NASCAR travels to Illinois for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, July 5. It will be the first time NASCAR has raced at the track since 2019, when Alex Bowman won. It will also be the first oval race in three weeks, as the Cup Series went back-to-back on road-course setups (San Diego, Sonoma).
The race features Denny Hamlin as its early betting favorite, narrowly ahead of Tyler Reddick. Longshots will be capable of winning with strong practice and qualifying sessions. Who knows what may happen? That is the beauty of our weekly Fantasy NASCAR analysis; we can try to figure it out.
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Top Picks
Ryan Blaney Wins at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
No driver has more top-10 finishes in 2026 than Ryan Blaney (13; 55%). He is on a streak of 6 straight top-10 finishes. Yet Blaney is priced as the 5th-most expensive at Chicagoland Speedway.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Elliott has 3 race wins in 2026. While Fantasy NASCAR platforms tend to favor Toyotas at the top, value can be had by siding with Chevrolet. They appear to be finding good speed in recent weeks. If any Chevrolet driver can win, it will be either Elliott or Larson. Elliott is the 6th-most expensive driver on the race weekend.
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Mid-Tier Picks
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Why not Hocevar? He has 1 race win, 9 top-10 finishes, and an average result of 13.6; 6th-best in the Cup Series. We know that Hocevar’s aggression often leads to great finishes. The upside is highest with Hocevar among all non-top-8 drivers.
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Wallace has been a true boom-or-bust driver this season. His last 5 races feature 2 top-3 finishes and 3 outside the top 20. Side with Wallace based on his upside alone. Toyota is flashing elite speed, and while 23XI Racing has 6 race wins this season, Wallace expects to have a fast car. What will he do with it?
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Longshot Picks
Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
In Heim’s last start, he won the San Diego Street Course race at Naval Base Coronado. The kid is legit. He will go full-time with 23XI Racing in 2027 and looks ready to compete right now, as evidenced by his race win.
Once again, Heim is an upside play. With the confidence gained from that victory and Toyota’s speed, Heim could definitely end up in the top 10, if not even higher.
Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
At recent ovals, Jones has run very strongly, with 6th and 2nd-place finishes at Pocono and Michigan. He also finished 11th at Nashville and 13th at Charlotte. Back to the All-Star Race, Jones finished in 3rd place. What more can be asked for regarding a driver priced in the bottom half of the field?
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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