Fantasy Fastlane: Blue Oval brigade entering EchoPark Speedway

Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice after qualifying, including changes you should consider.

This weekend marks the ninth race at the reconfigured EchoPark Speedway where drafting is a premium. Three drivers — William Byron, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano — have won twice at the hybrid superspeedway, meaning the usual suspects often contend for the win. Despite that, the race tends to conclude with a thrilling finish, with seven consecutive superspeedway races being decided on a last-lap pass.

Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It‘s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36

MUST START

Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Starting Blaney at a drafting track for a second straight week could be a risk given he finished 27th in the Daytona 500 (though still banked 27 points). However, he leads the Cup Series at the reconfigured EchoPark with six top-10 finishes in eight starts and is tied for the most top fives (four).

Driver: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Despite being involved in multiple crashes last week, Logano managed a third-place finish in the Daytona 500. He is elite in the draft, scoring two victories in the last six trips to Georgia. He leads the league with 333 laps led here since the reconfiguration.

Driver: Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Vintage Keselowski was on display during the Daytona 500, with the No. 6 constantly in the mix. The same could be said at EchoPark, with a pair of runner-up finishes in eight starts at the reconfigured 1.5-mile circuit. The 2012 Cup champion has six second-place finishes at drafting tracks since last winning one (Talladega, 2021).

fords drafting

DRIVERS TO AVOID

Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Larson has seen an uptick in finishes at superspeedways of late, but EchoPark has been his kryptonite. Sure, he finished third in this race last spring, but it‘s his only top 10 in eight starts at the reconfigured EchoPark. In that same timeframe, he leads all drivers with five DNFs

Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: After one race, all four JGR drivers are outside the top 25 in points. Unfortunately for Briscoe, it might not get much better this week, as he‘s never finished better than 15th in eight starts at the EchoPark reconfiguration. He has failed to finish three of the last four races here.

SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Driver: Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Suárez has a quartet of top fives at Atlanta, tied with Blaney for the league best in eight visits. Three of those have been finishes of second or better (all in the last five races), though he failed to finish both races last year due to crashes.

Driver: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: For the second week in a row, Hocevar is listed as a sleeper. It nearly paid off last week with a Harley J. Earl Trophy as the No. 77 car was leading at the white-flag lap. Hocevar was inches away from winning this race last year, posting top 10s in both events.

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Tyler Reddick vs. Chase Elliott
Pick: Elliott
Comment: Full transparency, Elliott could be listed as a must-start since he’s the series‘ most recent victor at his home venue. Reddick, this year‘s Daytona 500 winner, does have three finishes of sixth or better in the last six EchoPark races, but Elliott‘s 9.14 average finish leads all drivers at EchoPark.

Riley Herbst vs. Brad Keselowski
Pick: Keselowski
Comment: Coming off his best career finish, Herbst is a formidable superspeedway competitor, scoring all three of his career top 10s in the draft. Keselowski is arguably the best superspeedway driver of this generation, though, as his seven drafting track wins are the most among active drivers.

Carson Hocevar vs. Chris Buescher
Pick: Hocevar
Comment: Buescher is no slouch at superspeedways, finishing seventh at Daytona and has a pair of top 10s in the last four Atlanta visits. There is something about Hocevar here that‘s appealing, as his aggressive style has proved effective recently with four top 10s in the last six drafting races. Don‘t be surprised if this is the week when he breaks through to Victory Lane.

Michael McDowell vs. Zane Smith
Pick: Smith
Comment: McDowell nearly stretched his fuel tank to win the Daytona 500, but it was Smith who won the opening stage. Smith flies under the radar at drafting tracks, posting three top 10s in the last four races.

MY LINEUP

Starting five: Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric, Carson Hocevar
Garage pick: Kyle Busch

36 FOR 36

Pick: Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: While Suárez‘s Atlanta success came with Trackhouse Racing, the same principles apply. Regardless of the venue, he‘s been in the hunt lately at drafting tracks, with only one finish worse than 13th in the last five races.

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