Fantasy Fastlane: Ross Chastain finds a way at Nashville

Creating a fantasy team can be so much fun. You can dive into the numbers like we do here to set up what you think will be the perfect team. Yet it can be so infuriating at the same time. Let's take last week for instance: at the end of Stage 2, my starting lineup was running first through fifth. It unraveled in the final stage, as just two of those drivers ended up with top-10 finishes. Using drivers like Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney -- both of whom I have very few starts left with -- ended up being a waste. The good news is there is always next week, which brings us to Nashville Superspeedway. It's getting to the point of the regular season where creativity is in play, as uses are running low for multiple big-name drivers.

Fantasy players will earn 10 Fan Rewards points each time they set their lineup in NASCAR Fantasy Live. Fan Rewards is a way for registered users on NASCAR.com to earn points toward things like NASCAR tickets, NASCAR merchandise and more. Learn more about Fan Rewards.

MUST START: 

Ross Chastain | View stats

Trackhouse Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet

Odds: 15-2

Much like 2023, Chastain enters the Nashville race weekend with little momentum. Over the last 12 races, the No. 1 team has just three top-10 finishes. In that same span, he has seven finishes ranging from 11th to 15th. If certain strategies went his way during those races, that top-10 total could have a lot more pizzazz to it. Chastain is arguably the best driver at Nashville in the three Cup races. He’s never finished worse than fifth and has a pair of top-two finishes. He cruised to the win last year, leading a race-high 99 laps from the pole.

MUST START:

Christopher Bell | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota

Odds: 6-1

Of all drivers who have made a Cup start this season, I’ve used Bell the most for my fantasy lineups. With just two starts remaining over the final eight races of the regular season, I’m going to hold off on using the No. 20 car this weekend. Over the last five races in 2024, he’s scored a pair of victories and hasn’t finished worse than ninth. He’s also one of three drivers to have top 10s in all three Nashville races but hasn’t finished better than seventh. 

MUST START:

Kyle Larson | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet

Odds: 17-4

Larson joins Chastain and Bell as the three drivers to have top 10s in all three Nashville races. He and Chastain have scored top fives in each race. The No. 5 car has some of the most speed every week this season, and it’s hard to imagine that changes this weekend.

MUST START: 

Chase Elliott | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet

Odds: 8-1

Because Elliott hasn’t led an abundant amount of laps this season, he’s flown under the radar. With the season at its midway point, Elliott has become the first driver since Ricky Rudd in 1991 to score top 20 finishes in the opening 18 races of a season. Elliott’s 9.6 average finish is almost three positions better than the next best average finish (Chastain, 12.3). The No. 9 team has consecutive top fives at Nashville, so Elliott should be a popular pick this weekend.

SLEEPER PICK: 

Daniel Suárez | View stats

Trackhouse Racing, No. 99 Chevrolet

Odds: 80-1

Trackhouse puts added emphasis on preparing for Nashville. With it being the home base for team owner Justin Marks, it’s important for his cars to perform there – and they have. While Suarez’s numbers don’t stand out like Chastain’s success, he has never finished worse than 15th in three starts. He has a best finish of seventh in the inaugural race at the 1.33-mile venue. Being brutally honest, it’s an uphill battle to pick a deep sleeper at Nashville because the top teams come to play.

SLEEPER PICK: 

Josh Berry | View stats

Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford

Odds: 55-1

Led by championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers, Berry has become a threat to churn in a solid outing at just about any type of race track. It’s hard to remember that Berry is a rookie, as he’s driving like a savvy veteran. Over the last six races, he has four top-10 finishes, including a pair of third-place results. He also collected a pair of top-five finishes in three Xfinity Series starts at Nashville.

SLEEPER PICK: 

Erik Jones | View stats

Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Toyota

Odds: 250-1

With no alliance with any Toyota powerhouse team, it’s been a challenging transition year for Legacy Motor Club while moving to a new manufacturer. Jones notched his lone top-10 finish of the season in the Daytona 500. The team is similar to where it was last season and Jones showed surprising speed at Nashville, earning an eighth-place finish at Nashville. In the two Nashville Next Gen races, he’s never finished worse than 11th.

STAY AWAY FROM: 

Kyle Busch | View stats

Richard Childress Racing, No. 8 Chevrolet

Odds: 35-1

There is reason for Busch to be optimistic this weekend at Nashville. The surface is concrete, and while Dover races nothing like Nashville, the No. 8 car was a threat at the “Monster Mile” and it is the site of his most recent top-five finish. That was two months ago. Since then, Busch has plummeted down the standings, currently ranked 19th on the playoff grid and has three 35th-place finishes in June alone. Busch finished ninth in his only Nashville race with RCR, but his other two results were outside the top 10.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Alex Bowman | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet

Odds: 45-1

Until blowing an engine last weekend at New Hampshire, Bowman was tied for the most top-10 finishes in the Cup Series this season. He’s never finished inside the top 10 at Nashville and has an average finish of 22.3 in three starts. There’s added pressure for Bowman at Nashville with his sponsor Ally also being the entitlement sponsor of the race.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Bubba Wallace | View stats

23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota

Odds: 50-1

Over the last nine races, Wallace has a single top-10 finish (seventh at Darlington) and has dropped six positions in the championship standings. He fell below the elimination line with a late wreck at New Hampshire last weekend. The No. 23 team’s Nashville numbers aren’t exactly appealing either, with a best finish of 12th in three races. Granted, he scored top 20s in all of those events.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Christopher Bell vs. William Byron

These two drivers seem to have their seasons going in opposite directions. Bell has been the model of consistency over the last month after having a rough previous month. In those same five races, Byron has three finishes of 15th or worse. Bell should have the advantage this weekend, as he’s cracked the top 10 in all three races at the track. However, Byron finished better in two of those three events.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ross Chastain vs. Martin Truex Jr. 

Last year, it was Chastain and Truex that finished first and second at Nashville, as the two had great battles throughout the night. Both teams have been slipping in recent weeks, though Chastain always maximizes his finishes and is sitting ninth in the regular season standings. Truex is exceptional on concrete tracks, but Nashville has been Chastain’s playhouse with three top fives in as many starts. Rolling with the No. 1 team this weekend.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Denny Hamlin vs. Chase Elliott

There seems to be a theme this weekend of teams needing to put the bad finishes behind them. Hamlin has three straight finishes outside the top 20, which was preceded by five consecutive top fives. The No. 9 team remains dependable in 2024, as the No. 9 team’s low points are never too low. Both drivers are solid here, but Elliott won in 2022. He also cracked the top five last year in what was a disappointing season.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Chris Buescher vs. Tyler Reddick

Prior to spinning in the second stage of last year’s race, Reddick might have had the best car in the field. He won the opening stage, but the record shows a 30th-place finish. Buescher has never finished better than 18th in three Nashville starts and could probably be a contender for a driver to stay away from this weekend.

MY LINEUP: Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr.

GARAGE: Joey Logano