After a two-week hiatus due to the Paris Olympics, the NASCAR Cup Series is back on NBC with an exciting event scheduled for Richmond Raceway. With the playoffs fast approaching, the drivers who have yet to win are feeling the pressure to do so — or at least rack up some guarantees in the points standings. Without further ado, let's take a look at Chris Buescher, the top NASCAR DFS pick for the 2024 Cookout 400 at Richmond.
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NASCAR DFS picks: Top drivers for the 2024 Cook Out 400 at Richmond
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Chris Buescher | 2024 Cookout 400 DFS Picks | Richmond Raceway
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This time around, on a shorter track, there are so many more laps in the race that Dominator points will be at a premium, meaning instead of focusing on chasing down drivers at the back in the standings, you'll be targeting drivers closer to the front.
Few drivers stand out more in terms of cost per point than Chris Buescher ($8,900). He certainly isn't the cheapest guy to have in the lineup, but he started seventh and showed impressive speed over long distances in practice.
Coming into this weekend's race, Buescher is the second-fastest driver based on a 10-lap rolling average, sandwiched between teammates Ross Chastain ($7,900) and Daniel Saures ($6,800), both of whom should return value tonight, but will start 22nd and 21st, respectively, making it tough for them to gain an early advantage in the points.
Unlike Chastain and Suarez, we've seen Buescher actually win at Richmond. He led 88 laps to win the fall race here last year. His teammate, Brad Keselowski, led 102 laps. Those two didn't have the same dominance in the spring, but both posted top-10 finishes.
Finally, we are running new option tires that were used in the All-Star Race a few months ago. Buescher finished third in that event and was the third-best driver in the standings. We are looking for a solid performance from him tonight and compete for Dominator points.
Justin Haley
As for punting, I am interested in Justin Haley ($6,000) and Zane Smith ($5,100). Smith stands out as the more valuable of the two. His early season performances justified such a bargain salary, but Smith came into the Olympic break with three top 20 finishes (and a runner-up finish!) in his final four games. Smith is an incredibly exciting talent coming into his rookie year, and although he took some time to adjust, I think he is starting to figure things out.
But Haley is the better choice in NASCAR DFS this week. Sure, you'll pay him an extra $900, but he'll start in 36th place, well behind Smith in 20th, which gives him a great chance to gain some standings points. Plus, Smith and Haley showed similar long-distance speed in practice, with Haley posting a 7th-place average and Smith posting a 6th-place average.
The reason I ended up liking Haley more than Smith was because of his performance in North Wilkesboro. Haley placed fourth in the All-Star Open, beating Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe. Haley may not be competing for the championship, but he should be able to finish high enough to repay his low salary.
