Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Christopher Bell
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Christopher Bell, the defending Coca Cola 600 champion should be on your short list of favorites. Bell’s been a standout performer at Charlotte and in the Next Gen, he’s 3 for 3 at being top five good. Also over the three Next Gen races, Bell has the best Driver Rating, the 2nd best Average Running Position and the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. At high-speed 1.5-mile tracks, Bell’s elite. Bell’s fresh off a runner-up at Kansas and going back to last year’s Coca Cola 600, Bell has the best average finish (5.5), the best average running position and the 2nd best Driver Rating.
Charlotte Track History – Christopher Bell has performed at an elite-level at Charlotte and over the three Next Gen races, he’s been a top five contender. Last summer, Bell was the best and easily raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Bell started 3rd, finished 4th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 3.1 average running position, led 90 laps, earned the best Driver Rating and of course raced his way to victory lane. In terms of speed stats, Bell had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, Bell was a top five performer but finished an asterisk mark 24th. In the race, Bell finished 2nd in Stage #1 but then in Stage #2 while running in 5th, Bell got an unapproved adjustments penalty during the rain red flag. In Stage #3, Bell rebounded back up to 5th, but on lap 232 while running 5th he spun (didn’t hit anything). Bell rebounded yet again and was up to 11th on lap 369 but then a few laps later on lap 374, Larson spun out and Bell then crashed, dooming him to his 24th. In terms of Speed Stats, Bell ranked #1 for Speed Late In A Run and his Total Speed Ranking ranked 7th. In 2022, Bell had multiple problems but still managed to finish 5th.

Ryan Blaney
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Coca Cola 600 champion will be tough to beat in this crown jewel. The #12 team is one of the fastest, week in and week out and there’s no doubt he’ll have a rocket for this race. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Blaney has the 3rd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking and over the last two he’s come home with a pair of 3rd place finishes. On Sunday, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Charlotte Track History – Ryan Blaney has been strong at Charlotte. Blaney raced his way to victory lane in 2023 and in 3 of the last 6 he’s finished in the top 3. In the Next Gen, Blaney’s had misleading results in 2 of the 3 races but in terms of speed, he ranks 4th. Last year, Blaney was a top ten performer but finished 39th. In the race, Blaney started 16th, finished 7th in Stage #1 but then in Stage #2, Blaney had an issue during a pit stop, went back out on the track, slammed into the wall and then his race was over, dooming him to his poor result. Shortly before his demise, Blaney was running around 11th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 11th. In 2023, Blaney took the competition to the woodshed and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Blaney finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, won Stage #3 and then most importantly took home the trophy when the checkered flag waved. In addition to winning, Blaney led 163 laps, had a 2.5 average running position, earned the best driver rating by a wide margin and had the best Total Speed Ranking. In 2022, Blaney finished 6th in Stage #1 but then in Stage #2 on lap 163 while running in 5th he slapped the wall. Then near the end of the Stage while he was around 13th, he was caught up in a “Big One”, leading to his 29th. Over the three races prior to that, Blaney had results of 13th, 3rd and 3rd.

William Byron
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – William Byron will have a fast #24 at Charlotte and there’s no doubt he’s poised to be a factor. Since 2024 at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks, Byron has the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking, the 2nd best average finish (9.6) and the 2nd best Driver Rating. At Charlotte, look for Byron to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Charlotte Track History – William Byron has been elite at Charlotte and over the last four races, he’s been top five good despite what you’ll see in the results column. 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 had a rocket and 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 was a factor. In the race, Byron won the pole, 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 when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the 2nd best Total Speed ranking. In 2022, Byron was sporty and 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.

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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions & The Low Tier