The NASCAR Cup Series will travel to Darlington Raceway Sunday. “The Lady in Black” always puts on a great show because the old, worn-out track eats up tires fast. This year we are going to see Darlington on steroids. NASCAR is bringing a new 750-Horsepower Package to the track and they are removing the diffuser from underneath the car. The extra horsepower is going to eat up the tires even faster than previous years and the removal of the diffuser is going to take away down-force. These cars are going to be sliding around and out of control Sunday. Buckle up, because we are in for a wild ride a “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
STRATEGY FOR DARLINGTON
There is an art to racing at Darlington Raceway. The drivers must be able to search the track for grip and run up against the wall when the grip is gone. I am focusing my picks on the drivers with the best track history at Darlington Raceway and the drivers who have a history of managing their tires well over a long run. The drivers who showed up at the top of the 20-lap average speed chart will be in my lineup Sunday.
Here are the picks for the race at Darlington Raceway…
TYLER REDDICK (8): Reddick is on a hot streak right now and his car is blazing fast. Reddick was the fastest on the 15, 20, 25 and 30 lap speed charts in practice. Then he came out and blew away the competition in qualifying. This race has a history of one driver leading the majority of the laps and going to Victory Lane. That driver should be Reddick Sunday.
BUBBA WALLACE (8): Wallace is on a heater. He has the 2nd-best average finishing position in 2026 (right behind Tyler Reddick) and he has the 3rd-bast average finishing position in the last 6 races at Darlington. I want to use Wallace while he is running hot because there is no guarantee that it will last all year. He should score some Stage Points and finish in the top-10 from the front row Sunday.
DENNY HAMLIN (8): The new horsepower package is going to make this a wild card race. Hamlin has driven almost every type of car to Victory Lane at Darlington, so he should be the first to figure out how to manage his tires over a long run Sunday. Hamlin won this race last year and his car has the speed to go back to Victory Lane this weekend.
CHASE ELLIOTT (9): You will see a picture of Elliott if you look up “Smooth Driver” in the dictionary. Elliott is going to maintain his tires over the long run and slowly work his way to the front of the field (just like he did last week in Las Vegas). Elliott is almost a must start any time he qualifies in the top-five, because it doesn’t happen often.
KYLE LARSON (8): The new 750-HP Package plays right into the hands of Larson. The drivers are going to need to search the track for grip and run the wall when the grip is gone. Larson is the best in the field at this type of racing. Larson should score well for your Fantasy Live lineup Sunday.
(GARAGE PICK) BRAD KESELOWSKI (10): The rule in Fantasy NASCAR is to play Keselowski whenever he starts up front. Well, he qualified in the top-10. Keselowski won this race two years ago. I think he can do it again Sunday. I will have Keselowski in the Garage and hopefully I can use him in my lineup and save an allocation with one of the drivers listed above.
Good luck and be sure to follow me on X (Twitter) @MrFantasyNASCAR. I will send out a Tweet during the race to let you know if I plan to swap out one of my drivers for my Garage pick.