The NASCAR Cup Series will travel to Darlington Raceway this weekend and we may be in for quite the race. Darlington always puts on a good show, but this year NASCAR is bringing a new 750-Hoursepower Package to the track. The diffuser under the car will also be removed. This is a game changer according to many of the drivers and the crew chiefs. Tire falloff is going to be high and the cars are going to be sliding around the track. The racing is always better when the cars are tough to control. This race is going to be good; I just hope it doesn’t get out of control Sunday.
Here are my updated picks for your season long Fantasy NASCAR games…
DRIVER GROUP GAME PICKS FOR DARLINGTON
GROUP A DRIVERS
DENNY HAMLIN (9): The tires could have a 4 second falloff over a fuel run. Hamlin is the best in the field at managing his tires over a long run. He has also been to Victory Lane in almost every type of car at Darlington. Hamlin should be the safest pick in the field Sunday.
KYLE LARSON (9): 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. Using Hamlin and Larson gives me one safe (Hamlin) and one driver with a lot of upside (Larson) for my lineup.
GROUP B DRIVERS
TYLER REDDICK (8): Reddick is a must start in Group B. He has the momentum and the slick track plays right into his hands Sunday. I expect Reddick to be the first driver up against the wall and he should be fast enough to win the race Sunday.
BUBBA WALLACE (7): 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.
CHRIS BUESCHER (9): Buescher is one of the smoothest drivers in the Cup Series. He will manage the tire fall-off better than most of the drivers in the field. He may not qualify well or have a great chance to win, but Buescher should finish in the top-10 Sunday.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (8): The stats say I should play Erik Jones based on his track history, but I will use Brad Keselowski based on his veteran experience. Keselowski is just like Denny Hamlin. He has been there, done that. He should figure out this new 750 HP Package pretty quick. He may not qualify well, but Keselowski has the skills to win the race Sunday.
GROUP C DRIVERS
AJ ALLMENDINGER (9): I want another veteran driver in Group C so I will use Allmendinger. He knows how to manage his tires over the long run and Allmendinger has been pretty good at Darlington. He finished 5th and 13th in his last two spring races at Darlington. Allmendinger should finish in the top-15 again Sunday.
ZANE SMITH (9): I thought about using Carson Hocevar, but I think he will burn out his tires quickly in this race. I will pivot to Smith. He is a smooth driver who knows how to manage tire wear through a long run. Smith finished 12th and 13th in his two races at Darlington last year. Smith should have a similar race Sunday.
* Be sure to check back Saturday night for my starting lineup.
SPEEDWAY COLLECTIVE PICKS
GROUP A DRIVERS
I will play the same two drivers in the Speedway Collective game that I am playing in the Driver Group Game. I really think veteran experience is going to pay off this weekend, so Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson should be the two best picks.
GROUP B DRIVERS
Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher are the plays in Group B. Wallace is on a hot streak and Darlington is one of his best tracks. Buescher can manage his tires and finish in the top-10.
GROUP C DRIVERS
Erik Jones is almost a lock in Group C based on his track history at Darlington. He has two Southern 500 wins on his resume and one of them came behind the wheel of a Petty Motorsports car. He should be the best pick in Group C this week… I really thought about playing Kyle Busch based on his veteran experience, but I do not trust the No. 8 team at all. I will pivot to Ryan Preece. His modified background should allow him to control throttle management and maintain his tires during the race. He also has Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher to lean on for advice after practice. Preece should be a sneaky good pick Sunday at Darlington.
GROUP D DRIVERS
Group D is tough. It is like digging through the trash and looking for diamond. These picks come down to who I trust the most. Zane Smith is a smooth driver who should maintain tire-wear well in the race Sunday. John H. Nemechek is a smart driver. He will not over-drive his car and burn off the tires. These two drivers should score well in Group D Sunday.
* Be sure to check back Saturday night for my starting lineup.
FANTRAX PICKS
* Each league in Fantrax is different. Some leagues have bench drivers and award qualifying points and others do not. The two leagues that I am playing in do not have bench drivers. Also, most leagues (including mine), do not require your lineup to be set until minutes before the race starts. My picks will change after practice and qualifying for most races. If you need bench drivers, you can use my picks from the Driver Group Game.
* Be sure to check back Saturday night for my starting lineup.
Good Luck Sunday!
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