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
One week after Kansas Speedway produced the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history, the teams and drivers set their sights on one of the most historic tracks on the schedule. Darlington Raceway has hosted 125 races throughout its 73-year history and last week's winner at Kansas, Kyle Larson, won that 125th race last fall. Hendrick Motorsports swept victories at the track last season with teammate William Byron winning in the spring. This week's race is the last points-paying outing before a brief break to another of NASCAR's historic venues for the All-Star Race. Three drivers now claim multiple wins on the season and nine playoff spots remain for those looking to get themselves into Victory Lane for the first time this season. There has been a lot of movement around the 16th and final playoff spot in recent weeks, too. Brad Keselowski currently claims the position with a small four-point advantage over Bubba Wallace, who has fallen down the order. Twenty-one points separate positions 14 through 18, which makes maximizing stage points and finishing position of the utmost importance this week at the track "too tough to tame."
Key Stats at Darlington Raceway
- Number of races: 125
- Winners from pole: 21
- Winners from top-5 starters: 74
- Winners from top-10 starters: 104
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 6
- Fastest race: 141.383 mph
Previous 10 Darlington Winners
2023 spring - 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
2020 I - Kevin Harvick
2019 - Erik Jones
Darlington Raceway has a storied history in NASCAR and it is an intimidating venue for many reasons. Its rough surface punishes tires and drivers have to be brave, pushing their car as close to the outside wall as possible to gain the fastest lap times. The track shaped like an oblong oval with different radius turns at either end. It also has tiered banking versus the more modern progressive banking of tracks like Kansas. Darlington's staggered banking and rough surface combine to offer a narrow racing line for drivers, making passing difficult. Track position is a factor, but winners more recently have been able to start outside of the top 10, too. While drivers and cars will generally prefer the high line in turns 3 and 4, they will be forced to change grooves occasionally as they navigate slower traffic. Significant tire wear means nearly every trip to pit road will be for four new tires. Drivers must manage tire wear throughout fuel runs, and spending too much time on track on old tires can prove costly. Drivers that manage tire wear the best, saving grip for the final miles, will put themselves in the best position to race for the win. Fantasy players should focus on drivers starting inside the top 20 this week, but shouldn't be overly concerned if their choice doesn't qualify inside the top 10.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Goodyear 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,500
Kyle Larson - $11,300
William Byron - $11,000
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,700
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,800
Ross Chastain - $9,600
Kyle Busch - $9,400
Ryan Blaney - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Joey Logano - $8,800
Bubba Wallace - $8,200
Alex Bowman - $8,000
Chris Buescher - $7,800
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Erik Jones - $7,500
Noah Gragson - $7,200
Chase Briscoe - $6,800
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,000
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Goodyear 400
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,700
Chase Elliott - $9,800
Ryan Blaney - $9,000
Erik Jones - $7,500
Noah Gragson - $7,200
Carson Hocevar - $5,800
He didn't grab the headlines last week at Kansas, but Martin Truex Jr. (DK $10,700, FD $12,000) was within a shout of the race victory, too. Kansas was the second time in a row he finished in the top five and Darlington is a place he can also succeed, though. He crashed out of three of the last four races but led 221 combined laps, too. Truex has been on the cusp of victory in 2024, and this could be the week he finds the breakthrough. Chase Elliott (DK $9,800, FD $10,500) brings consistency to the Darlington roster. He finished in the top 10 in 50% of his career starts at the track, including three of the last four. He finished third and eighth in last year's Darlington stops despite starting 21st and 13th. Some of Ryan Blaney's (DK $9,000, FD $9,000) best finishes at this track have come most recently. He has three top-10 finishes from 14 Darlington starts, two of which came last season with ninth-place runs. Blaney's Darlington qualifying has also improved with starts of 11th or better in the last five. Like Truex, Blaney should be expected to win races, and there doesn't appear to be much reason that he couldn't do that this week.
Erik Jones (DK $7,500, FD $7,200) missed the last two races with a back injury sustained in his crash at Talladega. There might not be a better track for him to make his return at, though. Darlington might just be his best venue. He won two of his 12 starts and finished in the top 10 eight of those times including last fall when he finished ninth. Fantasy players shouldn't let his injury deter them from considering Jones this week. Another driver with a great Darlington record is Noah Gragson (DK $7,200, FD $7,000). Gragson didn't finish lower than eighth at the track in any of his Xfinity Series starts and finished first or second in the last three of those. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver enters the weekend on the back of three consecutive top-10 finishes and coming to a track where he has been nothing short of successful. In a similar vein is Carson Hocevar (DK $5,800, FD $5,500). The Spire Motorsports driver bagged three top-fives from four Darlington starts in the CRAFSTMAN Truck Series. He has one top-10 finish so far this season, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he took a second this weekend.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
William Byron - $11,000
Ross Chastain - $9,600
Joey Logano - $8,800
Chris Buescher - $7,800
Chase Briscoe - $6,800
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,000
The seesaw battle of wins between Hamlin and William Byron (DK $11,000, FD $13,00) seems to currently be in Hamlin's favor. However, Chevrolet won the last three races at Darlington. Byron is the defending winner of this week's race, and he finished fourth last fall. Ross Chastain (DK $9,600, FD $11,000) was competitive a week ago, leading 43 laps at Kansas, and he also has been leading laps at Darlington in recent events. Despite just one top finish from the last four Darlington races, Chastain led a total of 120 laps. If he can avoid mistakes on Sunday, perhaps he can turn that time out front into a win. He has not finished in the top 10 since Circuit of the Americas, though. Joey Logano (DK $8,800, FD $8,000) is also in a spot of bother. The former champion slipped out of the playoff positions following a run of three straight finishes outside of the top 15. Logano and company have suffered their fair share of bad luck this season despite showing early speed. Ford has yet to win a race in 2024 and Logano needs to stop his slide. He was quite strong at Darlington in 2022 with two poles and a win but scored a best finish of 12th there last year. Logano may still be worth selecting despite those risks given his 2022 results, though.
Chris Buescher (DK $7,800, FD $8,200) nearly got Ford's first win of the season last week but left Kansas still winless. His best Darlington results came last season, too. He finished third in the fall race and was 10th in the spring. He has been finding more success recently than his teammate and should be a top-10 contender again this week. He might even come with a little more purpose after last week's narrow miss, too. Fantasy players also shouldn't be too worried about where he qualifies. His 10th-place finish last spring came from the 27th starting spot. Chase Briscoe (DK $6,800, FD $6,200) May not come with the same chances of winning as others in this roster, but he has been quietly solidifying his spot in the playoff field with regular top-15 finishes. Last week's 21st-place finish was his worst finish since Las Vegas, but both of those came on 1.5-mile tri-ovals. Darlington is is a completely different type of track, and he has five top-20 finishes there from six tries. Briscoe could be a top-15 contender again this week. John Hunter Nemechek (DK $6,000, FD $4,800) won at Darlington in a truck in 2022. From three starts at the track in that series, he amassed an average finish of 3.7. He faces a different challenge this week, but those feeder-series results indicate he might be able to back up his 13th-place finish a week ago with another respectable finish.
