2026 NASCAR Draft Kit: Track Specialists

The NASCAR Cup Series presents as diverse a set of tracks as any racing series in the world. From intermediate ovals to winding road courses, each track has its own special configuration and special set of characteristics. This lineup of tracks is designed to test the NASCAR driver's ability in virtually every racing condition. 

From the fantasy racing standpoint, it helps to know which drivers succeed at certain facilities. Recent historical information gives us an edge, but we also need to be mindful of current trends and past statistical information in context. We've taken a long look at both and come up with the drivers you need to have at certain style tracks in 2026 for fantasy racing success. 

Here is our breakdown of track specialists to watch closely in the upcoming season. This analysis is particularly helpful for weekly lineup leagues and daily fantasy racing.

Check out RotoWire's NASCAR Lineup Optimizer and our Top NASCAR DFS Plays each week for the best chance to win on DraftKings and FanDuel. You can also find all the NASCAR track by track data here. 

Short Track Specialists

These stats are based on tracks 0.75 miles in length or less and include: Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.

1. Kyle Larson                  

Car No. 5                    

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports              

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Over the past two seasons Larson has grabbed two victories (both Bristol), seven Top-5 and nine Top-10 finishes on these small tracks. His 1,200 combined laps led is by far and a way the most of any driver in the series. Now with six total wins and a Top-10 percentage reaching 55-percent on the tiny ovals, Larson has become the gold standard in short track performance. The Hendrick Motorsports star seems to be equally strong on all these tracks at the moment, but with maybe a bit of an edge at Bristol. Without a doubt, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet is a threat to win every time he takes to the track on these small ovals. Larson and his ability is not to be underestimated.

2. Denny Hamlin                  

Car No. 11                    

Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing             

Manufacturer: Toyota

One of the winningest short track drivers of the modern NASCAR era just continues to pile up victories on the short tracks. Hamlin has grabbed a pair of wins and a pair of runner-up finishes on these tracks the last two seasons. Richmond and Martinsville are definitely his strength, but he's not shabby at Bristol either. With now 15-career wins on the short track circuit, Hamlin is reaching legendary status. The fact that he's now 45-years-old and showing no signs of slowing down is very encouraging from a fantasy racing standpoint. It means you can put Hamlin in your lineups on these weekends and more often than not it's going to pay off. 

3. William Byron                

Car No. 24                   

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports           

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Byron doesn't boast the career-long stats that Larson and Hamlin have in terms of short track performance, but he's steadily making gains as he goes. The Hendrick Motorsports star is nearing the 50-start plateau on these small ovals and he's grabbed three victories, two in just the last two seasons. Both have come at Martinsville Speedway and that seems to be his best track at this point. Byron has been a consistent performer on the other two short tracks, but he's a major threat to win each time we visit Martinsville. That's something to keep in mind in weekly lineup leagues. While the upcoming 2026 season is a blank slate for now, we expect Byron to continue improving in this part of his game. When he grabs his first Bristol or Richmond win, you'll know he's made elite short track status. 

4. Ryan Blaney                 

Car No. 12                   

Owner: Penske Racing           

Manufacturer: Ford

For a long time Blaney was thought of more when it come to superspeedway and intermediate ovals, but he's slowly etching out a good reputation on the short tracks as well. The Penske Racing star has grabbed a win and runner-up finish in the last two seasons on the small ovals. In addition, his six Top 5's and 326 laps led are starting to make people notice. Blaney has become an impactful force at Martinsville Speedway and he's gaining in terms of consistency at both Bristol and Richmond. He's not elite level just yet in this style of NASCAR racing, but he's gaining and will eventually get there. The driver of the No. 12 Ford is primed to have a big season on the short tracks in 2026.

5. Christopher Bell                

Car No. 20                   

Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing           

Manufacturer: Toyota

Bell has been a model of consistency on the short tracks the last couple seasons. He grabbed a win (Bristol) and runner-up finish (Martinsville) in just this past season alone. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has not led a lot of laps in these races but he's slowly inching that bar up as well. The past two years Bell has been a 70-percent Top-10 finisher (11.3 avg) on these tracks and that's even better than his career 61-percent Top-10 average on the small ovals. Bell's racing background and development support this skillset. It seems it has taken him some time to learn to win in a Cup car on these ovals, but he's got plenty of career left to stack up the wins.  

