NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

It's been two weeks since the last point-paying race at Watkins Glen. Shane van Gisbergen schooled the field once again, scoring his seventh career Cup win, the most by a driver not born in the United States.

Race weekend here at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a somber one as everyone in the garage and fans around the world struggle with the sudden loss of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch. Somehow pushing forward by racing and sharing memories of Kyle begins the healing process in a way only the racing community truly understands. 

This Week's Pick Strategy: The Cup Series cars were the only cars to take to the track prior to the drop of the green flag. With only 45 minutes of practice as a guide, I will be sticking with Charlotte elite drivers and weigh heavy on teams with the best pit crews since we will have lots of pit stops.

Active Cup Drivers with Most Top 10s at Coca Cola 600 
2021-2025 (Last 5 Years):

Both with 4 - William Byron and Tyler Reddick 

Both with 3 - Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin  
Kyle Larson - 2

Active Cup Drivers with Most Top 3s at Coca Cola 600 
William Byron - 3

All with 1 - Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin

Active Cup Drivers with Most Top 10s at Large Ovals*
2022-2025 (20 races)
Denny Hamlin - 16
Kyle Larson - 14
William Byron - 10 
Chase Elliott - 9

*Includes Auto Club Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway

Last Year's Race Winner: Ross Chastain

The Likely Suspects: My Coca Cola 600 elite drivers are Christopher Bell, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between William Byron and Tyler Reddick. My next picks are Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, and Ty Gibbs. I will complete my team with AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson.

 

My Final Four: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger

 

Second-Look Driver: This week's sleeper pick is a tie between Josh Berry and Christopher Bell. Remarkably, Berry has earned an 11.0 average finish here in his two races here since 2023, equaling Bell. He finished 12th here last year, and 10th in 2024.

Points to Ponder:

• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (19) than any other starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway – a winning percentage of 14.9%; the most recent was Denny Hamlin in the 2022 Coca-Cola 600. 
• A Top-5 starting position has accounted for 55.56% of the Cup Series wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Brad Keselowski leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with two victories (2013, 2020).
• Eight different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, led by Chevrolet with 48 victories, followed by Ford (32).
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 21 victories. 
• The late Kyle Busch led all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with four (2010, 2011, 2017, 2022). Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin are tied with three each. Busch also held the record for Top-5 finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 16, followed by Denny Hamlin with 12. Busch also earned the record for Top 10s here with 22, followed by Denny Hamlin with 21.
• Tyler Reddick (seven starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 10.3.

If you are playing Driver Group Game, remember to make your final picks by 6 p.m. ET on race day, Sunday, May 24th.

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 19 years. She launched NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.