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

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 6:27 PM (ET) and this race will transition from day to night, so it’s important teams keep up with adjustments since the track will change.

On Saturday, practice was held for Charlotte. Teams only had 20 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agendas. Make sure you check out our Charlotte NASCAR Practice Notes, Charlotte Group Speed Rankings, Charlotte Practice Speeds and 10-Lap Averages and Charlotte 5,10,15 and 20 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet Heat Chart.

Here’s Charlotte Starting Lineup.

1) William Byron
Start 3rd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Charlotte Outlook – Look for William Byron to have a fast #24 and be a factor at Charlotte. In practice, Byron had the 2nd best 10-lap average in Group 2, said his car felt good and was happy with his pace. Byron also has another added advantage this weekend, he took part in a Goodyear tire test here in March. At high-speed 1.5’s, Byron ranks among the best and since 2024 at these venues, Byron has the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking, the 2nd best average finish (9.6) and the 2nd best Driver Rating. At Charlotte, Byron’s been elite and over the last four races “Performance Wise” he’s been a top five performer. In the Next Gen over the last three, Byron has the best Total Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Driver Rating, the 3rd best average running position and a 2.5 average finish minus 2022. Last year, Byron ranked among the best. In the race, Byron finished 3rd, had a 3.7 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and led 49 laps. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, Byron won Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, finished 4th in Stage #3, led 91 laps, had a 3.6 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the 2nd best Total Speed ranking. In 2022, Byron was a top ten contender but finished an asterisk mark 32nd. On lap 183 he was running in 8th, but then shortly after that he was caught up in a “Big One” which marked the end of his race. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 5th. In 2021, Byron finished 4th.
DraftKings $10,500/ FanDuel $11,500

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

2) Kyle Larson
Start 2nd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Charlotte Outlook – Kyle Larson has been the class of the field at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks and in the Coca Cola 600, look for him to be tough to beat. If Larson wasn’t racing 1,100-miles with split attention, he would be my #1. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Larson’s had the best Total Speed Ranking every race, he’s earned the best Driver Rating every race, he has the best average running position by a wide margin (4.0), he’s averaged leading the most laps per race (124), has the best average finish (4.7) and he’s the only driver who’s finished in the top ten every race. At Charlotte, Larson who won in 2021 has been elite and over his last four “mostly” incident free races his average finish is 6.7. Last year, Larson 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 due to no practice 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 had multiple problems and had what he called the worst race of his life but he still nearly raced his way to victory lane but a failed “Chase Briscoe Hail Mary” while leading ultimately doomed him to a 9th. In 2021, Larson smoked the field en route to victory lane, leading 327 laps, had a 1.3 average running position, had the best Total Speed Ranking and was just .5 shy of having a perfect driver rating. In practice, Larson had the 2nd best 15-lap average in Group 2.
DraftKings $11,500/ FanDuel $14,000

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3) Tyler Reddick
Start 12th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Charlotte Outlook – Tyler Reddick is an elite rim rider who’ll be a factor at Charlotte. In the Next Gen at this high-speed 1.5, Reddick’s been a standout performer, having a series best 5.0 average finish, the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and the 3rd best Driver Rating. Last year, 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 2023, Reddick had a 5.2 average running position, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and then finished 5th overall. In terms of speed stats, Reddick ranked 2nd for Green Flag Speed, 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and then 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Reddick finished 2nd in Stage #1, 8th in Stage #2, 4th in Stage #3 and then finished 6th when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Reddick had an 8.2 average running position and the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. At high-speed 1.5’s going back to 2024, Reddick has the 3rd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking. In practice, Reddick was fast and in a stacked Group 2 he had the 2nd best 15-lap average. 
DraftKings $10,000/ FanDuel $12,500

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