NAS $222K Richmond Drive [$50K to 1st] (Cup)<\/a><\/p>\nFantasy NASCAR Driver Rankings: Cook Out 400 at Richmond<\/p>\n
1. Denny Hamlin ($11,000) \u2014 The JGR Toyotas have been strong at Richmond in the Gen-7 package, and Hamlin has been the strongest of the bunch. This is his home track. Hamlin has two wins in six races here and, in other Virginia events, has two runner-up finishes and a fourth-place result.<\/p>\n
2. Chase Briscoe ($9,500) \u2014 The No. 19 JGR Toyota has always been dominant at Richmond and looked strong at Iowa, where Briscoe finished runner-up.<\/p>\n
3. Christopher Bell ($10,800) \u2014 JGR dominates Richmond across all series. Bell was a force in Xfinity and is great in Cup, but his teammates have been better. Saturday night could be his breakout, or it could be another Hamlin win or Briscoe breakthrough in the always-strong No. 19 Toyota.<\/p>\n
4. Brad Keselowski ($9,200) \u2014 Iowa is comparable to Richmond, and Keselowski was fast there. Before the Stage 3 wreck-fest, Iowa featured long green-flag runs \u2014 138 consecutive laps other than the Stage 1 break. Keselowski had the best car during that stretch.<\/p>\n
5. Kyle Larson ($10,500) \u2014 Buy low. Larson\u2019s stock has not bottomed out \u2014 and it won\u2019t. He can only fall so far, and his \u201clow\u201d is still better than the best from half the field. Yung Money could start dominating any day now. He scored 57 combined fast-lap and lap-led points at Richmond in spring 2024 and 38 points in spring 2023.<\/p>\n
6. William Byron ($10,400) \u2014 Which matters more: Richmond history or the 2025 Iowa result? Richmond hasn\u2019t been kind to Byron (two top-10s in six Gen-7 races), but he stretched fuel and won at Iowa.<\/p>\n
7. Carson Hocevar ($7,200) \u2014 This isn\u2019t a comfortable pick, but it\u2019s the ultimate GPP play. Hocevar is fast and aggressive \u2014 capable of blowing up a lineup or taking down a tournament. As a rookie, he scored a top-10 at Richmond last fall and another at Iowa several weeks ago.<\/p>\n
8. Ryan Blaney ($10,200) \u2014 His Richmond finishes haven\u2019t been great, but Blaney has shown speed. He\u2019s been better at Iowa, so Richmond success should come. The problem is that half the field has unloaded top-five cars at Richmond in the Gen-7 era. It\u2019s easy to fall out of the top 10.<\/p>\n
9. Chase Elliott ($10,000) \u2014 Elliott is hard to roster in NASCAR DFS. He\u2019s having a Matt Kenseth-type season \u2014 consistent top-10s are great in real life, but his salary demands fast laps and laps led. He finishes up front but is rarely in front.<\/p>\n
10. Alex Bowman ($7,800) \u2014 The often-overlooked odd man out. Bowman is Hendrick\u2019s dark horse. He\u2019s never high on the fantasy radar. He\u2019s not elite and doesn\u2019t scream value \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t matter. Picks don\u2019t need to be flashy; they need to be optimal. Bowman has appeared in eight optimal DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR lineups in 2025.<\/p>\n
11. Bubba Wallace ($7,500) \u2014 Low salary for a driver who finished fourth at Richmond last fall and sixth at Iowa. At under $8K, a top-10 finish could make him an optimal DraftKings play.<\/p>\n
12. Tyler Reddick ($8,700) \u2014 This has been a disappointing season for Reddick. At times, teammate Bubba Wallace has been the lead driver. Richmond is a tough place for Reddick to get back on track.<\/p>\n
13. John Hunter Nemechek ($6,200) \u2014 The Legacy Motor Club No. 42 Toyota is coming around. The team made offseason changes and has steadily improved in 2025. Nemechek finished 15th at Iowa and recorded a 13.3 wARP (weighted average running position).<\/p>\n
14. Austin Dillon ($7,300) \u2014 Don\u2019t let the finish of last fall\u2019s Richmond race fool you. Dillon got an iRacing-style win, turning two cars on the final lap to take the checkered flag. RCR hasn\u2019t exactly been the cleanest lately. Before that controversial ending, Dillon had speed \u2014 and he also earned a top-10 at Iowa.<\/p>\n
15. Jesse Love ($5,200) \u2014 This is the young RCR driver\u2019s big shot. Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon may not be in RCR Cup cars much longer. Austin Hill was once the future star of the organization, but his shine has faded due to recent on-track transgressions. A top-20 from Love would start the promotion conversation.<\/p>\n