NASCAR By The Numbers - Cook Out Clash 2026
Race into the NASCAR DFS streets with the most trusted NASCAR analyst in the industry! Stevie has been providing fantasy NASCAR content since the very first NASCAR DFS contest and has taken down 10+ large-field tournaments in NASCAR alone. Multiple subscribers of his NASCAR package have been $1,000,000 winners thanks to the premium content he provides. By The Numbers for the 2026 Cook Out Clash will preview the racetrack, roster construction, past optimal lineups, core plays, tournament plays, value plays, and potential dominators.
NASCAR DFS Picks: Cook Out Clash 2026
The 2026 NASCAR season is officially here! Tonight, we head to Bowman Gray Stadium for the Cook Out Clash. With this being a preseason event and given the format, we will only have projections for yearly and monthly subscribers. This is the first race with the 750 HP short package, and we have a new soft left-side tire. We have 20 of the 23 drivers set, but we will get two more from the LCQ race and one driver who scored the most points in 2025 that misses the LCQ top 2 spots. The three favorites to get in on points are Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, and Josh Berry.
The Clash format is unique, and the race is different, but we still have 200 laps. With 200 laps, we’re looking at 90 fastest-lap points and 50 laps-led points. With only green-flag laps counting, we’re going to have a full 140 dominator points for this race. Last season, the fastest laps came from the front, and it was hard to pass the leader. I’ll be watching the last-chance qualifier race to get an idea if the 750hp package makes a difference or not. Not necessarily from the leader but from a car running in the top 5. With no heat races and the potential of weather issues, this could end up being a wild race. The cars that qualified in only had 20 minutes of track time. With that said, I think we still want 1-2 dominators. I will build with variance in mind and use some of the cars starting 15th or worse for some place differential floor.
Starting Lineup
1. Kyle Larson
2. William Byron
3. Ty Gibbs
4. Chase Briscoe
5. Christopher Bell
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Bubba Wallace
8. Chris Buescher
9. Ross Chastain
10. Tyler Reddick
11. Chase Elliott
12. Carson Hocevar
13. Kyle Busch
14. Joey Logano
15. Austin Dillon
16. Ryan Blaney
17. Shane Van Gisbergen
18. Ryan Preece
19. Connor Zilisch
20. Daniel Suarez
21. LCQ #1
22. LCQ #2
23. Points Provisional
Core Plays
Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece
I think there is a good chance that one of Larson or William Byron lead the early portion of this race. It was extremely tough to pass the leader last season, and even with the softer tire and more hp, I still think it’s going to be tough to pass the leader. Larson gets the preferred starting line on the inside, and that’s why I ultimately choose him over Byron. Larson had great launch speed in practice and should be able to stack up the dominator points early. Blaney was 5th in my practice model. He was one of the best long-run cars and drove through the field last season. With him starting 16th, he has a high floor with a massive ceiling. Preece is one of the best short-track racers in the field. He went out early in qualifying and was able to just hold on to start 18th. Preece had great pace in the first practice session and was one of the few drivers that didn’t use a second set of tires in practice.
Tournament Targets
William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman
Byron and Reddick were the top two drivers in my practice model. Byron was one of the best long-run cars, and he’s my favorite to win this race. He’s going to be one of my highest-owned drivers. Toyota had a lot of speed in practice and qualifying. Reddick didn’t have the qualifying effort he hoped for, but now he has more upside for place differential. Reddick was driving through cars in practice and had some of the best fall-off. Bowman missed the qualifying and will be in the last-chance qualifier. Even if he doesn’t race his way in, he has the most points from 2025. He will race on Wednesday night. Bowman was 11th in my practice model and was one of the best in the first practice session. Despite the qualifying effort, I think Bowman has some place differential upside.
Image Credit: Getty Images