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

On Sunday, NASCAR will race at Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600. This crown jewel event is a test of endurance for the teams, the machines and many at home. This is a unique race in many ways. Not only is it the longest race of the year, but it’s also broken up into four Stages of 100/100/100/100 laps. This is a long race and look for the track to transition throughout as we go from day to night.

Charlotte is a 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. Three 1.5’s have already been visited in 2024, so make sure you study those races. Here’s a look at 2024 High-Speed 1.5-Mile Track Total Speed Ranking and High-Speed 1.5-Mile Track Total Speed Rankings since 2023.

On Saturday, practice was held for Charlotte. Teams only had 20 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agenda’s (some want to focus on long runs, some just want to feel out their car, some might focus on qualifying so they can start near the front etc.). Make sure you check out our Charlotte Practice Notes and Charlotte 5,10,15 and 20 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet Heat Chart.

Here’s Charlotte Starting Lineup.

NEW for 2024, check out our Charlotte Quick Rankings!

Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Fantasy NASCAR Full Field Rankings

1) Denny Hamlin
Start 11th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential –Medium-High
Charlotte Outlook – Denny Hamlin, the 2022 Charlotte Coca Cola 600 champion will be tough to beat. Charlotte has been a stellar venue for Hamlin and over his last three incident free races his average finish is 3.3. Another attribute you have to love about Hamlin is how strong he’s been at high-speed 1.5’s. In 2024 at high-speed 1.5’s, Hamlin’s been a standout performer having the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking and if it wasn’t for late cautions in the last two races, Hamlin could easily have back-to-back wins. Going back to 2023 at high-speed 1.5’s, Hamlin ranks 2nd in terms of Total Speed Rankings. Also, since 2023 at these venues minus asterisk mark results at Texas 2024, Charlotte 2023 and Las Vegas #1 2023, Hamlin’s average finish is 5.2. The Coca Cola 600 is a long race where adjustments will need to be made and that’s a strength for this veteran team.
Charlotte Track Record Breakdown – Denny Hamlin has been elite at Charlotte. Hamlin raced his way to victory lane in 2022 and over his last three incident free races his average finish is 3.3. In terms of Charlotte Next Gen Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranks 4th. Last year, Hamlin was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 35th after Chase Elliott when kamikaze on him. In the race, Hamlin led 20 laps, finished 6th in Stage #1 but then on lap 185 while battling Chase Elliott for 6th, the #9 took him out. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 6th. In 2022, Hamlin had a strong showing and raced his way to victory lane. By no means did he have the best car but he hung around all night and was position at the end to take advantage of the situation. In the race, Hamlin started on the pole, led 15 laps, finished 10th in Stage #1, was involved in a “Big One” in Stage #2 while running near 10th, finished 10th in Stage #3 and was running in 4th on lap 391 before mass mayhem ensued. In the two races prior to that, Hamlin had results of 7th (2021) and 2nd (2020 #2).
DraftKings $10,700/ FanDuel $13,500

Further Recommended Reading: Charlotte Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Charlotte Scoring Projections, FanDuel Charlotte Scoring Projections

2) Kyle Larson
NOTE: Kyle Larson will miss the start of the Coca Cola 600. Justin Allgaier will drive the #5. I would view Allgaier as maybe around a 20th place driver who’ll be high risk of burning you. Just bump up everyone else below up 1 position. 
Start 10th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential –Medium-High
Charlotte Outlook – In the Charlotte Coca Cola 600, the road to victory lane likely goes thru Kyle Larson. Larson put on a display of domination in 2021 and over the last three 600’s, he could’ve easily won two of them and over all three he’s been top 3 good, “Performance Wise.” When it comes to racing at high-speed 1.5’s, Larson’s the man to beat. In 2024 at these venues, Larson’s won 2 of the 3 races and could easily be 3 for 3 at racing his way to victory lane if he didn’t lose a tire while leading at Texas. Also, in 2024 on this track type, Larson has the best Driver Rating by a wide margin, the best average running position (6.8) and he’s averaged leading 107 laps per race. Going back to 2023 at high-speed 1.5’s, Larson ranks #1 in Total Speed Rankings. In practice, Larson ranked #1 for 5 and 10-lap averages.
Charlotte Track Record Breakdown – Kyle Larson has been an elite performer at Charlotte. Larson put on a display of domination in 2021 and over his last four incident free races his average finish is 6.7. Last summer, 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 had what he called the worst race of his life (unapproved adjustments, pit penalty, spun and even a fire) but he probably should’ve won. In Stage #3 he finished 3rd and then in the final Stage, Larson led 50 laps and was the leader at the 600-mile mark, but he was swept up in late carnage in overtime. When the checkered flag waved, Larson finished 9th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings he ranked 13th but take note his speed over the segments were 21st, 20th, 5th and then 2nd. In 2021, Larson put on a display of domination en route to victory lane. In the race, Larson won the opening three Stages, led 327 laps, had a 1.3 average running position and nearly earned a perfect driver rating. Also in the race, Larson had the best Total Speed Ranking and was the Fastest Driver Late In A Run.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $14,000

3) Chase Elliott
Start 5th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Charlotte Outlook – At Charlotte, look for Chase Elliott to be a contender. Elliott recently won at Texas, just finished 3rd at Kansas and over the combined races held at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks this year, Elliott has a series best 5.3 average finish, the 5th best Driver Rating and his Track Type Total speed Ranking ranks 6th. At Charlotte, Chase Elliott has back-to-back clunker results in the 30’s but in the four prior to that, Elliott had 1-win and a 2.25 average finish. Another attribute you have to like about Elliott is his momentum and over the last seven races heading into the weekend his average finish is a series best 6.3. In practice, Elliott had the best 20-lap average and ranked 2nd in terms of 15-lap averages.
Charlotte Track Record Breakdown – Chase Elliott has been elite at Charlotte. Elliott has back-to-back asterisk mark results in the 30’s but don’t let that scare you away because he didn’t lack when it comes to “Performance.” Last spring, Elliott was a top five contender, but he took himself out when he went kamikaze on Hamlin in Stage #2 while battling for 6th which led to his asterisk mark 34th. In 2022, Elliott might’ve just been the best but he finished an asterisk mark 33rd. In the race, Elliott won Stage #1, led 86 laps but then in Stage #2 on lap 186 while doing a slide job on Suarez for 2nd he got into the wall which damaged the #9 and he didn’t beat the damaged vehicle clock which marked the end of his race. In terms of speed stats, Elliott had the best Total Speed Ranking and the best Green Flag Speed. Over the four Charlotte races prior to that, Elliott had results of 2nd, 1st, 2nd and 4th.
DraftKings $9,300/ FanDuel $11,500