FanDuel NASCAR DFS Picks for the Southern 500 at Darlington

If you are looking for an action-packed way to consume sports on the weekend, NASCAR may be a great avenue to explore. Far from just driving in circles, some of the world's best compete nearly every weekend from February to November on tracks across America.

NASCAR drivers are scored ultimately based on how they finish in the race, how many spots they advance from their starting position, and how many laps they finish and lead. Avoiding drivers who crash out of the race is a must, though!

FanDuel Research is always your home for fantasy NASCAR advice. In addition to this helper, Jim Sannes has put forth his Southern 500 best bets earlier this week.

With all of this in mind, let's preview this weekend's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway from the perspective of playing daily fantasy NASCAR on FanDuel.

Best NASCAR DFS Plays for the Southern 500 at Darlington

Potential Lap-Leaders

Denny Hamlin ($13,500)

Denny Hamlin on the pole could be big, big trouble for the rest of the field this weekend.

Hamlin stole the win at Darlington in overtime earlier this year, but he's earned plenty the hard way. He's a five-time winner at "The Lady in Black", scoring four top-10 finishes in his last seven starts here. He's led 266 total laps in this time.

I'm sure Hamlin will carry some popularity, but it may not be what it should when he finished outside the top 20 in practice on both a single-lap and 10-lap basis. It just doesn't mean much at this cheese grater that chews up tire.

As the playoffs start, the long-time veteran is hoping to not have to worry about moving onto the next round with another dub. There's arguably no one better at managing his tires at this venue.

William Byron ($13,000)

As Hamlin emerged victorious, it was William Byron on the agonizing other end of the exchange in April.

Byron led 243 of 297 laps in that race, losing control of the lead late by waiting too long to pit on the final sequence. On a superior strategy, it looked like Ryan Blaney ($12,500) was going to steal the win until a final caution.

Don't be surprised if Byron makes up for that this weekend, though. He's got the best average finish of any driver at Darlington since the start of 2022 (9.1) with five top 10s in seven races.

There is a massive shift in this weekend's race from April's. This one's at night. For that reason, I'd be surprised if Byron was as dominant on Sunday. If he gets the finish this time, it won't matter to him.

Mid-Range Threats

Joey Logano ($10,000)

Here we go again. Joey Logano is in the playoffs and an annoying out until -- inexplicably -- he finds his way into the final four for another "title".

Logano has had another underwhelming season with just seven top-10 finishes. He just missed out on one at Darlington earlier this year (13th), but this has been a good venue for him. He's been on the podium thrice with an 11.0 average finish since the start of 2022.

For once, I think that April result was actually unfortunate for the former champ. He was fifth in green flag speed in the Goodyear 400.

As we dip into the mid-range, we're starting to think starting spot over laps led, and Joey comes with a bit of that upside from 14th.

Brad Keselowski ($8,500)

Though out of this year's playoffs, Brad Keselowski is still going to go trophy hunting.

Kes won last year's spring race at Darlington, so he's not necessarily in a bad spot to do so. That was his second career win and seventh career top-five finish at the track dubbed "Too Tough to Tame".

There's a phenomenal place-differential floor for "Bad Brad" from 32nd on the grid. Before a tire issue this April, he had recorded six straight top-14 finishes here. That's even amidst the trials and tribulations that he's faced with his own team at RFK Racing.

For those looking for cash-game options, Keselowski is arguably the top priority in the field. It wouldn't be unthinkable that he spoils the opening round of the dance, either.

Others to Consider

• Tyler Reddick ($12,000)
• Chase Elliott ($10,500)
• Kyle Busch ($8,000)

Value Plays

Alex Bowman ($7,500)

The last man in the playoffs has a ton to prove, which makes Alex Bowman a dangerous cat.

Bowman can thank Blaney, who denied a new winner last week in Daytona, for the spot in this year's battle for the title. The Hendrick Motorsports driver's speed has been good this year, but he's finished outside the top 25 nine different times due to crashes or mechanical failures.

Quietly, Bowman was 15th in green flag speed in April's event at Darlington. He finished 10th in Stage 2 before an incident in that one.

Starting 29th, there's no doubt that Hendrick's chastised fourth car could run into some sort of issue again, but he's going to be very quick compared to where he'll roll off.

Ryan Preece ($6,500)

Ryan Preece will hope to get the balance a little better as he attacks a race track that suits him stylistically.

Preece has had a breakout season at all track types, missing a playoff-securing win by one traffic maneuver last week. However, I had Darlington circled for Preece entering this year's chance in stronger equipment when he overcame Stewart-Haas Racing's ineptitude to score 17th and 12th-place finishes in 2024's pair of races here.

In April, Preece started 2nd, finished 3rd in the first stage, and then got trapped a lap down. Buried in dirty air, we never heard from him again as the car got tight.

It's a much different story in DFS this weekend. Rolling off 27th, he's a great value plug as someone in contention to win several recent events. Darlington is a good track fit, so I'm eagerly firing him into my lineups.

Others to Consider

• Carson Hocevar ($6,800)
• Noah Gragson ($5,500)
• Zane Smith ($4,800)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.