NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Food City 500

Stock car racing’s premiere series lowers the tailgates in Tennessee for 500 laps of short-track racing at Bristol. Make the most of the 2024 Food City 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 and Fantrax)

NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Food City 500

Driver As | The Elites

Although I’m OK with passing on the top-six highest-salaried drivers on DraftKings this week, Denny Hamlin is the one to pay up for. The 43-year-old is tied for No. 3 in the Bristol Next Gen total speed rankings (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com), resulting in a win and a P9 finish. He should again unload fast and compete for the win. Christopher Bell is coming off a win last week and returns to Bristol, where he’s had the top total speed ranking the past two years, finishing third and fourth, respectively, in those races.

At only $9,800 on DraftKings and $21.65 on Fantrax, Chris Buescher is my favorite anchor driver for NASCAR DFS lineups this week. Buescher is tied with Hamlin for the third-best Bristol Next Gen total speed ranking and has an equally impressive top-four total speed ranking at comp track Dover. The No. 17 car has finished fourth and first at Bristol in the Next Gen era and T10 in four of the last five on the concrete.

Making his A-Tier debut, Ty Gibbs currently leads the Cup Series in average finish (8.8) and is one of three drivers with three T10s this season. After finishing fifth at Bristol last year and leading 102 laps, Gibbs is a smash play this week at just $8,000 on DraftKings and $19.50 on Fanrax.

Driver Bs | Point-Getters

The industry-wide opinion is that Martin Truex Jr. isn’t good at Bristol. While his recent finishes here of 19th and 36th would support that statement, he’s still had speed. Truex Jr. is tied for 10th in the Bristol Next Gen total speed rankings and second in the rankings for Dover. With everyone scared off, the No. 19 car could be a sneaky leverage play for the Food City 500.

Chase Elliott finally showed speed unloading last week, qualifying third. He now returns to Bristol, where he’s finished seventh and second in his last two starts, good for 10th in the Next Gen total speed rankings. At just $8,300 on DraftKings and $19.27 on Fantrax, I’ll be locking in NASCAR’s most popular driver to my NASCAR DFS lineups.

If you’re looking for another Ford who could give Ryan Blaney and the Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing boys a run for the top of the manufacturer this weekend, look no further than Michael McDowell. The Front Row Motorsports driver has recent finishes of P6 and P11 at Bristol and sits fourth in the Next Gen total speed rankings. He might be somewhat chalky, especially at DraftKings, where he’s only $6,800, but he’s well worth the heavy rostership for the price.

Driver Cs | In the Mix

Joey Logano is averaging 8.9 NASCAR DFS points per race this season and now unloads in Bristol, where he’s finished P34 and P27 in his last two races. He’s an easy pass, specifically on DraftKings, for $9,500.

Instead, can I interest you in Noah Gragson or Carson Hocevar? While Gragson has never raced on the concrete at Bristol in the Cup Series, he’s 11th this season in average finish (15.8). Plus, he won the race the last time he was here in an Xfinity car in 2022. Now a Cup Series rookie, Hocevar finished P11 last year while filling in for Gragson in the No. 42 car. Though he hasn’t always gotten the finishes he deserves, the Hocevar has shown speed and wheeled the No. 77 car to back-to-back P15 finishes.

Driver Ds | Could Do Worse

Kyle Busch admittedly loves Bristol, having won here eight times, compared to the rest of the active drivers who have 10 total. However, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) seemed to have missed the setup here in the fall, finishing 20th. In addition, “Rowdy” has been a non-factor for the past two weeks at Las Vegas and Phoenix, fishing P226 and P22, respectively. At the crazy-high price of $10,200 on DraftKings and $21.50 on Fantrax, you have no choice but to fade the No. 8 car in all NASCAR DFS formats this week.

Josh Berry has started on the front row in his last two Xfinity Series starts at Bristol and cut his knuckles on short tracks while coming through the ranks. He’s worth a flier at $6,500 on DraftKings and an affordable $5.62 on Fantrax.

Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer

I prefer not to pay up for drivers over $10,000 on DraftKings this week so I can avoid the F-Tier entirely. However, if I’m playing anyone from this tier, it’s likely A.J. Allmendinger, who returns to the No. 16 car at Bristol, where he finished P7 in 2022.

John-Hunter Nemechek and Legacy Motor Club as a whole seem to have some speed this season, with “JHN” finishing no worse than P25 so far. I also don’t mind Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland, who has back-to-back T20 finishes on the concrete and could gain some ground by sharing a garage with McDowell.

Check out all of our content for the 2024 Food City 500:

• NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Food City 500
• Between Bets: 2024 Food City 500 Outrights
• PropKings: 2024 Food City 500

Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2024 Food City 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 sports and sports betting content, you can find me on Twitter @Between_SethFF.

*Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports*