Stock car racing’s premier series makes way to the finale of the 2024 season in the desert of Phoenix. Make the most of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship with our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers.
We reveal our “Tire Tiers” and betting cards live every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET 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)
NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Driver As | The Elites
Of the Championship 4 drivers, Tyler Reddick ($10,500) and Ryan Blaney ($11,200) are my favorites to win. Blaney finished second in the same race last year and is No 1 in the Phoenix Next-Gen total speed rankings, courtesy of ifantasyrace.com. Reddick was a top Toyota in the spring, leading 68 laps and having 26 fastest laps. He finished first and second in the two stages and was first in the total speed rankings on the day. Other drivers that I see as elite are the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) duo of Denny Hamlin ($9,800) and Christopher Bell ($10,300). Both are cheaper than the Championship 4 drivers and were fourth and third in the spring total speed rankings, respectively. Bell went on to win the race, while Denny finished 11th after a late spin.
Driver Bs | Point-Getters
Of the other two Final Four drivers, William Byron ($11,000) could be a sneaky pick at Phoenix. He is second in the Phoenix Next-Gen total speed rankings and has a terrible average finish. Byron has the best qualifying position of the playoff drivers, so if the track position is critical at Phoenix, he could have an advantage. Joey Logano (10,800) won the finale and the championship in 2022, but his finishes and speed have fallen off since.
Martin Truex Jr. ($9,000) will compete in the final race of his full-time career at Phoenix, and he is running a throwback to his first win. Truex Jr. finished P7 in the spring and P6 at Pheonix last fall. He could play spoiler in this final race and get his last win as a full-time driver.
Also, we can’t come to Phoenix without mentioning Ross Chastain ($9,300). The Phoenix finale winner of 2023 comes into this weekend third in the Phoenix Next-Gen total speed rankings and owns the sixth-most laps led in that span.
Driver Cs | In the Mix
Kyle Larson ($10,000) and Ty Gibbs ($8,700) seem like two drivers who are overpriced, given their Phoenix performance. Larson is tied for third in the Phoenix Next-Gen total speed rankings, and Gibbs is 14th. Larson’s last performance in the spring was terrible, as he only gained three positions and scored 32 NASCAR DFS points. Gibbs’s performance was the opposite, with a third-place finish and having 18 fastest laps and 57 laps led. My concern with Gibbs is that he has not been as fast as he was to start the season and will get beaten by those cheaper than he is.
Daniel Suarez ($7,200), Bubba Wallace ($7,800) and Alex Bowman ($7,700) are priced in this weird $7,000 range with the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) cars. The three haven’t had the best performances at Phoenix, but given how good their equipment is, they could surprise people.
Driver Ds | Could Do Worse
SHR hopes to go out with a bang before closing its doors after this weekend. Ryan Preece ($6,900), Noah Gragson ($6,800) and Chase Briscoe ($8,400) showed decent speed in the short-track package last week at Martinsville. Briscoe and Gragson finished in the top 15 in the spring, while Preece gained five spots. SHR should bring some fast cars to recall how great they once were and bring a close to their organization as they rebrand to a one-car HASS Factory Team.
Both Todd Gilliland ($6,300) and Michael Mcdowell ($6,400) gained spots in the spring to finish in the top 20, with Mcdowell finishing P8. Front Row Motorsports (FRM) has an alliance with Team Penske, and Penske is the top Ford team here in Phoenix, so who is to say Front Row won’t show up again?
Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer
Kyle Busch ($8,000), Justin Haley ($5,700) and Erik Jones ($6,100) are all looking for one more good finish on Sunday to build momentum into 2025. All three drivers have taken a step back since last season. They will all be at their respective teams again in 2025 and are looking to rebuild to be competitive drivers again in the Cup Series.
Jimmie Johnston ($5,400), Harrison Burton ($5,200) and Kaz Grala ($5,000) are the cheapest I would go on this NASCAR DFS slate. All three could gain spots if they keep their car clean and should qualify further in the pack. They can, at most, score 20 or 30 points and, at worst, score 10-15 in a race of any oval aside from a superspeedway.
Check out all of our content for the 2024 NASCAR Championship weekend:
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship
- Between Bets: 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Outrights
- Between Bets: 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Outrights
- Between Bets: 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Outrights
- PropKings: 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. 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: Jim Dedmon – USA TODAY Sports*