6. Chase Elliott               

Car No. 9                   

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports           

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Elliott has fallen down this list a bit over the past couple seasons but make no mistake he's a skilled short track performer. While he's been held out of victory lane on the small ovals the last two years, he has grabbed two runner-up and six Top-5 finishes during that time frame. That makes for a staggering 60-percent Top-5 rate on the short tracks since 2024. Elliott has led a fair number of laps during that time with 245 and he's qualified on these tracks extremely well (7.2 average start). The hallmark has been consistency for the No. 9 Chevrolet team. In 2026 the Hendrick Motorsports star will look to get back into victory lane on one of these ovals. Martinsville Speedway would seem to be the most likely candidate. We'll have to wait and see what happens as the season unfolds.

Road Course Specialists

Although road courses are a smaller percentage of the overall schedule, they can be a huge factor in a fantasy racing championship as NASCAR is shifting the schedule more in this direction.  The circuit's road courses in the 2026 schedule include: Coronado Island Street Course, Watkins Glen International, Sonoma Raceway, Charlotte Roval and Circuit of the Americas.

1. Shane van Gisbergen                  

Car No. 97                    

Owner: Trackhouse Racing              

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

The Kiwi would have a huge season on the road circuits in 2025 and tally five victories. Van Gisbergen would win everything except the road circuit in Austin. The 36-year-old veteran now has 50 starts at NASCAR's top level and six total victories, which have all come on road or street circuits. Van Gisbergen now has a 50-percent win rate on these style tracks and that's a level of domination not seen ever in the history of NASCAR. His 2025 campaign puts him squarely atop the road course specialist list. There seems to be a wide gap between his skills in road racing and the rest of the field. So, we expect more domination and multiple victories yet again in the upcoming season. This Trackhouse Racing driver is the man to beat on the road circuits of NASCAR.

2. Christopher Bell                  

Car No. 20                    

Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing              

Manufacturer: Toyota

To say that Bell has elevated his game on these style tracks the last two seasons would be a huge understatement. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has collected one win, four runner-up and seven Top-5 finishes in his last nine starts on these circuits. Bell really has only been second fiddle to Shane van Gisbergen during this time, and he would have more wins had SVG not been so dominant. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota tends to do better on the natural road circuits than the street courses, so that is a good tidbit to keep in mind when considering him for fantasy racing deployment. Bell collected nothing but Top-5 finishes on these type of tracks in 2025 and that speaks to the excellence of his road racing skills. 

3. Chris Buescher                

Car No. 17                    

Owner: Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing             

Manufacturer: Ford

He didn't scratch the win column last season on these style tracks, but Buescher remained a model of consistency and picked up multiple Top-5 and Top-10 finishes on these circuits. The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing veteran would end the 2025 season with Top 5's at both Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval. Over the past two seasons Buescher has crafted a stellar 7.6 average finish on these courses and that despite not generally qualifying well on them. As is the case with Christopher Bell, Buescher doesn't seem to be a big street course performer. That's noteworthy entering the upcoming season. However, he's a great start on many natural road circuits.

4. William Byron                 

Car No. 24                    

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports              

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

He would collect the second of his two-career road circuit wins at Austin in 2024 and he's finished runner-up in two of his last 10 road course starts. Byron really has been a model of consistency over the past two seasons in this style of racing. The Hendrick Motorsports star has grabbed seven Top-10's in his last 10 starts for a strong 70-percent Top-10 rate in road racing. Byron has also assembled a stout 10.4 average finish over the past two campaigns on these tracks. He's not the major threat to win like drivers higher up in this listing, but Byron brings incredible consistency and strong performance to just about every road racing start. Watkins Glen and Circuit of the Americas appear to be his two favorite tracks in this style of racing.

5. Chase Elliott                 

Car No. 9                    

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports             

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

He's not the threat to win like he was earlier in his career, so Elliott has slid down this list with time. It's been five seasons since his last road racing win, however, the Hendrick Motorsports star still fetches solid finishes on these style tracks. The last two seasons have seen him lead just 18 laps on these circuits as younger drivers have begun to wrestle his dominance away. Stil, Elliott has posted five Top-5 and seven Top-10 finishes since 2024 on the winding circuits. The 9.7 average finish over that period demands some serious respect. Now with a career Top-10 rate of 66-percent on the road circuits and over 40 starts, you'll not find a more experienced and seasoned driver than Elliott in this arena.

6. Connor Zilisch               

Car No. 88                    

Owner: Trackhouse Racing             

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Zilisch is promoting to full-time Cup Series action in 2026. He only has three-career Cup starts to this point, so we've decided to illustrate his O'Reilly Series career on the road tracks in the table above. The 19-year-old prodigy has supreme road racing skills and even a background in sports car racing which has helped him to refine this skillset. Zilisch has posted 11 wins in his O'Reilly Series career and six of them have come on road tracks. That 75-percent winning percentage is out of this world and really illustrates how good he is at this. It will take a bit of time for Zilisch to adapt to the Cup Series car, but once he does, we expect him to go head-to-head with his teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, for control of dominance on these circuits.

