Published Jun 18, 2026 10:07 AM EDT

Audio By Carbonatix

NASCAR invades a Navy base this week. San Diego is a blank slate — no stats, no history, all guesswork. These rankings sort the chaos into a DFS plan.

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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $250K Burnout on the Base [$50K to 1st] (Cup)

Top DraftKings Picks for Anduril 250

1. Shane Van Gisbergen ($13,000) — Lock him in — 100% or zero. There are two scenarios. SVG leads every lap and wins the inaugural race at the Coronado Naval Base (San Diego), or he wrecks. The odds of a wreck are about 25%. SVG is the ultimate DFS game theory pick.
2. Tyler Reddick ($10,200) — Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It’s nothing compared to the sun. Reddick is the best road course driver among the oval-track regulars. Van Gisbergen is the sun.
3. Kyle Larson ($8,900) — Road course wins are hard to come by. Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 and won three road course races that season. He followed with a win in 2022, 2023 and 2024. That’s when the SVG Era hit full swing.
4. William Byron ($9,300) — It’s the video game era. The new generation grew up on iRacing. OEM simulator skills are innate. Byron is the iRacing kid. This week is a blank slate, but the gamers start Saturday with a slight step ahead.
5. Chase Elliott ($9,000) — How deep in the weeds is too deep? San Diego stats do not exist. Road course stats are high supply and will direct ownership. San Diego is unique. It’s part asphalt and part concrete. Could a strong concrete cruiser like Chase Elliott elevate at Coronado?
6. A.J. Allmendinger ($8,500) — The San Diego Naval Base road course is novel. It’s a blank slate. Who will figure it out the fastest? The odds are in favor of the drivers that know the road, and know how to communicate adjustments.
7. Ty Gibbs ($9,700) — The new generation didn’t grow up racing late models at grassroots tracks. They didn’t master 410 winged sprint cars on dirt or grow up as teenage karting phenoms. They didn’t do one. They did them all. Gibbs, unlike his JGR teammates, has been racing road courses for just as long as ovals.
8. Connor Zilisch ($10,000) — An ugly rookie season can become a breakthrough with one win. That’s how precious Cup Series wins are. A 2022 COTA win by Ross Chastain early in the organization’s history put the Nashville team on the map. Zilisch is the next racing wunderkind. He’s won everywhere in everything. Winning at a Naval base would be fitting.
9. Christopher Bell ($9,500) — The No. 20 Toyota is the bell cow for JGR on the road courses. There’s an argument that young Gibbs is the leader, but one thing is for sure — Hamlin is dusted on the road, he knows it and doesn’t care. Bell has the keys, but like the field, a podium is the ceiling.
10. Denny Hamlin ($8,200) — This is the week to fade Hamlin. The wins end in San Diego. Based on Hamlin’s current road run, a top-10 finish is a reach. It might not be. The edge this week is understanding the setup and sight lines. That’s a product of sim seat time. Hamlin is a dedicated daily grinder in the Toyota simulator.
11. Ryan Blaney ($8,300) — The late, great Kyle “Rowdy” Busch predicted that SVG would win at San Diego by nearly a minute. The field agrees. It’s not an exhibition, but the competitors will treat this points-paying race as such. It’s a gimmick, but at least it’s patriotic. Blaney could top 5, but he’ll be happy with a top-15 finish.
12. Bubba Wallace ($6,500) — Like Ron Burgundy’s understanding of San Diego’s Spanish translation, the drivers and teams have no idea what to expect from a Cup Series race at a naval base. Anything can happen. In a YOLO race, consider a YOLO Bro.
13. Todd Gilliland ($5,900) — This race could be chaos or calm. No one knows the strategy. There’s no data — no trends. The key is to pick a driver that gets lucky, but doesn’t make mistakes. Gilly isn’t good, but he runs clean road course races — the Front Row Motorsports driver averages a top-20 finish in his 19 Cup Series road races.
14. Brad Keselowski ($6,600) — This is the classic DFS narrative fantasy NASCAR pick. Keselowski has never been great on road courses, especially technical ones. He’s gotten worse and the stats are clear. Cross him off. BK is cheap and will go low owned. Leverage is meaningless with poor finishes, but maybe, the most patriotic driver runs well at the NAVY base.
15. Kevin Magnussen ($8,000) — DraftKings Fantasy F1 fans aren’t foreign to Kevin Magnussen. The foreigner is another international star dipping his toe in the American sports market. This isn’t Messi dominating with Inter Miami, but most international stars have little trouble transitioning to MLS. K-Mag is barely a year removed from regular Formula 1 competition, and he’s driving a Trackhouse Racing Chevy.

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