NASCAR Fantasy Rankings: Top DraftKings Picks for the 202...
Pearce Dietr·2026-04-30·via DraftKings Network
Pearce Dietrich gives his picks and ranks his top drivers for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Published Apr 30, 2026 10:39 AM EDT
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - APRIL 26: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2026 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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Texas eats fast cars for breakfast. Twelve cautions flew last spring, and five of the top ten finishers started 25th or worse. The board needs survivors more than speed merchants.
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Tyler Reddick ($10,700) — Something special is happening. Reddick has five wins in 2026. He’s won in every package — superspeedway, road course, new shorttrack and intermediate. Reddick has 144 laps led at Texas in the Gen 7 era and a 2022 win.
Kyle Larson ($10,500) — Last spring’s dominant car led 90 laps and posted 21 fastest laps before a loose moment on a restart cost the win. Larson hasn’t won in over a year, but there is speed in the No. 5 Hendrick Chevy. He finished seventh at Las Vegas and second at Kansas this year.
Denny Hamlin ($11,000) — A Vegas victory and a fourth at Kansas make the No. 11 the hottest car in the intermediate track package. Hamlin’s Texas track record runs cold, but current form trumps history.
William Byron ($9,700) — The best Gen 7 Texas record in the field belongs to the No. 24 — a 6.0 average finish, three top-tens, and a 2023 win. If Byron can avoid the typical late-race carnage in the Lonestar State, then he could be the man that puts Chevy back on top.
Christopher Bell ($10,000) — A fourth at Vegas with the top average running position in the field shows the speed is there. JGR’s No. 1-ranked pit crew gives Bell the cushion this track demands. The only concern is that Bell has struggled at Texas.
Chase Briscoe ($9,000) — Briscoe ran top-ten at Kansas and Las Vegas. JGR equipment travels well to mile-and-a-halfs, and the No. 19 pit crew ranks tenth in the garage. Briscoe doesn’t have to be better than the rest of the Toyotas. He just needs to survive the late-race restart madness.
Joey Logano ($9,200) — Last year’s winner started 27th and took the checkered flag without leading until lap 264. Logano owns an 8.8 Gen 7 Texas average and survived chaos when six rivals wrecked. He’s not the fastest at Texas, but he’s the best at surviving and finishing up front.
Chase Elliott ($9,500) — Wins at Texas in 2024 and Martinsville this April speak to the closing-laps execution this race demands. Elliott finished second at Las Vegas in February. Speed matters, but so does late-race execution.
Brad Keselowski ($8,000) — RFK has speed it has not shown in years. Keselowski led 54 laps at Darlington for a runner-up, and an 11.2 Gen 7 Texas average backs the form. He qualified poorly at Las Vegas and Kansas, but had no problem making his way into the top 10.
Bubba Wallace ($8,300) — The Chevys are figuring out their new body. In the meantime, it’s Toyota’s world. His fifth at Kansas and ninth at Las Vegas point to a No. 23 that runs the package well. Wallace has 116 Texas laps led in the Gen 7 era.
Chris Buescher ($8,100) — The No. 17 RFK Ford finished tenth at Kansas and sixth at Las Vegas. That’s typical blue collar Buescher. He posts the kind of quiet top-ten ceiling that survives 12 cautions without ever making the broadcast.
Ty Gibbs ($8,700) — Has Gibbs made it? Are the Toyotas unfairly fast? It doesn’t matter. The results speak for themselves. Excluding Talladega, Gibbs has a top-10 finish in six straight. That includes a win at Bristol and four top 5s.
Ross Chastain ($7,800) — The Watermelon Man has two runner-up finishes at Texas in the Gen 7 era, including a charge from 31st last spring. Texas is all about late-race restarts. No one is more aggressive.
Carson Hocevar ($8,500) — Well, one driver might be more aggressive than Ross Chastain. It’s Chastain’s apprentice — Carson Hocevar. The kid won the pole and led 22 laps at Texas a year ago. He went on to wreck out. It was his fault. That’s what he does. When he doesn’t wreck, he’s a legit top-5 driver.
Ryan Preece ($7,600) — Preece finished eighth at Bristol and 11th at both intermediates this year. The No. 60 runs RFK equipment with the 10th-ranked pit crew. He’s a top-10 driver unless he gets wrecked. Hocevar wrecked him at Texas last season.
Pearce Dietrich has been covering daily fantasy sports since 2013. His work has been featured on DK Network, NASCAR.com, MLB.com and many other sports media websites. He also makes frequent video appearances on DKTV and hosts a daily fantasy NASCAR podcast.
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