Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
Many drivers believe Sunday’s Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado (4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could be among the trickiest courses in NASCAR history. Bumpy, narrow, technical, long and the picturesque views of the San Diego backdrop are adjectives that have described the 16-turn, 3.4-mile layout. Chase Briscoe said the drivers who didn’t put in the effort on the simulator will be exposed. With this level of difficulty, will road- and street-course ace Shane van Gisbergen show out once again, or will another driver dethrone the Kiwi?
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: A novel could be written about van Gisbergen’s road-course dominance. He has won six of the last seven road-course races and triumphed in two of the three street-course races in downtown Chicago. The New Zealander has run inside the top five for 83% of all laps on road courses since the start of last year and cracked the top 10 for 95% of the laps. As SVG explained last weekend, the biggest challenge could be the predicted red flags for carnage.
Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: Reddick has always adjusted quickly to new challenges throughout his career. He has a quartet of road-course victories, including an upset of SVG at Circuit of The Americas in March. The regular-season points leader has 19 top-10 finishes in 25 road-course starts in the Next Gen car, the most among all drivers.
Driver: Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Van Gisbergen might have been toying with the field last year at Chicago, but McDowell was still at the point for 31 laps before experiencing a mechanical woe. McDowell has meshed well with the Next Gen car on road courses, winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2023 and compiling three straight top fives on left- and right-turning tracks with Spire Motorsports.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Hamlin’s run of dominance is over for at least the next two weekends. Admittedly, the winner of three straight events is aiming for top 15s at San Diego and Sonoma Raceway, though he finished fourth at Chicago last year. He has only a trio of top 10s in 24 road-course attempts in the Next Gen.
Driver: Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Gaining 10 positions in the championship standings — plus-73 points on the cutline — in the last month, Jones has moved into a provisional Chase spot with 10 races remaining. Unfortunately for the No. 43 team, he’s likely to bleed points the next two weeks. Jones has no top 10s in the last 20 road-course races.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Allmendinger is always formidable on road courses, though he only had one finish better than 17th in three prior street-course events. The three-time Cup winner has three consecutive top 10s on road courses, banking 43 and 36 points at COTA in March and Watkins Glen in May, respectively.
Driver: Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: If any driver needs to put a finish on the board, it’s the young prospect. Zilisch ranks 34th in the championship standings, and he is one of four full-time drivers yet to post a top 10 in 2026. He is a road-course stud and will likely have the pace to contend in the top five, just as he did at Watkins Glen.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Denny Hamlin vs. Ryan Blaney
Pick: Blaney
Comment: Neither driver can gloat much about their road-course statistics in recent years, but Blaney will get the nod. He was lightning-quick at COTA but faded to eighth in the closing laps. While he hasn’t placed inside the top five in 26 consecutive road-course starts, he’s battling Hamlin, who has never claimed to be a road-course specialist.
Shane van Gisbergen vs. Tyler Reddick
Pick: Van Gisbergen
Comment: This battle is worthy of a WrestleMania main event when it comes to road courses. Entering the weekend, these two drivers should rank as the favorites. But the prohibitive favorite is van Gisbergen, unless something fluky occurs.
Kyle Larson vs. Connor Zilisch
Pick: Zilisch
Comment: With the amount of pace Zilisch can carry on road courses, even Larson would likely pick the upstart to finish ahead of him. It’s just a matter of whether the rookie phenom can finally have a clean race.
Chase Elliott vs. Ty Gibbs
Pick: Gibbs
Comment: With a 9.56 average finish across 43 road-course starts, Elliott remains one of the strongest road-course competitors of the Next Gen era, even though he has yet to secure a victory. His 10.88 average finish in the Next Gen car ranks fourth among all drivers. Still, Gibbs has flashed greater upside in recent road-course battles … if he avoids mistakes and incidents.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Shane van Gisbergen, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell, Connor Zilisch, Chris Buescher.
Garage pick: Ty Gibbs.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Comment: If green-flag conditions prevail, SVG should once again demonstrate why he is considered the benchmark on road courses. His ability to manipulate stage strategy without sacrificing points has become a hallmark of his success. The No. 97 machine will be the focal point all weekend as van Gisbergen continues his pursuit of road-course greatness.