Superspeedway Specialists

As with the road courses, the superspeedways represent a small portion of the overall schedule.  However, these tracks are raced twice a season, so the stakes are much higher.  The circuit's superspeedways include: Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

1. William Byron                  

Car No. 24                    

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports              

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Byron has grabbed the last two of his three Daytona victories in the last two seasons. Each have been the "big one" the Daytona 500. His nose for superspeedway racing has elevated Byron to the top of the field in this craft. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has picked up a win and three Top-5 finishes in his last five superspeedway starts. He's yet to scratch the win column at Talladega, but we feel that's just a matter of time given that Byron has led 123 laps there and managed strong 31-percent and 44-percent rates for Top 5's and 10's there. A Talladega win seems just a matter of time. Byron will be going for his third Daytona 500 victory in-a-row in February and given his level of performance, he should have very good odds.    

2. Ryan Blaney                  

Car No. 12                   

Owner: Penske Racing             

Manufacturer: Ford

Blaney ended a long dry spell and put to an end a lengthy slump of bad finishes and DNF's on the superspeedway ovals with his late-season victory at Daytona this past year. It was his second-career win at the track and fifth victory on the superspeedway ovals. It reminded everyone just how skilled the Penske Racing star is at this form of stock car racing. Blaney also collected a strong seventh-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 as well as led 53-combined laps on the big ovals in 2025. With now 44 starts to his credit on the superspeedways, Blaney is becoming one of the more accomplished and seasoned drivers in terms of superspeedway racing. He's equally good at both Daytona and Talladega and that makes the driver of the No. 12 Ford a fantasy racing staple for these events.    

3. Chase Briscoe                  

Car No. 19                   

Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing             

Manufacturer: Toyota

Briscoe's move to Joe Gibbs Racing last season helped elevate his game on these big ovals. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota won the pole position for the Daytona 500 and won the late-season Talladega race for his first-ever superspeedway victory. The 46-laps led on these two tracks in 2025 is just another head-turning statistic. Briscoe returns to this team in 2026 with crew chief James Small, and we believe the two will continue etching out their growing reputation at both Daytona and Talladega. This driver and team are the rare combination of a driver on the rise meeting with a very capable team in this form of racing. Briscoe could very likely grab another superspeedway win in 2026 and lead a lot of laps.

4. Kyle Larson                 

Car No. 5                   

Owner: Hendrick Motorsports           

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Larson spent a lot of his early years underperforming in this part of his racing resume. He also watched a lot his cars leave these tracks on the back of rollbacks. Whether it's his skill that's improved, his luck or a combination of both, Larson is now starting to post some results in terms of superspeedway racing. Over his last five starts between Daytona and Talladega, the Hendrick Motorsports star has netted one runner-up finish (Talladega), two Top-5 and three Top-10 finishes. He also has not DNF'd in his last 10 superspeedway starts. His average finish over that two-season span is a pretty sharp 13.9. Larson is leading laps late in these races, battling for Top 5's and who knows, maybe in 2026 he grabs his first-ever superspeedway victory.

5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.                 

Car No. 47                   

Owner: HYAK Motorsports          

Manufacturer: Chevrolet

Last season was a down year for Stenhouse in superspeedway performance. However, he's had down seasons before and bounced right back the following year. In 2024 he grabbed his second-career Talladega victory and a pair of Top 5's at that oval. It shouldn't take much for him and crew chief, Mike Kelley, to rediscover that magic again in 2026. Now a four-time winner at these two ovals, it's clear that Stenhouse understands the dynamics of racing in the draft and picking the best time to make your move late in these races. The HYAK Motorsports veteran has shown in the past he can deliver good results, even wins on these ovals. Stenhouse will continue to prove that in the upcoming season.  

6. Brad Keselowski                

Car No. 6                  

Owner: Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing         

Manufacturer: Ford

One of the top veteran drivers on superspeedway tracks is Keselowski. His seven combined wins between Daytona and Talladega rank first among active drivers. While the owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford hasn't added to his win total over the past three seasons, Keselowski has registered two runner-up finishes and four Top 10's in his last two campaigns on the big ovals. In his last start of last season at Talladega, the veteran driver claimed a Top-10 finish in the Yellawood 500. Between Talladega and Daytona, Talladega is the better of his two ovals in terms of wins and consistency. That's something to remember when it comes time to fill out lineups in daily and weekly lineup fantasy leagues.