Stock car racing’s premiere series makes its way to the regular season finale in Darlington., S.C. Make the most of the CookOut Southern 500 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)
2024 Cookout Southern 500: NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings
Driver As | The Eites
This tier has the top elite drivers in Tyler Reddick ($10,500), William Byron ($10,200) and Kyle Larson ($10,700). They are three of the four most expensive drivers on the slate, and for good measure, as they are the top three drivers in the Darlington Next-Gen total speed rankings, courtesy of Ifantasyrace.com. All three have scored over 40 fantasy points in at least one race, and Byron seems to be the most consistent of the three. Larson and Reddick have pushed the boundaries too much and broken their cars here and there. When having an undamaged vehicle, both are the top two drivers who can ride the wall effortlessly.
Brad Keselowski ($9,800) is the A-Tier of our NASCAR DFS ranking’s fourth driver and best sleeper dominator. The 40-year-old has put together three straight T10s at Darlington based on pure pace and is coming in as the spring winner. Chase Elliott ($9,000) is the cheapest option. He seems to score a lot of fantasy points off of poor qualifying efforts and manage the long distance to get a top 15 or better in four out of the five Next-Gen Darlington races.
Driver Bs | Point-Getters
The most punished driver over the last three weeks leads the B-Tier. Denny Hamlin ($11,000) has had a very mixed bag at Darlington. Hamlin does not usually find top-five speed in the spring Darlington race, but he is on another level in the summer. The main reason I have the Virginia native here is his current cold streak and the potential he does not pay off his NASCAR DFS price tag.
Chris Buescher ($8,500), Ty Gibbs ($8,300) and Bubba Wallace ($7,700) are my favorite top drivers at a discount. All three are priced between $8,500 and $7,500. This trio has shown speed in the Next-Gen races at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” as each driver has at least demonstrated top-10 speed in the most recent races in 2023 and the spring of 2024. Wallace’s price seems the most confusing each week. He has scored over 40 points in four of the last five oval races and is still priced around drivers like Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman. His total speed ranking was in the top 10 in each race during that span, even before he crashed in Michigan.
Driver Cs | In the Mix
Ryan Blaney ($8,800) and Ross Chastain ($8,000) are the drivers who aren’t too overpriced and could have a big day. Both have had issues, whether wrecking or smacking the wall, but have shown top-10 speed in multiple races at the “Lady in Black.” These picks come down to how much risk you want in your lineup, but the rewards could be plentiful.
Josh Berry ($7,100), Erik Jones ($7,400) and Alex Bowman ($7,500) are in the bottom half of the $7K range, which could pay off whether they qualify badly and become a place differential or show competitive speed enough to run inside the top 10 and tack on some fast laps. All three have exceptional crew chiefs who can continue tuning on their car throughout the night and manage a race well.
Driver Ds | Could Do Worse
Many veterans highlight Tier-D of our NASCAR DFS rankings. Typically, they have run well at Darlington since this track is suited for the experienced rather than the inexperienced. However, as they swapped to the Next-Gen car, some of these veterans lost the ability to race well at this track. These four veterans also seem the most overpriced compared to other tier drivers, and I would go to them instead of these drivers. If two of them could work, Martin Truex Jr. ($9,500) and Kyle Busch ($8,000) are my picks. “Rowdy” needs to win, and this is his final chance to do so. Outside of the spring race, Busch has had top-15 speed at Darlington, and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has looked to have brought some speed in recent weeks since the break.
After Josh Berry’s spectacular but heartbreaking flip last week, Stewart-Hass Racing (SHR) is not done fighting yet. SHR is looking to bring four competitive cars to Darlington. Chase Briscoe ($7,200) and Noah Gragson ($7,000) highlight the end of the $7K range. Gragson is also running in the Xfinity Series race to give him more preparation to run at Darlington. Both he and Briscoe have won in the Xfinity Series at Darlington. Both showed top-20 speed in the spring and if they could run a clean race, they could move up through Darlington’s attrition and take advantage of their fast pit crews to gain positions.
Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer
Corey Lajoie ($5,800) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,200) are the two main drivers who could use their 10-plus years of experience and likely poor qualifying to fit into your lineup as your pay-down options. Stenhouse Jr. could show some unexpected speed this weekend. He has had a top-20 car in three out of the five Darlington Next-Gen races. For Lajoie, outside of the 2022 spring race, his lowest score has been 22 NASCAR DFS points, but he averages 28-29 per race, which is good for a driver priced under $6K.
Ryan Preece ($5,600) is probably my favorite cheap driver. He is in an SHR car and should be able to run better than where he qualifies. Preece has been one the slowest drivers on this team, but he could make his way up the field if they can work some strategy and stay out of trouble.
If you have to go to the bottom of the barrel, both Rick Ware Racing (RWR) cars intrigue me. We have seen how much they have improved this year from last with Justin Haley ($5,700) and even with a part-time driver in the No. 15, Kaz Grala ($5,200).
Check out all of our content for the 2024 Cook Out Southern 500:
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Cookout Southern 500
- Between Bets: 2024 Cook Out Southern 500 Outrights
- PropKings: 2024 Cook Out Southern 500
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the Cook Out Southern 500. 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.
For more fantasy NASCAR content, find me on Twitter @NASINF1Fantasy.
*Photo Credit: Stan Szeto – USA TODAY Sports*
