Many drivers would point toward Richmond as their favorite track on the schedule, and it's easy to see why.

This 0.75-mile short track has multiple grooves, worn out pavement that wears tires, and plenty of action-packed racing. It's a unique track where prowess on it tends to be sticky year over year. Certain drivers will have a chance to gobble up points as just three races are left in the 2026 regular season.

In DFS, a 400-lap duration means we'll need to heavily prioritize drivers who can lead laps in this one. The first stage is 70 laps, which could put rear starters in jeopardy of getting trapped a lap down if it runs green to the end. Immense tire wear could shuffle the field at certain points, too.

The green flag for Saturday's race is expected at 7:10 p.m. EST on USA Network.

Every week, DraftKings Daily Fantasy has NASCAR contests for all three of the top touring series. Here are my favorite picks for Saturday's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

Richmond DraftKings NASCAR DFS Studs to Target

Ryan Blaney ($11,000)

Last week didn't go quite according to plan for Ryan Blaney, but he definitely didn't kill you in daily fantasy after finishing 3rd with 129 laps led.

Blaney's crew couldn't get him dialed in on the long run, but the Penske driver is still the series' gold standard at short, flat ovals. He's held a median lap ranking no worse than sixth at any of Phoenix, Darlington, North Wilkesboro, or Iowa -- the four similar tracks to Richmond in my blended sample.

Before I even crunched the numbers, Blaney won the pole for Saturday's race in qualifying and had the fastest car over a 20-lap average in practice. It looks like another week of loading up on #12.

Joey Logano ($10,500)

Joey Logano has owned North Wilkesboro since the Cup Series' return there. I was curious if his dominance would translate to Iowa, and it really did.

Logano had the third-fastest median lap last week behind his teammate, Blaney, and Christopher Bell. A late pit road issue soiled his finish (14th), but I think that will help suppress his ownership in DFS when Blaney, Bell, and Denny Hamlin are easy clicks.

The No. 22 has five finishes of 7th or better in his last six Richmond starts. He probably should have won in 2024 had Austin Dillon not made a bonzai move into the final turn:

Logano is fifth in my median blend, bogged down by a 26th-ranked median lap at Darlington -- the only track in the sample bigger than 1.25 miles.

Richmond DraftKings NASCAR DFS Mid Tier Picks

Tyler Reddick ($9,000)

It's been a rough summer for Tyler Reddick, but he won't be lost on DFS players starting 32nd.

It's a vulnerable spot to potentially get lapped early, but I trust the championship contender's ability to pass when he still seems pretty darn fast on these track types. He had top-five median laps at Phoenix (5th) and Darlington (2nd) before failing to record a median lap last week. He and Erik Jones wrecked in the very first turn.

Richmond has been a fine track for Reddick. He won the pole in 2023, posted a 3rd-place finish in 2024, and won the first stage last year before Ty Gibbs wrecked him on lap 183 and ruined his evening. He also spun without any damage in practice on Friday:

Reddick's poisonous luck, recording five finishes of 25th or worse in his last seven races, might not make him as popular as he should be on Saturday night.

Ross Chastain ($8,100)

Quietly, Ross Chastain is trending up. A playoff push isn't dead for him yet, either.

Chastain had the fifth-fastest median at Iowa last week, signaling his best median ranking in my sample since Phoenix (14th). It's been a season-long struggle for speed at Trackhouse, but I want to be first to market on one of the series' best drivers if that changes.

The Melon Man has two top-five finishes in his last five Richmond starts, and he ranked 6th over a 25-lap average in practice -- which is exactly where he shined last week at Iowa.

Chastain starts 18th, offering an ideal position for place-differential upside and avoiding going a lap down early.

Richmond DraftKings NASCAR DFS Budget Plays

Austin Cindric ($7,000)

I mentioned Austin Cindric's prowess on this track type last week, and his two teammates are in my studs section. You could have guessed he'd be here.

Cindric seemed to be a contender for a top 10 after excellent median lap time rankings at Phoenix (7th), Darlington (5th), and North Wilkesboro (9th), but his brakes failed in Stage 2 last week, leading to just the 26th-ranked median lap at Iowa:

The speed seems to already be back at Richmond. Cindric ranked 1st over a 10-lap average in practice and fared equally well on the 15-lap (2nd) and 20-lap (1st) charts.

Practice was during the day, or I might name him one of the cars to beat overall. Still, he'll start 23rd in what appears to be a bad fast Ford.

Daniel Suarez ($6,500)

If you want a low-popularity sleeper in this value tier, Daniel Suarez might be it.

Quietly, Suarez has two straight top-10 finishes at Richmond, but it was for a different team. I don't see his Spire Chevrolet struggling on these short, flat tracks with tire wear, though. He had the 5th-best median lap at Darlington, and he posted the 13th-best mark at North Wilkesboro.

Iowa (26th) wasn't quite as quick, but he's struggled there historically. Considering his track history, I do put stock in him ranking 3rd over a 25-lap average in practice. It seems to be just a continuation of a pattern here.

Like Chastain, his spot on the starting grid (20th) is a really nice mix of upside and security from being lapped, as well.