SportsLine’s Mike McClure, a DFS pro with over $2 million in winnings, gives his top daily Fantasy NASCAR picks for the Shriners Children’s 500 2025 at Phoenix Raceway
SportsLine’s Mike McClure, a DFS pro with over $2 million in winnings, gives his top daily Fantasy NASCAR picks for the Shriners Children’s 500 2025 at Phoenix Raceway
The 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 takes place on Sunday, as NASCAR moves back from a road course to a traditional speedway. The green flag drops from Phoenix Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET for the fourth race on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Christopher Bell won last year’s Shriners Children’s 500 and enters off back-to-back victories this season, so he could be a popular option for daily Fantasy sports players when making NASCAR DFS picks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings.
Should you include Bell in your NASCAR DFS strategy given his recent success, or should you target others in the NASCAR DFS driver pool like Chase Elliott, William Byron, or Denny Hamlin for the 2025 Shriners Children’s 500? Before locking in any NASCAR DFS picks for the Shriners Children’s 500 2025 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the optimal NASCAR at Phoenix DFS strategy and advice from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
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.
McClure’s model began the 2025 season by calling Chase Elliott’s win in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray for a +300 payout. Then at Daytona, it was also high on William Byron despite +2000 odds. In 2024, it nailed Kyle Larson to win in Las Vegas for a 21-5 betting payout and predicted Denny Hamlin’s wins in Bristol at 5-1 and Richmond at 17-4.
It also impressively nailed five of Larson’s wins during his historic season in 2021. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 19 winners since 2021, including nine in 2023 and three in the first seven races 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 Shriners Children’s 500. He’s only sharing his picks and NASCAR DFS driver pool here.
Top 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 NASCAR DFS picks
For NASCAR at Phoenix, McClure is high on Kyle Larson ($10,500 on DraftKings and $13,000 on FanDuel). The 32-year-old started the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season strong with a third-place showing in Atlanta after finishing 20th at the Daytona 500. Last week, Larson was involved in a bizarre incident where his tire popped off after a pit stop and that symbolizes his afternoon with a 32nd-place finish. But McClure expects better results from Larson with a return to a traditional speedway and a location where Larson has previous success.
Larson has finished seventh or better in nine of his last 12 races at Phoenix Raceway, including seven top-five results. The 29-time NASCAR Cup Series winner won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race in 2021 to cap a historic season where he also won the season-long title. Larson won 10 races that year in one of the most dominant seasons in NASCAR history and given his consistency at Phoenix Raceway, McClure projects value in Larson on Sunday for NASCAR DFS lineups.
Part of McClure’s optimal NASCAR DFS strategy also includes rostering Denny Hamlin ($9,700 on DraftKings and $11,000 on FanDuel). Hamlin was in a position for a strong start to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season at the front of the Daytona 500 pack before a crash on the final lap resulted in a 24th-place finish. He followed with a sixth-place finish the following week in Atlanta and is one of the most successful drivers in the NASCAR at Phoenix driver pool. His 54 NASCAR Cup Series victories trail only Kyle Busch (63) for active drivers.
The 44-year-old driver has produced consistent results at Phoenix Raceway throughout his career, finishing 11th or better in seven of his last nine NASCAR at Phoenix races. Hamlin led 68 laps and finished third in each of the first two stages at last year’s Shriners Children’s 500 before finishing 11th, producing NASCAR DFS points outside of just his final finish. His 10.8 average finish over 39 career NASCAR at Phoenix events is third-best all-time. See which other drivers to roster here.
How to set 2025 NASCAR at Phoenix 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 NASCAR at Phoenix 2025? 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.