This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Goodyear 400
Location: Darlington, S.C.
Course: Darlington Raceway
Format: 1.37-mile oval
Laps: 293
NASCAR Goodyear 400 Race Preview
Denny Hamlin dominated a week ago to pick up his sixth Martinsville win and first of 2025. The victory puts him into the playoffs and extended Toyota's run of exceptional form early this season. Next to tackle is a completely different circuit in the form of Darlington Raceway, though. The intermediate oval is one of NASCAR's most historic tracks, and it could be a week where Chevrolet and Ford will feel like they can fight back against the Toyotas. The last Toyota-powered driver to win at Darlington was Denny Hamlin in 2021, prior to the introduction of the current generation of car. Ford swept victories at the track last season with Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe visiting Victory Lane. Chevrolet swept victories the year before that with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron getting the job done. With Keselowski and Briscoe still behind on their starts to the season, either of those recent Darlington winners would love to right the ship with another visit to Victory Lane on Sunday.
Key Stats at Darlington Raceway
- Number of races: 127
- Winners from pole: 21
- Winners from top-5 starters: 76
- Winners from top-10 starters: 106
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 6
- Fastest race: 141.383 mph
Previous 10 Darlington Winners
2024 fall - Chase Briscoe
2024 spring - Brad Keselowski
2023 fall - Kyle Larson
2023 spring - William Byron
2022 fall - Erik Jones
2022 spring - Joey Logano
2021 fall - Denny Hamlin
2021 spring - Martin Truex Jr.
2020 fall - Kevin Harvick
2020 II - Denny Hamlin
Darlington's unique shape and pavement make the track one of the more challenging on the schedule. The track's rough pavement increases tire wear, and the unique banking makes the fastest line around the oblong oval as close to the wall as a driver dares. The track resembles an egg with different radius turns with the steepest banking on the top side of the circuit. Those characteristics make for a more narrow racing line, which means passing is more difficult. Track position throughout the weekend will be a valuable commodity along with fresh tires. As a result, pit strategy can have a big impact. Whether it is sacrificing fresh tires for track position, or sacrificing track position for fresh tires, teams will have to make the right call at the right time to ensure their car can get to, and stay, at the front. A well-timed caution could make the difference between success and failure this Sunday. Regardless of how the yellows fall, teams and drivers must focus on tire preservation and ensuring they switch out old tires for new before losing too much ground to the competition.
RotoWire NASCAR Cup Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Goodyear 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Tyler Reddick - $10,200
Denny Hamlin - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ryan Blaney - $9,700
Christopher Bell - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
Chase Elliott - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Bubba Wallace - $8,500
Alex Bowman - $8,300
Chris Buescher - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Josh Berry - $7,800
Ty Gibbs - $7,400
Ryan Preece - $7,200
Noah Gragson - $7,100
NASCAR Cup Series DFS Picks for the Goodyear 400
Tyler Reddick - $10,200
Chase Elliott - $9,000
Chris Buescher - $8,100
Josh Berry - $7,800
Ty Gibbs - $7,400
Ryan Preece - $7,200
After leading a combined 265 laps at Darlington in the last three races, Tyler Reddick (DK $10,200, FD $13,500) should be considered a threat to win this week. Were it not for a few mistakes in past races, he might already have that elusive Darlington win, too. Reddick is a driver that thrives racing the high line against the wall at this track, and his comfort there gives him an advantage when he has the machinery to support him. This could be the week Reddick joins the growing list of 2025 race winners. Chase Elliott (DK $9,000, FD $10,500) hasn't been as close to a Darlington win as Reddick has, but his consistency toward the front is notable. The former series champion has seven top-10 Darlington finishes from 16 career tries and enters this weekend on a run of four straight finishes of 12th or better at the track. After a relatively quiet start to the season, Elliot impressively ranks third in points, too. His consistency at this track combined with his great start to the season makes him worth a fantasy look this week. Also worth considering is Chris Buescher (DK $8,100, FD $8,000). Like Reddick, Buescher has also been in contention to win at Darlington (even colliding with Reddick while racing each other for the win). Buescher has five top-10 finishes from 15 track starts including three top-10 finishes from the last four.
Josh Berry (DK $7,800, FD $7,800) is another driver off to an impressive start in 2025. He already has a win under his belt and another top-five at Phoenix. Berry has a best finish at Darlington of third and led five laps last fall before crashing out. He is getting the most out of his No. 21 Ford and that could be an advantage as he tackles the rough pavement of this track, where Ford can excel. On the other side of the coin, the start of the season was a slow one for Ty Gibbs (DK $7,400, FD $7,000). That tide may have started to turn, though. His 13th-place finish at Martinsville was his best finish of the season and just his second top-20. At Darlington, he finished 20th or better in five of six tries and has a best finish of second in this race last year. The confidence he gained from Martinsville could give him a boost this week. Another driver entering this week's race with confidence is Ryan Preece (DK $7,200, FD $6,800). The RFK Racing driver is off to the best start of his career with three consecutive top-10 finishes heading into this weekend. He is in the playoff positions in the standings and has typically outperformed his usual expectations at Darlington. His best result at the track is a pair of 12th-place finishes, one of which came just last season.
NASCAR Cup Series Betting Picks for the Goodyear 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 5:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Tyler Reddick +650, Chris Buescher +2500
Top-Five Finish - Chase Elliott +210
Group Winner - Chris Buescher +275, Brad Keselowski +270, Alex Bowman +280, Josh Berry +350
After coming so close to winning this race last season, both Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher will be working for redemption. Both drivers have been consistently quick at Darlington with the current generation of car, and both should be expected to be competitive again this week. Both drivers come with significantly better odds than Kyle Larson, too. Given Larson's up-and-down finishes, either Reddick or Buescher could prove to be better choices. Those choosing between these two drivers may want to consider Ford versus Toyota, too. Toyota, which Reddick pilots, has not won at Darlington in the six races held there since this generation of car debuted.
Another wager worth consideration is Chase Elliott for a top-five finish. Elliott has been remarkably consistent at this track and this season. He has two top-fives from the first seven races and four top-fives from 16 Darlington starts. Those elements combined suggest Elliott is capable of another top-five this week. Odds for him doing so are also significantly more attractive than many other contenders, too.
Just as Buescher should be considered for a potential victory this week, he should also be considered in his group matchup. He compares favorably against all other drivers in this group and offers positive odds, unlike many top contenders in other groupings. Buescher nearly won this race last season and is typically quick on tracks with rough pavement. The combination should give him the edge in this group-winner wager.
