Fantasy Fastlane: Austin Dillon eyes rare Richmond feat

Editor's Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider. Fantasy Update: With practice and qualifying at Richmond Raceway complete, plenty of cars stood out for various reasons. The Team Penske duo of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano appeared to be a class of their own over the long haul, while last week’s winner Ty Gibbs was also sporty. Short-track studs Josh Berry and Ryan Preece also shined, banking top-10 starting spots. The winner of the last two Richmond races, Austin Dillon, didn’t seem to have the pace from 2024 or 2025, but don’t count him out. I’ve swapped Ryan Blaney in for Christopher Bell, who by no means was sluggish. I’m playing the long game, however, knowing that New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been Bell’s personal playground. I’ve also added Chase Briscoe to replace Bubba Wallace, as the No. 19 car has historically been elite at Richmond with Martin Truex Jr. Starting five: Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin. Garage: Chase Briscoe.

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It’s Austin Dillon season! The Cup Series returns to Richmond Raceway, where Dillon is the winner of two straight events, entering those races 32nd and 28th in points, respectively. Team Penske will be hard to beat again, with all three of its entries placing inside the top five in 2025. Ty Gibbs is on a short-track heater, and he could score his third win (and second straight) of the season. 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: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Selections remaining: 10 Comment: Dillon has become a Richmond ringer, winning the last two races in dramatic fashion. A third consecutive victory would place him on a short list of Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only racers to win three straight in the Commonwealth. He was routinely inside the top 10 at Iowa Speedway last weekend, which shares similarities with Richmond. Driver: Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Selections remaining: 2 Comment: Gibbs put on a defensive clinic at Iowa, scoring his second win of the season. The fifth-year driver has won 50% of the short-track races in 2026 and has an average finish of 2.5 through four starts. Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Selections remaining: 1 Comment: Using Hamlin is a no-brainer at Richmond. Growing up 20 miles south of the 0.75-mile circuit, he is a five-time winner here, including a pair in the Next Gen era. Dating back to 2021, the No. 11 bunch has six top-two finishes in nine Richmond attempts. [caption id="attachment_522027" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Sean Gardner | Getty Images[/caption]

DRIVERS TO AVOID

Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Selections remaining: 3 Comment: After a scorching start to the season, Reddick has gone ice cold over the last two months, dropping to fourth on The Chase grid. Short tracks aren’t in his wheelhouse, either, with only one top-10 finish in the last 12 tries. On a positive note, he has two top-10s in the last three Richmond races. Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Selections remaining: 3 Comment: Briscoe’s summer surge has gotten him to fifth in points. Unfortunately, Richmond is among his worst venues on the schedule, where he has yet to score a top-10 finish through nine starts. Briscoe has an average finish of 16.3 at Richmond, his worst among all short tracks. [caption id="attachment_522028" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Meg Oliphant | Getty Images[/caption]

SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Driver: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Selections remaining: 8 Comment: That dawg came out in Chastain last weekend in Iowa. The No. 1 team had its best race of the season, cutting 35 points from its deficit to The Chase bubble. Richmond shares similar characteristics, and it's a venue where he has top fives in two of the last five races. Driver: Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Selections remaining: 10 Comment: After an abysmal start to 2026, Berry is coming on strong to conclude the regular season, placing a season-best fourth last weekend at Iowa. His short-track prowess is elite, with top 10s in four of the last seven short-track races. He has never finished worse than 14th in four starts in The River City. [caption id="attachment_522029" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Sean Gardner | Getty Images[/caption]

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Ty Gibbs vs. Christopher Bell Pick: Bell Comment: While Gibbs is a must-start driver this weekend, Bell is certainly worthy of the nod. He ranks among the best short-track competitors in the field, earning a top-10 finish in 13 of the last 19 short-track races. Bell has also been remarkably consistent at Richmond, finishing sixth or better in seven of his last 10 starts. He also has six runner-up finishes in the last 11 races this season. Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson Pick: Hamlin Comment: Larson has multiple Richmond victories, but he's in the midst of a dreadful stretch of finishes over the last five races. Meanwhile, Hamlin is nearly a lock for the top five, finishing inside the top five in the last 10 oval events at non-drafting tracks. He’s also among the Richmond elite, leading active drivers in top fives (20), top 10s (25) and laps led (2,367). Austin Dillon vs. Chris Buescher Pick: Dillon Comment: Though Buescher scored a victory at Richmond in 2023, this is Dillon’s best track, period. Buescher has just three top-10 finishes in 18 starts, while Dillon has led 198 laps here, more than double his total at any other track. Joey Logano vs. Ross Chastain Pick: Logano Comment: Chastain should have added confidence heading into Richmond, but Team Penske has been the standard at short tracks in recent seasons. Logano’s success at Richmond predates the Next Gen, finishing seventh or better in 12 of the last 16 visits. Logano is another driver who should be featured in most lineups this weekend.

MY LINEUP

Starting five: Austin Dillon, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell. Garage: Bubba Wallace.

36 FOR 36

Pick: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Comment: After Ryan Preece won the Busch Light Pole Award for last year’s Richmond race, I made the mistake of swapping Dillon out of my lineup. Not this year. Dillon runs a unique line around the apron at the famed short track and has found plenty of success doing so. I’ve been saving this pick all season, and now is the time to cash it in.