Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Post Practice Predictions

Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images

On Sunday, buckle up and get ready for NASCAR’s longest race of the year, the Charlotte Coca Cola 600. This crown jewel race is a test of endurance for the teams, the machines and many at home. Not only is it the longest race of the year, but it also has a unique format and is broken up into four Stages of 100/100/100/100 laps. The green flag time is 6:29 PM (ET) and this race will transition from day to night, so it’s important teams keep up with adjustments. There are weather concerns on Sunday, so this might very well be a Monday race.

On Saturday, practice was held for Charlotte. Teams had about 40-minutes and keep in mind teams have different agendas. Due to track conditions, I would basically avoid most takeaways from practice. Make sure you check out our Charlotte NASCAR Practice Notes, Charlotte Practice Speeds and 10-Lap Averages and Charlotte 10,15,20 and 25 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet Heat Chart.

Here’s Charlotte Starting Lineup.

1) Tyler Reddick
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Charlotte Outlook – 5-time 2026 winner, Tyler Reddick will be a contender to win the Charlotte Coca Cola 600. Reddick’s an elite performer at high-speed 1.5’s and he’s thrived at Charlotte. In the Next Gen at Charlotte, Reddick ranks 2nd for Speed, 4th for Driver Rating and has a 5th place average finish minus last year where he was top five good but had an asterisk mark result. Last year in the 600, Reddick finished 26th but you can quickly disregard that result. In the race, Reddick finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, finished 4th in Stage #3 but then in the last Stage during green flag pit stops while running in 5th, Reddick was caught speeding on pit road. Also later in the last Stage, he slammed into the wall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Reddick ranked 6th with his speed over the segments being 2nd, 3rd, 3rd and then 28th. In 2024, Reddick started in the back and had to serve a pass thru penalty at the start, but he still raced his way to a 4th. In the race, Reddick had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking but take note he ranked as the 3rd fastest in the final segment. In the two races prior to that, Reddick had results of 5th and 6th. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Reddick won at Kansas, is tied for the 3rd best Average Finish (6.0) and ranks 4th for Track Type Total Speed Rankings.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $13,500

Further Recommended Reading= Charlotte Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Charlotte Scoring Projections, FanDuel Charlotte Scoring Projections, Charlotte Quick Rankings, Charlotte Next Gen RPM, Charlotte Next Gen Average Finishes, Charlotte Next Gen Speed Rankings

2) Denny Hamlin
Start 11th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Charlotte Outlook – Denny Hamlin, the 2022 Charlotte Coca Cola 600 champion will be a favorite. Hamlin’s been elite at Charlotte and since 2020 #2 minus 2023 and last year (top five contender in both races), Hamlin has 1-win and his average finish is 3.8. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, nobody has been better than Hamlin. He’s had the best Total Speed Ranking every race, has 1-win, the best average finish (2.3) and the best Driver Rating. Going back to last year on this track type over the last six races, Hamlin has a 1.3 average Speed Ranking. At Charlotte in the Next Gen, Hamlin ranks 2nd for Speed, 3rd for Driver Rating and has a pair of top 5’s over his two incident free races. Last year, Hamlin had a rocket and was easily top 2 good but finished an asterisk mark 16th. In the race, Hamlin finished 2nd in Stage #2 and #3, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and led 53 laps. During the last Stage while running in 2nd, his pit crew had trouble fueling up the #11 and that led to an unexpected pit stop on lap 371 which doomed him to his 16th. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. In 2024, Hamlin finished 5th. Additionally, Hamlin earned the 4th best Driver Rating and had a 7.8 average running position. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the fastest car late in a run and had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2023, Hamlin was a top five contender but finished 35th after Chase Elliott wrecked him. In 2022, Hamlin had a strong showing and raced his way to victory lane after all the late wildness ensued. In the race, Hamlin started on the pole, led 15 laps, had a 7.1 average running position and the 7th best Total Speed Ranking.
DraftKings $11,500/ FanDuel $14,000

3) Kyle Larson
Start 18th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Charlotte Outlook – Kyle Larson will be tough competition at Charlotte, and I fully expect him to be a contender with his 100% focus. Larson’s a former Charlotte winner (2021) and over his last four incident free races his average finish is 6.7. Last year, Larson looked good until his evening went south pretty early, leading to his 37th. In the race, Larson won the pole, led 34 laps but then on lap 42 while leading, he spun out and got into the wall. That wasn’t a knockout blow but that also wasn’t his last problem. On lap 245 while running in 17th, Larson was damaged in a multi-car accident. In 2024, Larson completely missed the race. In 2023, Larson was a factor but finished an asterisk mark 30th. The #5 team did some extensive tuning up over the course of the race, but when it was closing time, Larson was near the front. In the race, Larson finished 6th in Stage #3 but then on lap 374 while running in 3rd, the #5 snapped loose and Larson crashed dooming him to his 30th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Larson ranked 8th. In 2022, Larson likely would’ve raced his way to victory lane if Briscoe didn’t do a failed “Hail Mary” at the end which brought out a caution in which late wildness ensued. When the checkered flag waved, Larson finished 9th. In 2021, Larson finished 1st, led 327 laps, had a 1.3 average running position and had the best Total Speed Ranking. This year at high-speed 1.5’s minus Texas, Larson has a 4.5 average finish and a 4.0 average Speed Ranking.
DraftKings $10,500/ FanDuel $13,000