Stock car racing’s premiere series parks in Talladega, the biggest track on the circuit, this weekend. Make the most of the 2024 GEICO 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 GEICO 500
Driver As | The Elites
Ryan Blaney is the current king of Talladega, securing his third-career victory at the track in the fall. With finishes here in the Next-Gen era of P1, P2, P2 and P11, Blaney is the clear 1.01 this week, even at $11,000 on DraftKings and $23.72 on Fantrax. Brad Keselowski leads all current drivers with six Talladega wins and had three T5s in 50% of superspeedway races last year. Just be advised that he’s been more gone-for-broke this year on drafting tracks, crashing out at Both Daytona and Talladega.
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has started on the pole in seven of the last eight races. That gives Denny Hamlin an instant edge for some stage No. 1 points in NASCAR DFS leagues that count them. However, a good qualifying effort could limit both his and Joey Logano’s upside. Still, they’re as good of a bet as anyone to become a dominator of this race.
Also, don’t rule out the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets of William Byron and Chase Elliott. The No. 9 car has finished in the top seven in three of the last four races at Talladega, including a win in the fall of 2022. Meanwhile, Bryon just always seems to be around when it matters most, as shown by his Daytona 500 victory and three total wins this season.
Driver Bs | Point-Getters
Kyle Busch is the defending winner of this race, and Bubba Wallace has a win of his own at Talladega. These are two cars I also don’t expect to qualify extremely well, so they could offer differential points for NASCAR DFS lineups.
Martin Truex Jr. is just $8,200 on DraftKings. While the New Jersey native has never won at a superspeedway, that price is too low for the driver who averages the most DraftKings points scored per race (50.3). Chase Briscoe finished fourth in this race last year and is No. 2 in the Talladega Next-Gen total speed rankings (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com). With two straight T10s coming in and a price of just $6,900 on DraftKings and $17.92 on Fantrax, he’ll be in most of my lineups for the third straight week.
Driver Cs | In the Mix
I’m all-in on Todd Gilliland this week. He led 16 laps at Daytona and followed it up with 59 laps led at Atlanta. His Talladega Cup Series finishes are P12, P10, P7 and P27. He’s undervalued and will likely be under-rostered in NASCAR DFS lineups once again.
Both Trackhouse Racing drivers, Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain, will be fast; it’s just a matter of getting the finish they deserve. The same can be said for Gilliland’s Front Row Motorsports teammate, Michael McDowell, who has been one of the fastest cars at both superspeedways races this season.
Driver Ds | Could Do Worse
Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) is driving the Kaulig Racing No. 16 Chevy that A.J. Allmendinger wheeled to a T10 in the Daytona 500. SVG scored a third-place finish in the Xfinity Series at Atlanta. Nobody will be expecting the Chicago Street Race winner to pop here in the Cup Series. He’s great low-cost leverage for NASCAR DFS lineups, at just $5,500 on DraftKings and the $5 minimum on Fantrax.
Daniel Hemric was an optimal play last week and scored 49 and 35 DraftKings points at Daytona and Talladega, respectively. He’ll likely start near the rear and move his way through the pack throughout the day, offering differential points. Noah Gragson scored 69 DraftKings points at Daytona and is priced just $500 more for Talladega than he was for the 500. Color me intrigued.
Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer
Zane Smith‘s best finish by far this season was P13 at Daytona. If there’s is a time to play the Cup Series rookie, it’s here in the GEICO 500 for just $5,700 on DraftKings and $5.28 on Fantrax. Austin Dillon proved to be good leverage when I recommended him last week, scoring 43 DraftKings points, his most by far this season. He finished second in this race two years ago and can be played once again.
Check out all of our content for the 2024 GEICO 500:
- PropKings: 2024 GEICO 500
- Between Bets: 2024 GEICO 500 Outrights
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 GEICO 500
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2024 GEICO 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*