Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Joey Logano – Joey Logano will be tough to beat in the Daytona 500. He’s a recent champion who’s been one of the most successful restrictor plate drivers over the last couple of season’s. He’ll have standout speed and he knows how to make winning moves. In 3 of the last 4 Daytona races Logano’s finished in the top 6. Over this four race stretch he has the 3rd best average finish (8.3) and the 4th best driver rating. Last year at Daytona he was one of four drivers who swept the top ten. Last summer he had a great car and was a consistent front runner (6.0 avg. running position). He earned the 2nd best driver rating and finished 4th. In the 2016 Daytona 500 Logano was up front when it mattered. In the race he finished 6th and earned the 7th best driver rating. In summer 2015 we never got the chance to see how strong he was. He started near the back and on lap #3 he was caught up in the “Big One” which led to his 22nd place finish. In the 2015 Daytona 500 Logano was impressive and raced his way to victory lane. What made him so good is that his car handled really well. In addition to finishing first he also earned the best driver rating, had a 5th place average running position and led 31 laps. Last year at plate tracks Logano ranked as one of the best. He scored the 2nd most points and reached victory lane in the fall Talladega race. (Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $9,900)
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Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch will definitely be one of the drivers to beat in the Daytona 500. He’s a great plate racer and last year on this track type he was one of the strongest performers. In 3 of the 4 races he finished in the top five, in the one he finished outside of that range he raced with zero effort (Talladega #2). Last year Busch was very successful at Daytona. Between the combined races he scored the most points, had the best driver rating, best average running position and was the only driver who finished in the top five both events. Last summer at Daytona he had a great car and was a consistent front runner. In the race he finished 2nd, earned the 3rd best driver rating, had a 6th place average running position and led 16 laps. In last year’s Daytona 500 he earned the 2nd best driver rating, finished 3rd, had a 4th place average running position and led 19 laps. In that race Joe Gibbs cars were the class of the field and it’s clear they had a handling advantage. Prior to that event he was in a tough stretch at Daytona where he didn’t have a top ten since 2011. In summer 2015 he got into the wall early (2017), and in that year’s Daytona 500 he missed the race due to injury. (Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $9,400)
Further Recommended Reading – Front Runner Rankings, Mid Pack Predictions, The Low Tier, Scouting Report, DraftKings Points Archive
Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski will be a favorite to win the Daytona 500. Last year at plate tracks nobody was better than him. He won half the races and if his engine didn’t go south in the fall Talladega race he might’ve won the last three races of the 2016 season on this track type. In terms of pure drafting talent Keselowski ranks among the best. At Daytona he has a hero or zero intangible about him. Over the last 9 races he has four top 8 results, and in the other five events he finished 18th or worse. Last summer at Daytona Keselowski was the class of the field. He finished 1st, led 115 laps and had the best driver rating by a wide margin. Nobody had anything for him in the race. Where he really excelled was getting runs coming off the corners. Prior to that race he was in a tough stretch at Daytona. In the 2016 Daytona 500 he had a fast car but he faded when handling entered the equation late in runs. In the race he earned the 12th best driver rating, had a 15th place average running position and finished 20th. In summer 2015 he had top ten speed but finished 29th after getting collected in the “Big One.” In the 2015 Daytona 500 he had a strong car and likely had top five potential but his race ended early when he had an engine failure while running in 8th. Last year at Talladega Keselowski won in the spring and dominated in the fall until his engine blew up. (Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $10,300)
Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings
Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier
