Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the Daytona 500. In the last four Daytona 500’s he hasn’t finished lower than 3rd. Last July at Daytona he had a great car that had standout speed. He finished first, earned the best driver rating and led 96 laps. Nobody had anything for him that race. In last year’s Daytona 500 he arguably had the best car but his chance for a victory vanished late. With 19 laps to go while he was near the front of the pack he moved to the middle groove which led to him free falling in the running order back to 16th. At the end he rallied towards the front and when the checkered flag waved he finished 3rd. Also in the race it should be noted he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and led 32 laps. In July 2014 he didn’t have an incident free race and was collected in the lap #21 “Big One”. The damage to his car wasn’t fatal so he was able to keep on driving. He likely would’ve finished very poorly but the end of the race was favorable for him. There was a late restart and then an even bigger “Big One” ensued that left only 16 cars on the lead lap. When the checkered flag waved he finished 14th. In the 2014 Daytona 500 Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced his way to victory lane. In the race his car was exceptionally strong but his elite drafting talent is what propelled him to the win. When the checkered flag waved he earned the best driver rating and led 54 laps. In both the 2013 & 2012 Daytona 500’s Earnhardt Jr. came home with a runner-up result. In 2015 at plate tracks Earnhardt Jr. scored the most points, had the best driver rating, the best average finish (1.8) and was the only driver who finished in the top five, and top ten every race. (Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings Price $10,300)

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Denny Hamlin – Denny Hamlin will be a threat to win the Daytona 500. In the last four Daytona races he has the best average finish (3.8), best average running position (9.0) and the second best driver rating. Last summer at Daytona he had a great car. He started deep in the field and had no trouble racing his way towards the front. When the race reached its conclusion he finished 3rd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and led 10 laps. In the 2015 Daytona 500 his car was extremely strong. He was a serious contender to win and was one of the drivers Joey Logano had to be worried about. When the checkered flag waved he finished 4th, earned the 4th best driver rating and led 4 laps. In 2014 nobody was better than him at Daytona. In February 2014 he was trying to make history by being the first driver ever to sweep all three Sprint Cup events of Speed Weeks. He won the Sprint Unlimited, his Duel 150 and came up just short of winning the Daytona 500. In that Great American Race he unquestionably had one of the best cars. Early in the race he looked very strong but for much of the event he took on a conservative approach because of radio issues with his spotter. When it was time to go he was ready. With 6 laps to go he was running in 6th, but over the final few laps he executed some strong power moves that got him near the front. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd and earned the 2nd best driver rating. In July 2014 he also ran well and was one of the drivers who avoided trouble. In that rain shorted event he finished 6th and earned the 4th best driver rating. In 2013 at Daytona Hamlin was good in both races but had misleading results. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he was very strong and was the driver who pushed Jimmie Johnson into the lead. Then late in the race Joey Logano shuffled him out of line and that’s how he finished 14th. It should be noted in that event he led 33 laps and had a 10th place average running position. In the first 3 plate races of 2015 (had roof flap problems at Talladega #2) Hamlin scored the 4th most points and had a 6.0 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings Price $8,600)

Further Recommended Reading – Daytona Front Runner Rankings, 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

Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick will be one of the drivers to beat in the Daytona 500. He runs very well at this venue and has a knack for positioning himself good at the end. Last year at Daytona he had a great year. Between the combined events he had a 3rd place average finish and earned the 4th best driver rating. Last summer Harvick had a great car. He started deep in the field (34th), finished 4th and earned the 5th best driver rating. In the 2015 Daytona 500 he had a strong showing. He finished 2nd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. For the majority of the race he paced himself among the front runners and when it was time to go he promptly drove to the front. In the summer 2014 Daytona race there’s really not much to discuss about his performance because he was taken out in the lap #21 “Big One” (Finished 39th). In the 2014 Daytona 500 he had a strong car and was better than his 13th place result. On the final lap he was running in 8th but had contact with Kyle Busch which cost him a number of positions. In the race he ran near the back early to protect his car and didn’t show his hand until there was about 50 laps to go. Within the final 20 laps he advanced as far forward as 3rd. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he never had a chance to show just how good his car was. He was taken out in an early wreck when Kyle Busch bump drafted Kasey Kahne. Leading up to that event it should be noted he won the Sprint Unlimited and his Duel 150. In July 2013 Kevin Harvick had a strong showing and finished 3rd. Last year at plate tracks Harvick scored the 3rd most points and had a 7.3 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings Price $9,800)

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

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