nascar-daytona
USATSI

The 2026 DuraMAX Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET from Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Your NASCAR DFS strategy may not be able to zero in on one or two specific drivers, as this race has seen five different winners across its five runnings. Christopher Bell, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott have all taken the checkered flag at NASCAR COTA, so they, naturally, will be among the most sought after options for 2026 DuraMAX Grand Prix DFS lineups.

When you combine Reddick's 2023 Austin victory with him winning each of the first two races this year, he will set back your NASCAR DFS salary cap for this week, especially with him starting on the pole. Thus, if rostering him, then you'll have to find some low-cost but high-reward options to pair with him as NASCAR COTA DFS picks. So, before locking in any NASCAR DFS picks for the DuraMAX Grand Prix 2026 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the optimal NASCAR at COTA DFS strategy and advice from SportsLine's Mike McClure.

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your $5+ bet wins:

McClure has won over $2 million in his career as a daily Fantasy pro, and his NASCAR DFS driver pool, projections and advice can help you score a big win on Sunday on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings. His model has nailed a whopping 29 winners since 2021, including 11 last season. Anyone who followed its lead on betting apps and sportsbooks on those NASCAR picks could have seen huge returns. 

Now, he's turned his attention to Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix. He's only sharing his picks and NASCAR DFS driver pool here.

Top 2026 DuraMAX Grand Prix NASCAR DFS picks

For NASCAR at COTA, McClure is high on Chase Elliott ($9,000 on DraftKings and $11,000 on FanDuel). The first-ever NASCAR COTA winner was Elliott back in 2021 as he overtook Alex Bowman with five laps left to secure the victory. His team, Hendrick Motorsports, would then win again three years later with Byron, as Hendrick is the only team with multiple wins at this track. Elliott's success at Austin goes beyond his victory and his team, as he placed fourth at the race in both 2022 and 2025. Only one driver has more top 5s at COTA than Elliott in the track's history, despite him missing the 2023 race due to injury.

Part of McClure's optimal NASCAR DFS strategy also includes rostering Chris Buescher ($8,300 on DraftKings and $9,000 on FanDuel), who has top 10s in each of his last three NASCAR COTA starts. Just six active drivers have a better average finish at this track than Buescher's 11.4, and he has made his name as one of the best road/street course drivers on the Cup Series. Since 2023, only Shane van Gisbergen has a better average finish than Buescher (9.1) on these types of tracks, and the latter has top 5s in his last two road course races. See which other drivers to roster here.

New users can check out the latest Kalshi bonus code CBSSPORTS to get a $10 cash bonus after making $10 in trades:

How to set 2026 NASCAR at COTA DFS lineups

McClure is also targeting an undervalued driver set to return plenty of value for his NASCAR DFS picks. He's in a prime position to make a run at the checkered flag and comes at a price that won't break the bank. You can see who it is, and every other pick, right here.

So what are the top NASCAR DFS picks for the DuraMAX Grand Prix 2026, and which value driver is a must-roster? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure's complete driver pool for DraftKings and FanDuel, for a chance to cash in big on NASCAR DFS.