Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
Fantasy Update: An intriguing practice session where lap times drastically fell off was topped by Tyler Reddick over the long haul. The No. 45 Toyota blistered the field — and his right-rear quarter panel — in qualifying, backing up his quick pace from practice. The primary changes in this lineup for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 are adding Bubba Wallace and Brad Keselowski into the rotation, replacing William Byron and Chase Briscoe. Qualifying toward the front was of the essence for Keselowski, and with a fifth-place starting spot, he is my new 36 for 36 pick.
My lineup: Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski.
Garage: Chris Buescher.
Anticipation levels are high for this weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. With Darlington on the list of venues using the higher horsepower, lower downforce aerodynamic package in 2026, multiple drivers believe tire falloff could exceed four seconds throughout the course of a run. Chase Briscoe said last week that he wrecked nearly every sim session he ran. All of that is going to make it challenging for fantasy!
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: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: When it comes to managing tires, few drivers in the modern era are better than Hamlin. The 61-time Cup winner is notorious for taking care of his equipment and pouncing at the end of runs. Aside from his five victories, his 7.9 average finish is the best all-time among drivers with more than two starts.
Driver: Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Briscoe just needs a clean Darlington after an erratic start to the season, placing 26th in the regular-season championship standings. The good news is, Briscoe has won two of the last three Darlington races and put on a masterclass last fall by leading 309 of 367 laps.
Driver: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: It was the spring Darlington race last year that Byron nearly perfected, leading the opening 243 laps from the pole. Ultimately, he dropped to second, one of his five finishes of eighth or better in the last seven trips to South Carolina.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, No. 12 Ford
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Darlington’s moniker of being the track “Too Tough to Tame” rings true for Blaney. In 18 attempts, he has a single top five finish and an average finish of 18.7. Three of his four Darlington top 10s have come in the last six races.
Driver: Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: Since nudging Byron out of the way for the win in the closing laps of the 2022 spring Darlington race, the numbers have gone downhill at the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped track for the three-time Cup champion. Logano has just one top 10 in the last six Darlington races and hasn’t led a single lap during that span.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Broken leg or not, Keselowski is quietly posting consistent finishes, ranking 12th in the Cup Series standings. His lone win since becoming a team owner came in this race two years ago. In his last seven Darlington bids, he has six top-15 finishes, including four finishes of seventh or better.
Driver: Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Toyota
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Whenever Darlington is looming, Jones, a two-time Southern 500 winner, perks up. His six top-five and nine top-10 efforts at Darlington are his most at any race track. He finished third in last year’s Southern 500, with both Legacy Motor Club entries cracking the top five.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Denny Hamlin vs. William Byron
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: This matchup has the potential to come down to the wire, as both drivers shine at Darlington. Hamlin gets the nod, though, as nobody in Cup history can touch his level of consistency at the “Lady in Black.”
Chase Elliott vs. Christopher Bell
Pick: Bell
Comment: Neither driver has reached Victory Lane at the Cup level at Darlington, but the No. 20 team has been close recently. Bell has a pair of third-place finishes in the last three Darlington races, while Elliott has two top-five finishes across the last 12 races here.
Ross Chastain vs. Daniel Suárez
Pick: Chastain
Comment: Bad blood between the former Trackhouse Racing teammates spilled into Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend and their strained relationship became more clear during the week. Chastain is normally a contender at Darlington, finishing 11th or better in five straight races here. Meanwhile, Suárez has one top 10 in 16 starts.
Brad Keselowski vs. Ty Gibbs
Pick: Keselowski
Comment: Gibbs is on the best stretch of finishes of his Cup career — three straight top fives for the first time in his career — but Keselowski is the pick. Sure, Gibbs finished runner-up here in 2024, but it was to Keselowski, who is a two-time Darlington victor.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick.
Garage: Chris Buescher
36 FOR 36
Pick: Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Toyota
Comment: Bringing back the famed Petty blue livery for Darlington jumps Jones to the top of the list for best paint scheme of the weekend. That No. 43 car could surge toward the front of the field, as Darlington has historically been Jones’ best race track. He has three top 10s in his last seven tries while wheeling the famed No. 43 car, which includes winning the 2022 Southern 500.