Fantasy Fastlane: Ross Chastain wheels to the front at Nashville

Oof, that was a brutal week in fantasy. Multiple pre-race favorites were taken out by incidents throughout the Coca-Cola 600. On a positive note, I swapped my 36 for 36 pick to William Byron on Saturday and it paid off with a whopping 65 points, the most points that any driver will tally in a race this season. That’s a reminder to check our What to Watch column each weekend where the fantasy update lives. On to Nashville Superspeedway, which had a Cup Series record of five overtimes last summer. After a sluggish start to the season, Ross Chastain could be the next driver to pull off consecutive victories.

New 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 last year in which strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2025 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

MUST START:

Ross Chastain | View stats

Trackhouse Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet

Odds: 9-1

Chastain made a statement during the Charlotte race weekend. Not only did he become the first driver since Richard Petty in 1971 to win after being credited with a last-place starting spot, but the No. 1 car was quickest in practice before wrecking. In four Nashville starts, he’s among the best in the series here with three top-five finishes, including a 2023 triumph. He was on pace last year, leading on an overtime restart, until receiving an unexpected bump from Kyle Larson.

MUST START:

Kyle Larson | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet

Odds: 9-2

In a real downer of a fantasy week at Charlotte, Larson was the driver who was benched, believing I’ll use up his six remaining starts in quick fashion. One of them will likely come this weekend, as he’s the only driver to have top 10s in all four Nashville events, counting the inaugural race victory. His average finish of 4.5 is his best at any circuit (minimum of three starts).

MUST START:

Denny Hamlin | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota

Odds: 6-1

Over the last month, Hamlin has had a brutal streak of finishes, most recently needing to make an additional pit stop for fuel in the waning laps of the Coca-Cola 600 while battling for the win. The good news for Hamlin is he’s led at least 70 laps in the last three Nashville events. The bad news is despite leading 203 laps as a team last year, JGR has only put two cars in the top five in all four Nashville races combined. Hamlin is looking to become the first driver to win in their 700th Cup start.

MUST START:

Tyler Reddick | View stats

23XI Racing, No. 45 Toyota

Odds: 10-1

With a group of road-course races approaching, I’m hesitant to use Reddick this weekend with five uses remaining in the regular season. After all, he has just four top 10s through 13 races, with seven finishes of 17th or worse. His Nashville stats don’t pop off the page either, though he finished third last year and was in self-disgust at the checkered flag. He ranked in the top three in both stages last year and won the opening Nashville stage in 2023 before spinning in the middle of Stage 2.

SLEEPER PICK:

AJ Allmendinger | View stats

Kaulig Racing, No. 16 Chevrolet

Odds: 45-1

New teams were in contention at the front of the field at Charlotte, which could bode well for Allmendinger this weekend. He was a centerpiece of the top 10 last weekend, gaining seven spots in the championship standings. He’s won at Nashville in the Xfinity Series and has finished 10th and 11th in his last two Cup races here.

SLEEPER PICK:

Carson Hocevar | View stats

Spire Motorsports, No. 77 Chevrolet

Odds: 25-1

My oh my, what could have been for Hocevar in the 600 before a rare engine expiring. The young shoe is simply fast wherever he goes, and that includes a Craftsman Truck Series victory at Nashville in 2023. It’s been tough for the No. 77 team to put full races together, but when it does, Hocevar is scoring points. And while Charlotte is a completely different animal, some of the character traits should apply.

SLEEPER PICK:

Daniel Suárez | View stats

Trackhouse Racing, No. 99 Chevrolet

Odds: 100-1

Chastain wasn’t the only Trackhouse car that excelled at Charlotte, as Shane van Gisbergen made a clear step forward, running inside the top 20 all evening. Suarez wrecked out, never showing the full potential of the No. 99 car. That’s been a theme this year, sitting 30th in points. He strings together solid finishes at Trackhouse’s former home in Nashville, cracking the top 15 on three occasions.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Chase Briscoe | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota

Odds: 25-1

As Briscoe has stated multiple times this year, it’s hard to correlate any of his previous history with Stewart-Haas Racing to his new gig at JGR. The cars, he said, are simply better. That new norm is putting old theories and the record book to the test with him finding a groove in the No. 19 car. His Nashville numbers are putrid, though, with a best of 21st (2024) and three finishes below 30th. The No. 19 team had mediocre results at Nashville with Martin Truex Jr., however, with three finishes of 22nd or worse.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Alex Bowman | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet

Odds: 35-1

Bowman got off to a blistering start in 2025 with five top-10 finishes in the opening six races. In the seven races since, he has five finishes of 27th or worse. Nashville isn’t among his favorite race tracks on the schedule either, as his No. 48 car has never finished better than 14th here. Through four Nashville starts, Bowman has an average finish of 20.3.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Ty Gibbs | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 54 Toyota

Odds: 30-1

The mystery of this young No. 54 team continues halfway through the regular season. Gibbs has three consecutive finishes south of 20th, with only five top 20s through 13 races. Gibbs has had solid results on concrete in the past at Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway, but a best of 14th through a pair of Nashville attempts.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ross Chastain vs. Chase Elliott

Elliott has flown under the radar at Nashville, notwithstanding his 2022 win. He also finished fourth in 2023. But Nashville is arguably Chastain’s best race track, dating back to the series’ inaugural race when he finished on the podium with Chip Ganassi Racing.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ryan Blaney vs. Chris Buescher

Until last weekend at Charlotte, Blaney has been a real threat at intermediate tracks. Penske struggled at Charlotte, which could be slightly concerning for Nashville. The No. 17 team has been throwing away points, too, and has three finishes of 18th or worse in Music City. It’s been feast or famine for Blaney with a pair of DNFs, but he’s usually got the speed.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Joey Logano vs. Tyler Reddick

Had it not been for the wild finish last year, when Logano scored the victory, he wouldn’t have even made the postseason. He has three top 10s in four starts, which looks better than Reddick’s single top 10 last year. The counter to that is that Reddick is constantly up front, and he just needs to put full races together. Logano managed a 17th-place finish at Charlotte, but it was downright ugly at times for the No. 22 team.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ryan Preece vs. Zane Smith

If you haven’t taken stock in Preece and the No. 60 team yet, it might be time to start thinking about it. Preece is in the middle of a career renaissance, already tying the most top 10s of his career (five). Smith had a stunning runner-up finish last year at Nashville in an ending that flipped the running order. Preece is the pick and will likely find the top 10 again.

MY LINEUP: Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott

GARAGE: Carson Hocevar

36 for 36: I’ve burned up half of the Hendrick teammates in the last two points races, but it paid off big time with 106 combined points. I feel like I’m in a conundrum this weekend, wanting to go relatively safe but also hoping to continue climbing up the leaderboard. Preece has been on fire lately and a fixture inside the top 10. He earned a top five here last year – albeit thanks to absolute madness at the end of the race – and has a pair of Truck Series wins in two attempts.