Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks

1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Starting – 3rd) (Odds To Win – 6/1)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Outlook – Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be tough to beat in the Daytona 500. He’s the “Pied Piper” of plate racing and nobody has been better than him at this discipline of racing over the last few years. Another factor that makes him dangerous is that he brought his best chassis, “Amelia” to the track. He used this particular chassis at all four plate races in 2015. With it he won twice, finished in the top five every race and had a 1.8 average finish. “Amelia” has proven standout speed and he’s very confident with it. On Thursday night Earnhardt Jr. dominated his Duel 150 and led 71.6% percent of the laps.
Daytona Track History – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a fantasy NASCAR ace at Daytona. In fact I would dare call him a Daytona 500 specialist. In the last four “Great American Races” he has the best driver rating, a second place average result and hasn’t finished worse than 3rd! Last July he started first and finished first. In that race he led 96 laps and when he was out front nobody had anything for him. In the 2015 Daytona 500 he had the strongest car (PROS Rankings) but failed to reach victory lane after he made a poor lane selection decision near the end that dropped him back to the mid-teens. When the race reached its conclusion he finished 3rd. Also in that race he earned the 2nd best driver rating and led the 2nd most laps (32). In July 2014 he was likely top five good but was damaged in an early wreck. That didn’t “DNF” him and the race ended with more carnage which led to his 14th place finish. In the 2014 Daytona 500 he went to victory lane and led 54 laps. In 2013 he finished 2nd and 8th.

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2) Denny Hamlin (Starting – 11th) (Odds To Win – 10/1)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Outlook – Denny Hamlin will be one of the drivers to beat in the Daytona 500. He has a great car and in his Daytona Duel 150 he was impressive. His car was strong, handled well and had good speed. Without teammates in that event he finished 5th, led 13 laps and earned the 3rd best driver rating. Last week he found himself in victory lane after he won the Sprint Unlimited. If it wasn’t for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s recent Daytona dominance, Hamlin would likely be heralded as the best Daytona driver at the moment.
Daytona Track History – Denny Hamlin has been very strong at Daytona recently. He’s never visited victory lane but he ranks among the best. In the combined races over the last two-years he has the best average finish (3.8), best average running position (9.0) and the second best driver rating. Also over those four events he finished in the top 6 every race, you can’t say that about any other driver. Last July Hamlin started deep in the field and finished 3rd. Also in the race he earned the 3rd best driver rating and led 10 laps. In the 2015 Daytona 500 his car was extremely strong and was hot on Joey Logano’s bumper at the end. When the checkered flag waved he finished 4th, earned the 4th best driver rating and led 4 laps. In 2014 he had a great year at Daytona. In July that year he started in 37th but finished 6th. In the 2014 Daytona 500 he might’ve had the best car but radio problems hampered his evening and caused him to race conservatively. 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. Leading up to that race he won his Duel 150 and the Sprint Unlimited.

Other Recommended Reading : Daytona Post Practice Predictions, DraftKings Expert Picks, DraftKings Start Page, Yahoo Start Page, Practice Notes / Practice Speeds Center, Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

3) Joey Logano (Starting – 5th) (Odds To Win – 8/1)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Outlook – Daytona 500 defending champion Joey Logano will be a factor in the Great American Race. He’s been very impressive the last week finishing 2nd in the Sprint Unlimited, and 2nd in his Duel 150. I really liked what I seen from him in his Duel Race. He had a fast car that appeared to handle extremely well. I might dare say his 2016 car looks better than the one that drove him to victory lane last year. In 2015 on this track type Dale Earnhardt Jr. won half the races, and Joey Logano won the other half. Look for Joey Logano to be tough to beat. He’s as determined as anyone in the series right now. It should also be noted that he’s starting in the same position that he did last year when he went to victory lane.
Daytona Track History – Joey Logano has been a very good performer at Daytona. Since July 2011 minus the two races he crashed (July 2015  and July 2013) he has a 9.1 average finish, 11.6 average running position and the 2nd best driver rating (over that particular stretch of races). Last July you really can’t judge Logano’s 22nd place result because he got damage in the early “Big One.” In the 2015 Daytona 500 he raced his way to victory lane after holding off serious challenges at the end. In that race it should be noted his car handled extremely well. In addition to finishing first he also earned the best driver rating, had a 5th place average running position and led 31 laps. In July 2014 he was likely top five good but was collected in the final “Big One.” 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.