FlurrySports gives their NASCAR fantasy picks and other DFS lineup advice for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 NASCAR race today, including Ryan Blaney.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads out west this weekend for the first of two races at Phoenix Raceway this season. Sunday afternoon’s Straight Talk Wireless 500 could offer up some surprises, given that it is the first oval race this year at a non-drafting track. From a NASCAR fantasy picks standpoint, cream figures to rise to the top this week. The race will also be a key benchmark for where drivers and teams stand early in the season.
Let’s dive into a full fantasy NASCAR preview for the Straight Talk Wireless 500. We’ll share our best NASCAR fantasy lineup picks, take a look at this week’s featured head-to-head matchups and more.
NASCAR Fantasy Scoring Overview
For those who may be new to playing NASCAR Fantasy under the official rules this year, the good news is that it could not be any simpler to grasp! Drivers in your lineup accumulate the same number of fantasy points for you as they do NASCAR standings points in the race. The only new wrinkle this year is the inflated number of points awarded to the race winner under the new format.
The following list summarizes the ways in which your drivers can accumulate NASCAR fantasy points:
- Outright Winner (55 points)
- Finishing Position (35 points for second, 34 for third, etc., down to 1 point for finishing 36th or worse)
- Stage Points (10 points for stage winner, 9 for second, etc., down to 1 point for finishing 10th in stage)
- Fastest Lap of Race (1 point)
Don’t forget that you can only start a driver in your lineup a maximum of ten times over the course of the full 36-race season schedule. That’s where strategy comes in to deploy a sleeper or two each week.
Finally, there are four head-to-head driver matchups that NASCAR Fantasy offers each week. For each driver matchup that you pick correctly, you earn an additional 10 points towards your weekly score. Don’t worry, we’ll share our recommendations for these matchups in this column too!
Straight Talk Wireless 500 NASCAR Fantasy Picks
Lineup Locks
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
From a statistical standpoint, there is no driver more deserving of being in NASCAR fantasy lineups this week than Ryan Blaney. He has been on an incredible tear at Phoenix Raceway going back several years. Along with winning outright last fall, Blaney has four runner-ups and a whopping eight top-5 finishes in his last nine starts here. Enough said.
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Larson has not won at Phoenix since 2021, but he remains one of the safer fantasy selections at this track. Over the last three years, he has compiled five top-5 results in the six NASCAR Cup Series races held at the one-mile oval. He picked up right where he left off after winning the series championship here last fall with a third-place run by qualifying second for Sunday’s race.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
As the winner of the spring Phoenix race in each of the last two seasons, Christopher Bell has to be considered a major threat again this weekend. Bell has averaged a top-10 finish here spanning his last six starts, and his average driver rating of 110.8 over that same span is second only to William Byron of the drivers who will be in the field on Sunday.
Drivers to Avoid
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
It may seem a little awkward to fade Brad Keselowski in NASCAR fantasy this week, given that he finished second in the most recent race here. However, in his seven prior Phoenix starts before last fall, Keselowski only finished better than 15th one time. He will also be forced to start from the rear on Sunday in a backup car after taking damage in practice.
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Over the last 10 races that the NASCAR Cup Series has run at Phoenix, Bubba Wallace has only placed in the top-10 on two occasions. Furthermore, he has finished 22nd or worse in half of those ten starts. 23XI Racing has momentum coming in thanks to what Tyler Reddick has accomplished, but Wallace doesn’t have the track stats needed to warrant fantasy consideration.
Sleepers to Consider
Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez followed up a 20-point effort in last week’s race with a fast practice and qualifying stint that will see him roll off fourth in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 starting lineup. Spire Motorsports has been impressive to begin the year, so it will be interesting to see how they hold up speed-wise at a more standard track. Suarez has finished 13th or better in three of his last five starts here, albeit for Trackhouse Racing.
Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
The Team Penske Fords figure to be a hot commodity for NASCAR fantasy picks this weekend, given their track record, so savvy managers might wish to consider the car who is closely aligned with that trio. Such an approach worked well a year ago, as Josh Berry finished fourth and seventh in the two Phoenix races last season driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.
NASCAR Fantasy Driver Matchups and Predictions
The following are the four driver head-to-head matchups that are spotlighted by NASCAR Fantasy this week, along with our predictions for each.
Tyler Reddick vs. Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick is the toast of the NASCAR world on the heels of winning the first three races to begin the 2026 campaign. That streak likely ends on Sunday at a track where he has struggled to find consistency over the years. We’ll go against the wishes of the general public and take Larson here.
Prediction: Kyle Larson
Ryan Blaney vs. Christopher Bell
This NASCAR fantasy matchup pits both of last year’s Phoenix winners against one another. Bell has won each of the last two spring races here and will roll off 12th on the grid this weekend. Meanwhile, Blaney is set to start fifth and gets the nod as our pick based on how strong the entire Team Penske camp was in qualifying.
Prediction: Ryan Blaney
Denny Hamlin vs. Joey Logano
Honestly, I always feel like a bit of a chump whenever picking against Denny Hamlin. It’s a nod to a Hall of Fame-worthy career that includes strong stats at Phoenix. He was runner-up in this race a year ago and boasts an average finish of 8.8 in his last ten starts. However, he hasn’t won over that span, something that Logano has done twice. We’ll reluctantly back the pole sitter.
Prediction: Joey Logano
Ross Chastain vs. Chris Buescher
After achieving four top-3 finishes including an outright win in the 2023 Fall race, Ross Chastain has now failed to crack the top-10 in his last three starts at Phoenix. Meanwhile, Buescher has very quietly compiled three top-5’s and four top-10’s in his last five starts here. Fords have excelled overall at these shorter tracks in recent years, so we’ll triple down on the blue ovals with this matchup pick.
Prediction: Chris Buescher
NASCAR Fantasy 36 for 36 Selection
Each week, we are concluding NASCAR Fantasy column with our 36 for 36 selection. For those who may be new to the game, this is a separate contest from standard NASCAR fantasy. Managers must pick one single driver to ride with for each race over the course of the season. The fantasy points that your driver scores get added to your season-long total.
The catch is that you can only use each driver once over the duration of the season. Think of it as a blend between NASCAR fantasy scoring (without a full lineup) and an NFL survivor contest (without the eliminations).
While there are a number of excellent 36 for 36 choices for the Straight Talk Wireless 500, I simply can’t ignore Ryan Blaney’s stats at Phoenix Raceway. Four runner-up finishes, last fall’s outright win and an additional fifth-place finish in six of his last seven starts here is the epitome of consistency. The fact that he qualified fifth is hardly enough to deter us from using him this week.
36 for 36 Pick: Ryan Blaney
