The Cup Series will have a home race this weekend as they compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This 400-lap, 600-mile race is a true test on the driver, crew chief and the pit crews. All aspects of the team must be firing on all cylinders in order to win this marathon race. Get a comfy spot on your couch, because it will take over 5 hours to reach the checkered flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 can be seen Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Prime.
STRATEGY FOR CHARLOTTE
This race is the toughest on the schedule and it is the most important for the Fantasy Live game. There are four Stages, instead of three, so that means there are more Stage Points up for grabs than there is in the normal races. This is not the race to save your allocations with your top drivers. If you think a driver can consistently run in the top-10 Sunday, you need to use him in your lineup. You can gain a lot of positions on your completion if you nail the picks for the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday.
Here are the picks for the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway…
DENNY HAMLIN (5): The No. 11 car has been the best on the intermediate tracks this year. He won the race in Las Vegas, finished 4th in Kansas and 2nd at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin starts 11th and he has 400 laps to get to the front. I expect the No. 11 car to be the fastest in the field. The Coca-Cola 600 should be a great race for Hamlin to get another win in 2026.
CHRISTOPHER BELL (6): Could the Coca-Cola 600 be the race where Bell gets his first win 2026? This 600 mile race will have at least 14 pit stops and the No. 20 team has dominated the field in the pits. Bell has been fast but he has had some bad luck on the 1.5-mile, intermediate tracks this year. The No. 20 car looks fast again this weekend. Bell won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2024 and he finished 8th last year. Bell should be a threat to win again Sunday.
CHASE BRISCOE (10): Briscoe ended the season last year on a hot streak, started out the 2026 season in a slump and now he is starting to heat up again. Briscoe finished 8th in Las Vegas and 3rd at Kansas earlier this year. He also finished 3rd in his first Coca-Cola 600 in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota last year. Briscoe has the speed and the track position to score well for your Fantasy Live lineup Sunday.
TY GIBBS (8): Gibbs is having his best season in the Cup Series. He already won at Bristol and he finished 5th in Las Vegas and 9th at Kansas. Gibbs has been hit or miss in the Coca-Cola 600, but based on how his season is going this year, I expect another top-10 from the No. 54 team Sunday. The Toyota’s have had a lot of speed on the intermediate tracks, so Gibbs gets the spot in my Fantasy Live lineup.
TYLER REDDICK (5): Reddick has been red hot in the first half of the season, so I want to play him before he cools down (if he cools down). Reddick won the race at Kansas Speedway and he finished 4th at Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick has also been good in the Coca-Cola 600. He finished 3 of his last 4 intermediate track races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the top-6. Reddick should score a lot of points from your Fantasy Live lineup from the pole Sunday.
(GARAGE PICK) CHASE ELLIOTT (8): The Coca-Cola 600 is the perfect race for Elliott. He has been one of the best drivers on the 1.5-mile, intermediate tracks this year. Elliott won the race in Texas, finished 2nd in Las Vegas and 8th at Kansas Speedway. He also finished 6th and 7th in his last two intermediate track races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Elliott is good at staying out of trouble for 600 miles, so he should be a good insurance policy to have in the Garage Sunday.
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.