Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions / The Low Tier

Todd Gilliland
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Todd Gilliland has been sneaky hot and heading to Charlotte, he’s finished between 10th to 16th in 5 of the last 6 races. Gilliland hasn’t performed as good as his results but I wouldn’t count him out from sneaking in another solid finish. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Gilliland ranks 29th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings but over the last two races he’s come home with results of 11th (Texas) and 12th (Kansas).
Charlotte Track History – At Charlotte in the Next Gen minus 2023 where he crashed, Todd Gilliland is 2 for 2 at finishing in the teens with a 16.5 average finish. In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings, Gilliland ranks 31st. Last year, Gilliland started 35th, had a 25.8 average running position and then finished 17th. In 2023 in the #51, Gilliland was a 30’s performer and crashed which led to his 33rd. Personally, I wouldn’t read into his afternoon at all. In 2022, Gilliland finished 16th. That said, Gilliland was the last place finisher on the lead lap and only 19 cars didn’t DNF. In the race, Gilliland had a 21.2 average running position and the 30th best Total Speed Ranking.

Connor Zilisch
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Connor Zilisch will be making his first Cup oval start in the Coca Cola 600. Zilisch is fresh off an injury that caused him to miss Texas and this is a long grueling race, so I think it’s best to just temper expectations for the teenager. Personally, I would just view him as a mid-pack driver and hope for the best in his Track House equipment.
Charlotte Track History – Zilisch has never competed at Charlotte in any NASCAR national series.

Austin Dillon
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Austin Dillon snuck in a Coca Cola 600 win in 2017 and he’s been running a little better in recent weeks (3 top tens in the last 4 races) so he might have upside if you’re looking to roll the dice. This is a long race an goofy things can happen, and included in that is him winning this previously. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Dillon recently finished 7th at Texas but in the other two races he finished 22nd or worse.
Charlotte Track History – At Charlotte, Austin Dillon has been solid in the results column and in 4 of the last 6 he’s finished in the top 15. For his career, Dillon’s average finish is 16.7. Last year, Dillon was an outright dud. In the race, Dillon finished 27th, had a 28.6 average running position and then ranked 30th for Total Speed Rankings. In 2023, Dillon started 33rd but raced his way up to a 9th place finish. In the race, Dillon didn’t place in any Stages, had a 20.5 average running position and ranked 21st in terms of Total Speed Rankings, so he’s a driver who greatly benefitted from all the attrition/mayhem. In 2022, Dillon almost had a “Where did he come from” moment in overtime where he was battling four-wide for the lead, but then as soon as he got there he crashed which led to his 22nd. In the race, Dillon finished 9th in Stage #3, was running in 9th on lap 391 before “Mega Mayhem” broke out at the end and had a 14.5 average running position. In the three races prior to that, Dillon had results of 6th, 8th and 14th.

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