Fantasy Fastlane: Opportunity knocks for Team Penske at EchoPark

This Sunday's Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) already marks the 10th event at the reconfigured EchoPark Speedway. And each time back has been a certified banger with action galore. William Byron, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott have all scored multiple NASCAR Cup Series wins in the nine prior meetings and should be in the mix again. Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come 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: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 6 Comment: The defending race winner and hometown hero has top 10s in half of his eight starts at the reconfigured Atlanta. (He missed the spring 2023 event with a broken leg.) Elliott leads the league with a 9.38 average finish in those starts, and he has four top-five and five top-10 finishes in the last seven drafting-style events. Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford Selections remaining: 3 Comment: Blaney is the hot hand in the Ford camp. The No. 12 team sees lucky sevens across the board entering Atlanta, riding a career-best streak of seven straight top-10 finishes into the weekend. Blaney has also earned seven top 10s at the new Atlanta, leading all Cup drivers. Driver: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford Selections remaining: 7 Comment: The final seven races of the regular season are favorable for Logano as he ranks 18th in the standings, 16 points behind bubble driver Erik Jones. It's been feast or famine for him at Atlanta, however, with a pair of victories and five finishes outside the top 15. He has paced the field for a series-high 359 laps at Atlanta in the last nine visits. [caption id="attachment_518351" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Krista Jasso | Getty Images[/caption]

DRIVERS TO AVOID

Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 3 Comment: Aside from a podium effort at Atlanta in the spring of 2025, Larson hasn't had much to celebrate in the Peach State. That third-place effort remains his only top 10 in nine starts on the reconfigured layout, with his six DNFs -- all from accidents -- being the most among all drivers. Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Selections remaining: 1 Comment: Nearly everything has gone the way of Hamlin and the No. 11 team over the last seven weeks, gaining 173 points on Tyler Reddick in that timeframe. That positive momentum could come to a halt this weekend with five finishes of 23rd or worse on the reconfigured layout. [caption id="attachment_518352" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]James Gilbert | Getty Images[/caption]

SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Driver: Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 8 Comment: Suárez was on the winning side of an epic, three-wide finish in 2024, outlasting Blaney and Kyle Busch. He is consistently in the mix here as his five top-five finishes are the most among all drivers at the reconfigured Atlanta. He's shined at superspeedways of late, with only one finish worse than 13th in the last seven races. Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet Selections remaining: 8 Comment: The ever-assertive Stenhouse is always a force at drafting tracks, winning a pair of superspeedway races in the Next Gen era. Specific to Atlanta, he has a quartet of top 10s -- all in the last six starts -- with a best finish of fifth last spring. He has placed sixth or better in three of the last five Atlanta visits. [caption id="attachment_518353" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Meg Oliphant | Getty Images[/caption]

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Todd Gilliland vs. Alex Bowman Pick: Bowman Comment: While Bowman is the final seed of the 32-team NASCAR In-Season Challenge, Gilliland is the true Cinderella of the tournament. He has a pair of 15th-place finishes and led a career-high 58 circuits in the spring 2024 race. I don't think that's good enough to beat Bowman, though, who has a pair of top-five and three total top-10 finishes, placing third in this event last year. Chase Elliott vs. Chase Briscoe  Pick: Elliott Comment: This is the first of three heavyweight matchups this weekend that could truly go either way. Elliott was my original winner of the In-Season Challenge when the bracket dropped, so leaning the way of the No. 9 team. Briscoe finished runner-up in the spring, his only finish better than 15th in nine starts on the reconfigured layout. Denny Hamlin vs. Christopher Bell  Pick: Bell Comment: The Herculean drive from Bell with a fractured wrist continues to the third round, where he's a recent Atlanta victor (spring 2025). His recent drafting results leave room for improvement; he's finished 21st or worse in four of the last six Atlanta races and only has one top 10 in the last seven drafting events, period. Hamlin hasn't been any better in the Next Gen era, so let's go with the slight upset. Ryan Blaney vs. William Byron  Pick: Blaney Comment: This is the toughest matchup of the tournament thus far. Both are titans when it comes to the reconfigured Atlanta, with Blaney having the most top 10s and Byron being tied for the most wins. The No. 12 team has earned my trust when it comes to consistency, plus he made it to the championship round in my bracket.

MY LINEUP

Starting five: Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez. Garage pick: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

36 FOR 36

Pick: Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Comment: It may have come in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, but Hill has been an unstoppable force at his home venue. He has a knack for success in the draft, scoring a series-record 11 of his 16 checkered flags at superspeedways. He has a 55.5% winning percentage at Atlanta alone.