Daytona Coke Zero 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Kyle Busch – I’m sure Kyle Busch has this race circled on his schedule because Daytona is the place of his injury. At Daytona Kyle Busch is a strong performer but he hasn’t been very successful recently. In his last six Daytona races he has a lowly 22.3 average finish but don’t overlook his 6th best driver rating over that stretch. Last July at Daytona he started in 39th and during the opening run of the race he stayed near the back. Then after the first “Big One” ensued he found himself near the front. His race wasn’t incident free though. On lap #98 he was a driver who was caught up in the final “Big One”. Between the “Big One’s” I would estimate his average running position was right around 10th. When the checkered flag waved he finished 28th. In the 2014 Daytona 500 Kyle Busch had a great car and his basic stats line is deceiving. In the race he started in 37th, had an 18th place average running position and finished 19th. Stats can be deceiving so that’s why it’s important to look deeper. In the race he started near the back but that wasn’t a problem for him. By lap 10 he raced his way to 8th. When the race resumed following the rain he was the leader. He then raced within the top ten until lap 75 when he got busted for having equipment leave his pit box. That was a costly penalty because it ultimately dropped him a lap down. While he was a lap down his car remained fast and he even paced the field despite being off the lead lap. Later in the race he got the “Lucky Dog” and moved up to front again. With 3 laps to go he was running in 4th but got shuffled out of line and then had contact with Kevin Harvick which caused him to wreck and get his poor result. In that Daytona 500 Busch led 19 laps and earned the 7th best driver rating. In 2013 he ran well in both races. In July 2013 he won the pole, led 29 laps and finished 12th. The race wasn’t without adversity for him because at one point he got a pit penalty which sent him to the back of the pack. Also in the race he got some damage in an early crash and in the final “Big One” he got collected in the carnage. In the 2013 Daytona 500 Busch had a strong car. Just a few days before the Great American Race he was in victory lane after winning his respective Duel 150 (led 19 laps). Early in that Daytona 500 Busch had a pit stop problem but he still battled his way to the front of the pack. Then with 49 laps to go while he was running in third his motor blew up. In summer 2012 Busch had a top five car but he was taken out in a late wreck. (Yahoo A Driver)

[themify_box ]

Pedal To The Metal at Daytona for the chance to win $100,000 at DraftKings. First 18,230 positions will win cash. Join DraftKings through ifantasyrace and get a free 2 month membership / membership extension. If you join through that method and it’s your first DraftKings account then you can play for FREE!

[/themify_box]

Jeff Gordon – Jeff Gordon had a great car in this year’s Daytona 500. He won the pole, had a 5th place average running position, earned the 5th best driver rating, led 87 laps but got collected in the last lap “Big One” while he was running right around 10th. Through the first 100 laps of the race he looked like he had the car to beat but in the second half of the event his car dropped off and he wasn’t as competitive. Last year at Daytona he had his best season in quite a while. In July he was a driver who got caught up in the lap #21 wreck but his damage wasn’t severe. When the checkered flag waved he managed to finish 12th. In last year’s Daytona 500 he looked very strong and was one of the consistent front runners. Over the last 40 laps I would estimate his average running position was around 5th. If he would’ve made some better late draft decisions he could’ve potentially found himself in victory lane. When the checkered flag waved he finished 4th and earned the 5th best driver rating. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he qualified 2nd, led 31 laps but had heating issues that didn’t allow him to race hard for a large segment of the race. Towards the end he raced his way up near the top five but he made some poor lane selections and as a result he finished 20th. In July 2013 he ran inside the top ten in the middle portion of the race but on lap 149 he was involved in an accident that parked him for the rest of the event. In his career at Daytona he has six wins and has finished in the top ten 44% percent of the time. At Talladega earlier this season he won the pole, led 47 laps but finished 31st after some late adversity. (Yahoo A Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Daytona Top Tier Elite Picks, Daytona Mid Pack Predictions, Daytona Scouting Report, Who will win at Daytona?

Greg Biffle – Recently at Daytona Greg Biffle has quietly been one of the better performers. Since 2012 he has the 3rd best driver rating, a 9.7 average running position and a 13.4 average finish. At Daytona earlier this year he ran well. He finished 10th, had a 12th place average running position and ran 73% percent of the laps in the top fifteen. 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 2014 Daytona 500 he had a strong showing and had one of the fastest cars. Over 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. 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 summer 2003 at Daytona Greg Biffle won his first Sprint Cup race through fuel strategy. (Yahoo B Driver)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Daytona Coke Zero 400 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > Yahoo C List Preview