The NASCAR Cup Series will make its triumphant return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval this Sunday. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first-ever race on the bricks, which a then-23-year-old Jeff Gordon won in dominant fashion. The last time we were on the oval at this track, Kevin Harvick piloted his No. 4 Ford to the win, edging out Matt Kenseth and his No. 42 Chevrolet. The top three drivers in that race have since retired, so we can expect a very different event this time out. Without further ado, let’s dive into our top NASCAR DFS picks for the 2024 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, including Austin Cindric.
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NASCAR DFS Picks: Top Drivers for the 2024 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis
Tyler Reddick | 2024 Brickyard 400 DFS Picks | Indianapolis Motor Speedway
This article was written before our NASCAR DFS projections run. Check back for Stokastic’s industry-leading NASCAR DFS projections, including our top drivers tool!
When a driver qualifies on the pole after recording the fastest lap and fastest 10-lap average in practice, they’ve usually got a good shot of winning the race. That’s what we see with Tyler Reddick ($8,600) this weekend. His No. 45 Toyota has been unstoppable.
Reddick was the only driver to crack a 49.2 in the first round of qualifying, and he was also the only driver to crack a 49.4 in the second round. He also cracked a 49.2 in practice, beating out the next-best driver by just under 0.2 seconds.
Reddick’s 10-lap average was especially impressive, as he posted an average speed of 179.1 mph, gapping next-best Kyle Larson (178.8) and third-fastest Denny Hamlin (178.2). But practice and qualifying only mean so much — what can we expect during the race?
Although the venue that hosted last weekend’s event, Pocono Raceway, features only three corners, it is a great comparator for Indianapolis. Both tracks are massive 2.5-mile venues with relatively little banking. Reddick finished a not-quite-dominant sixth last weekend, but notably, since July 2020, he has a combined two top-5s, (both runner-ups), five top-10s and six top-15s over six starts at both tracks.
At $8,600, Reddick is too good not to be in your NASCAR DFS lineup.
Austin Cindric
I have written about Austin Cindric ($7,600) a few times this season, most notably before Gateway (where he won). He only finished 18th at Pocono last weekend, but he gained two positions and came in at a bargain-bin salary. He’ll start this race in P38, giving him plenty of place differential points to earn.
Cindric tagged the wall during qualifying, which shouldn’t affect him during the race but did relegate him to a brutal starting position. His No. 2 Ford was fast in practice, as he clocked the fifth-best 10-lap average and 15th-best overall lap.
Although Cindric probably won’t be competing for the win on Sunday, he should climb his way through the field, especially if his teammates’ speed is any indication. Ryan Blaney ($10,000) won at Pocono last weekend and will start seventh. Joey Logano ($8,600) finished fifth last week and will start 12th this week.
