Stockcar racing’s premiere series returns to Richmond, Va., this weekend. Make the most of the 2023 Cook Out 400 with our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers.
We reveal our “Tire Tiers” and betting cards live every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST on our YouTube series, “The Backroad.” Be sure to tune in, enjoy the race and reach out if you have any questions.
(DFS prices are courtesy of DraftKings and Fantrax)
NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2023 Cook Out 400
Driver As | Fast Thoughts
Kevin Harvick is our consensus top driver this week. Richmond has consistently been one of his best tracks, with four career wins and a host of top-10 finishes. Since moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, Harvick won the fall 2022 race and has only finished outside of the top seven in four of those 18 races. He should be considered a lock in NASCAR DFS points.
An angry Kyle Larson will probably be a fast Kyle Larson as if he isn’t fast enough already. The No. 5 was second-fastest in total speed ranking (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com) in his victory here in the spring and has eight career top-10s at Richmond.
Driver Bs | Fast Thoughts
The Hendrick Motorsports duo of Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have run well enough to stay in the playoff hunt despite missing races, but they’re still in big trouble. Elliott’s No. 9 was second in the spring with Josh Berry behind the wheel. Meanwhile, Bowman’s No. 48 was eighth in that race and has won here in the past. Neither team has run spectacularly of late, but the speed is there.
Christopher Bell has historically been dominant at Richmond and is worthy of high NASCAR DFS consideration this week. He’s never finished worse than sixth here in the No. 20 and has a trio of Xfinity Series wins at Richmond, as well.
Driver Cs | Fast Thoughts
Ty Gibbs seems to have correctly placed his head back on his shoulders and is quietly putting together consistently fast runs. His No. 54 was a career-best fifth at Pocono and finished ninth in the spring at Richmond.
And don’t look now, but there are signs of life from Legacy Motor Club and Erik Jones. Each of the last three and four of the last five races for the No. 43 have been top-11 finishes, including a ninth-place run at Pocono. Jones continues to be a fair NASCAR DFS value across platforms, costing $6,300 on DraftKings and $15.85 on Fantrax.
Driver Ds | Fast Thoughts
This was a tougher D-tier than usual for us; we don’t necessarily love any of these drivers, nor are there sneaky good plays here. But we wanted to reward the consistency of Michael McDowell and the short-track expertise of Ryan Preece.
Both McDowell’s No. 34 and Preece’s No. 41 are in the mid-20s in total speed ranking at shorter flat tracks most similar to Richmond. McDowell finished in sixth here in the spring but has been no better than 21st in his nine other races at Richmond with Front Row Motorsports.
Driver F’s | Fast Thoughts
Harrison Burton can occasionally bring strong finishes to the table at a rock-bottom NASCAR DFS price and did so again last week at Pocono, bringing home eighth place. He’s still only $5,500 on DraftKings and $12.93 on Fantrax.
Ryan Newman is back in the Rick Ware Racing No. 51, and while we don’t expect a stellar run from “The Rocketman,” we know he takes care of and gets a hundred percent out of his equipment each time he’s behind the wheel. So he could surprise us.
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2023 High Point 400. Check out more of our racing content and other written work here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.