Kyle Larson's annual O'Reilly cameo lands at Texas and immediately tops projections. Corey Day arrives one week off his first career win at Talladega in the No. 17 Hendrick. The Dash 4 Cash final pays out — eligible: Day, Crews, Creed, Smith. First O'Reilly race without a Ford in the field since 1991.
Saturday's Andy's Frozen Custard 340 is the 12th race of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season — the 22nd running of the event, renamed from "300" to "340" for Andy's 40th anniversary. There are two storylines worth tracking before lineup lock: Kyle Larson is back in JR Motorsports' No. 88, and the Dash 4 Cash bonus pays out for the last time this year (Corey Day, Brent Crews, Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith are eligible). Day arrives fresh off his first-career O'Reilly win at Talladega last weekend.
There's also a piece of history baked into the entry list: this is the first O'Reilly Series race without a Ford in the field since 1991 — Hettinger Racing did not enter. That's 100% Toyota and Chevy on the grid.
Race Details
| Race | Andy's Frozen Custard 340 |
| Track | Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile, high-banked tri-oval) |
| Date | Saturday, May 2, 2026 |
| TV | The CW |
| Distance | 200 laps / 300 miles |
| Format | Single-car, one-lap qualifying |
| Field | 39 entries → 38 starters (one DNQ) |
Top Plays
Kyle Larson (#88, $15 FJ / $16,000 DK) — The model's top-ranked driver, projecting a race-winning finish (54.8 fantasy points). Larson's O'Reilly cameos are typically dominant, and Texas suits his style. JR Motorsports equipment is top-tier; the only question is whether he leads start-to-finish or paces himself. Expect 50+ laps led if the car is right. Lock at $15 FJ.
Connor Zilisch (#1, $14 FJ / $11,000 DK) — JR Motorsports teammate to Larson, model projects a top-3 finish (38.7 pts). Same equipment, slightly under-priced at $14 FJ vs his projected output. The pivot if you want to fade Larson chalk.
Corey Day (#17, $12 FJ / $8,700 DK) — Coming off his first career O'Reilly win at Talladega, back in the No. 17 Hendrick development Chevrolet. Dash 4 Cash eligible. Model projects a top-5 finish (37.0 pts) at $12 FJ — strong value if you trust the post-win narrative.
Mid-Tier Targets
Sheldon Creed (#00, $14 FJ / $9,700 DK) — Haas Factory Team's most consistent driver. Projects a top-10 finish (33.0 pts). Dash 4 Cash eligible — that bonus money historically motivates a different gear in the closing laps. Strong $14 FJ play.
Jesse Love (#2, $14 FJ / $10,000 DK) — RCR's leading driver this season. Projects a top-5 finish (33.3 pts). Texas suits his patient, mistake-free style.
Sammy Smith (#8, $11 FJ / $7,800 DK) — JR Motorsports' #8. Projects a top-10 finish at $11 FJ. Dash 4 Cash eligible. Often gets lost in the JR Motorsports discussion behind Larson and Zilisch — that's the leverage.
Brent Crews (#19, $13 FJ / $9,200 DK) — Joe Gibbs Racing rookie who stunned the field with his Talladega DK contest top score. Projects a top-10 finish (33.5 pts). The Dash 4 Cash carrot adds upside.
Value & Punt Plays
Brennan Poole (#44, $6 FJ / $5,900 DK) — Projected 20.0 pts (mid-pack finish); 3.33 pts-per-FJ-dollar.
Austin Dillon (#3, $10 FJ / $7,300 DK) — Projected 29.1 pts (top-10 finish); 2.91 pts-per-FJ-dollar.
Blaine Perkins (#31, $6 FJ / $5,800 DK) — Projected 17.0 pts (back-half finish); 2.83 pts-per-FJ-dollar.
Dean Thompson (#26, $8 FJ / $6,500 DK) — Projected 22.0 pts (mid-pack finish); 2.75 pts-per-FJ-dollar.
Sub-$5 Punts
- David Starr #53 — $4: 17.0 projected pts (back-half finish)
- Lavar Scott #45 — $5: 15.0 projected pts (back-half finish)
- Josh Williams #92 — $5: 15.0 projected pts (back-half finish)
Platform Tips
FantasyJolt ($50 cap, 5 drivers, A-E multipliers)
The Larson + Zilisch JR stack is the chalk Group A/B build at $15+$14 = $29. That leaves $21 for three slots — easily affordable with one mid-tier ($10-12) and two punts. Reference build: Kyle Larson A / Connor Zilisch B / Sheldon Creed C / Brennan Poole D / David Starr E.
The contrarian Group A pivot: Corey Day (he's coming off the Talladega win — his salary hasn't fully caught up). Saves $4 vs Larson, frees a Group D upgrade.
DraftKings ($50,000 cap, 6 drivers, no positions)
DK O'Reilly slates reward stacking the top of the rank at intermediate tracks — Larson + Zilisch + one of (Day / Creed / Love) is the core. The Dash 4 Cash bonus historically correlates to closing-lap aggression — eligible drivers' place-differential numbers tend to skew positive. Use Brennan Poole ($5,900) and Austin Dillon ($7,300) at the bottom to free up cap.
(FanDuel does not run O'Reilly Series contests.)
The Lock
Kyle Larson. Best driver in the field by a wide margin, top-tier equipment, model projects a race-winning finish. He's the Cup star slumming in O'Reilly for a reason — he wins these.
Green flag drops Saturday on The CW.