Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Austin Dillon – Since Austin Dillon’s been a full-time driver he’s been a quality Daytona fantasy NASCAR option. In the last four Daytona races Dillon has the 4th best average finish (8.8) and the 9th best driver rating. Over this stretch he’s finished between 5th and 14th every race. Last summer Dillon had a great car. He started in 2nd and led the first 8 laps. When the race reached its conclusion he finished 7th, earned the 6th best driver rating and had an 11th place average running position. In the 2015 Daytona 500 he ran near the back for the first half of the race but in the later portions of the event he looked racy. Over the final 15 laps I would estimate his average running position was about 14th. When the checkered flag waved that’s exactly where he finished. In July 2014 Dillon started in 23rd, had a 20th place average running position and finished 5th. Performance wise he was probably about low teens good but was aided by attrition. In the 2014 Daytona 500 Austin Dillon started on the pole but didn’t stay there long. He lost the lead on lap #2 and by lap #6 he was back in 16th. His race also wasn’t incident free. On lap 145 he was involved in a “Big One” but luckily the damage wasn’t severe. When the checkered flag waved he finished 9th, earned the 13th best driver rating and had a 17th place average running position. (Yahoo B Driver / DraftKings Price $7,600)

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Greg Biffle – If you’re looking to pick Greg Biffle why not pick him at Daytona? The draft is the great equalizer and it will mask Roush Fenway performance deficiencies which may be visible elsewhere. One aspect I like about Greg Biffle is that in the Daytona 500 he currently has four straight top tens (6.8 average finish). The only other driver you can say that about is Top Tier Elite Pick Dale Earnhardt Jr. Last summer Biffle didn’t have a great race. He finished 20th and had a 26th place average running position. In last year’s Daytona 500 Biffle ran well. He finished 10th, had a 12th place average running position and ran 73% percent of the laps inside the top fifteen. In summer 2014 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 Biffle won his first race. (Yahoo B Driver / DraftKings Price $7,500)

Further Recommended Reading – Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks, Daytona Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Fantasy NASCAR Preview, July 2015 Daytona Scouting Report, 2015 Daytona 500 Scouting Report, 2015 Daytona 500 Asterisk Mark Report, 2015 Daytona 500 PROS Rankings, DraftKings 2015 Daytona 500 Points, DraftKings July 2015 Points

Casey Mears – Casey Mears is a sleeper pick who shouldn’t be overlooked. Recently at Daytona he’s been very successful. Over the last five races he has an 8.0 average finish. To put that into perspective only Earnhardt Jr. has a better average finish over this stretch. Last summer Casey Mears finished 11th. It wasn’t an easy 11th though. He got penalized for driving through too many pit stalls and then later in the race he had electrical issues. In the 2015 Daytona 500 he started in the rear of the field after an engine failure in his Duel 150. That wasn’t much of an issue for him because he choose to run near the back for the first 150 laps. In the last quarter of the race he made his move to the front. Over the last 20 laps I would estimate his average running position was 10th. When the checkered flag waved he crossed the finish line in 6th. In July 2014 he was a driver who had an incident free race and finished 4th. In the 2014 Great American Race he finished 10th. In July 2013 he finished 9th. (Yahoo B Driver / DraftKings Price $6,500)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our 2016 Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

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