After a two-week pause for the Paris Olympics, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to NBC for what should be an exciting event at Richmond Raceway. With the playoffs fast approaching, drivers who haven’t won yet are feeling the pressure to do so — or to at least build up some insurance in the points standings. Without further ado, let’s dive into our top NASCAR DFS picks for the 2024 Cook Out 400 at Richmond, including Chris Buescher.
Subscribe today for access to our industry-leading resources, including our lineup generator (available for NFL, NBA, MLB and PGA), our DFS simulation tools (available for NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, MMA and NASCAR) and our industry-leading DFS projections for every sport.
NASCAR DFS Picks: Top Drivers for the 2024 Cook Out 400 at Richmond
Chris Buescher | 2024 Cook Out 400 DFS Picks | Richmond Raceway
Check out Stokastic’s industry-leading NASCAR DFS projections, including our top drivers tool!
We’re on a short track for this one, so that means dominator points will be coming at a premium due to the sheer number of laps in the race. That means less of a focus on stacking drivers in the back for place differential and more swings at drivers close to the front.
Few drivers stand out more from a point-per-dollar perspective than Chris Buescher ($8,900) while he certainly isn’t the cheapest piece to feature in your lineup, he’ll start in seventh and flashed major long-run speed in practice.
Buescher was the second-fastest driver by 10-lap consecutive average for this weekend’s race, sandwiched between teammates Ross Chastain ($7,900) and Daniel Saurez ($6,800), both of whom should return value tonight. However, those two will start 22nd and 21st, respectively, making it harder for them to score early dominator points.
Unlike Chastain and Suarez, we’ve actually seen Buescher win at Richmond. He won the fall race here last year after leading 88 laps. His teammate, Brad Keselowski, led 102. Those two didn’t have the same edge here in the spring, but they both scored top-10 results.
The final note is that we have the new option tire that we saw run at the All-Star Race a few months ago. Buescher finished third in that event and recorded the third-best driver rating. I trust him to bring home a solid finish and compete for dominator points this evening.
Justin Haley
When it comes to punt plays, I’m interested in Justin Haley ($6,000) and Zane Smith ($5,100). Smith stands out as the better value of the two. While his results in the early part of the season warranted such a bargain-bin salary, Smith came into the Olympic Break with three top-20s (and a runner-up!) in his last four starts. Smith came into his rookie year as an incredibly exciting talent, and while it’s taken him some time to adjust, I believe he is starting to figure things out.
However, it’s Haley who is the better option in NASCAR DFS this week. Sure, he’ll cost you an extra $900, but he is also starting in 36th, far behind Smith in 20th. That gives us a ton of opportunities to get place differential points. Further, Smith and Haley showed similar long-run speed in practice, with Haley scoring the seventh-best average to Smith’s sixth-best average.
What ultimately leads me to like Haley more than Smith is what we saw from him at North Wilkesboro. Haley ran fourth in the All-Star Open, outrunning the likes of Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe. Haley may not contend for the win, but he should improve his position enough to pay off his low-end salary.
