Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Joey Logano – Penske Fords have recently ranked as some of the best in the series on this track type and that will make Joey Logano a fantasy NASCAR factor in the Daytona 500. Last July he ran well and had top five speed but got collected in a late wreck. To give you a better idea about his level of performance here’s his Yahoo Race Chart. In the 2014 Daytona 500 Logano ran well. He started in the back, had a 12th place average running position, finished 11th and earned the 4th best driver rating. In 2013 he performed fairly well in both races, but finished poorly twice. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he finished 19th but he performed better than his result. He earned the 9th best driver rating and ran many laps inside the top 10. With ten laps to go he was running in 11th. In July 2013 before he had a flat tire and had hard contact with the wall he spent the majority of his race running inside the top ten. In the three Daytona races prior to 2013 Logano had a 5.3 average finish (second best), scored the second most points and had the third best driver rating. Last season at Talladega Logano ran well in both races and had top ten fantasy potential. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Greg Biffle – Greg Biffle is now the unquestioned leader of Roush Fenway Racing. I think he’ll relish this role and step up his game as needed. In recent Daytona 500’s he’s been one of the best drivers. In the last three Daytona 500’s he has the 3rd best driver rating, a 5.7 average finish and an 8.3 average running position. In the corresponding summer races he’s also run well but has had problems. People might not know it but over the last six Daytona races he has the best driver rating and the best average running position. In last year’s Daytona 500 he had a strong showing and had one of the fastest cars. In the final 50 laps he was a driver who consistently drove in the top five. If he would’ve made some better lane selection decisions at the end he likely would’ve finished better than 8th. Last summer at Daytona he had one of the best cars but got swept up in the lap #98 “Big One” which led to his 31st place result. His Yahoo Race Chart will give you a better idea about his level of performance. To me it’s pretty clear he was top 8 good. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he ran well and nearly pushed Brad Keselowski to victory lane before a late unfavorable caution flew. In that event he earned the 3rd best driver rating, finished 6th and had a 7th place average running position. In the preliminary events leading up to that Daytona 500 he finished 2nd in both the Sprint Unlimited and his Duel 150. In July 2013 he had a solid race but got collected in a wreck coming to the finish. In the 2012 Daytona 500 Biffle had the best driver rating, led 44 laps and finished 3rd. In July 2012 he had a top five car but collected in the last lap “Big One” after leading 35 laps. In May 2014 at Talladega Biffle finished 2nd and led 58 laps. (Yahoo B Driver)

Other Recommended Reading – Daytona 500 Top Tier Elite Picks, Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Daytona 500 Scouting Report, Who will win the Daytona 500, Printable 2015 Schedule With Start Times

Kurt Busch – Kurt Busch is a driver who I’ve hailed in the past as the best plate driver who’s never won a points paying race. I’ve said that for years and it continues to hold true because he still hasn’t won a race. At Daytona he’s been a quality performer who’s come close to victory lane. In 28 races he has three runner-up results, 11 top fives (39%) and 14 top tens (50%). In the last three Daytona races Busch has the best driver rating, a 10.0 average finish and a 10.7 average running position. Last summer after the first “big one” ensued and took out many of the top competitors he looked like he had the car to beat. In that event he earned the best driver rating, finished 3rd, had a 10th place average running position and led 36 laps. In last year’s Daytona 500 he ran very well and his 21st place result isn’t an accurate indicator towards his level of competitiveness. In that event he started 8th, had the 10th best driver rating, had a 12th place average running position and led 15 laps. Late in the race with 11 laps to go he spun and no caution came out to help him. In summer 2013 under the lights Busch ran well. He finished 6th and earned the 3rd best driver rating. He could’ve potentially finished better but at the end he was teamed up by Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. In the 2013 Daytona 500 when he drove for Furniture Row Racing he received some damage from the first “Big One” which caused him to finish 5 laps down in 28th. One attribute I really like about Kurt Busch in this year’s Daytona 500 is his crew chief Tony Gibson. When they were paired up last season they ran well together and Gibson has a proven track record in terms of knowing how to setup a fast car on plate tracks. Don’t count out Kurt Busch in this year’s Daytona 500. (Yahoo B Driver)

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