He’s been a very safe cash game play all season.
11. Chris Buescher ($8,000) — Nash-Vegas is an exciting town. The downtown is insane. The streets are packed with party animals. A convoy of trolleys filled with inebriated bridal parties turns laps through town. The laps that are turned at Nashville Superspeedway are less exciting. It’s just another track. Who better to pick than just another driver? That’s blue-collar Buescher.
12. Ross Chastain ($8,100) — Nashville has been a good track for Chastain. He finished fifth in 2022 and won in 2023. This season hasn’t been great for Trackhouse Racing, but it appears that the team based in Nashville has turned things around.
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($5,500) — It’s Stenhouse season. Over the last five races, Stenhouse is averaging a 17th-place finish, with his best result coming last week in the grueling 400-lap Coca-Cola 600 — 12th place. There were two concrete-track races over that stretch. Stenhouse has traditionally been strong at these tracks, and that’s been true this season — 17th at Bristol and 12th at Dover.
14. Erik Jones ($6,700) — The Legacy Toyotas are coming around. Erik Jones has earned a top-15 finish in three consecutive races heading into Music City. Jones might not top the country charts, but he can return value on DraftKings.
15. Shane Van Gisbergen ($6,200) — The SVG salary has not been adjusted. DraftKings must have fallen asleep last Sunday. Motorsports Christmas is a long day. It’s understandable. Had DraftKings taken it easy and not had too many hot dogs and drinks during the Indy 500, they would have seen SVG take a major step forward in his oval racing career at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600.

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