Daytona Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Erik Jones – Erik Jones is the defending Daytona July winner and I think he’s worth a roll of the dice. He’s raced here five times and in the three races he didn’t wreck he’s a perfect 3 for 3 in terms of finishing in the top ten. In this years Daytona 500, Erik Jones had quite a bit of problems but finished 3rd when the checkered flag waved. I’ll note after he bounced back from his problems he consistently ran near the front. Essentially over the last 30 laps he was a top five mainstay. Last summer, Jones raced his way to victory lane which still marks his lone career win. I’ll note a late restart is what propelled him to victory lane and the last lap was the only he led. In the 2018 Daytona 500, he looked very competitive, but finished 36th after wrecking on lap 36. Before his problem he led 11 laps and was running in 2nd one lap prior to wrecking. In July 2017 at Daytona he had a respectable performance, especially when you consider he spun with 3 laps to go. When the checkered flag waved he finished 9th, had a 13th place average running position and earned the 14th best driver rating. In recent races heading into the weekend you have to like how well Jones has performed. In 7 of the last 9 races he’s finished in the top ten.

[themify_box]Don’t be a pretender, become a contender and get the ifantasyrace advantage. Join Now![/themify_box]

Ryan Newman – Ryan Newman has been pretty successful in recent Daytona races. Over the last four among drivers who competed in every race his 8.8 average finish ranks as the best. Also over that four race stretch he’s finished in the top 14 every race. In this years Daytona 500, Newman escaped with a 14th place finish despite being involved in a multi-car wreck on lap 192. I would say his result is pretty reflective of how he ran. Towards the end he was consistently running in the low-double digits. In the three Daytona races prior to that he finished in the top 10 every race. Last summer, Newman had a strong showing. He finished 7th in Stage #1, 10th in Stage #2 and 8th when the checkered flag waved. In last years Daytona 500 he avoided the mass carnage and also finished 8th. Additionally, he earned the 8th best driver rating and had a 12th place average running position. In summer 2017, Newman tied his best Daytona result since he won the 2008 “Great American Race.” When the checkered flag waved he finished 5th. This spring at Talladega, the other super speedway on the schedule he finished 7th.

Aric Almirola – Aric Almirola has crashed in his last three Daytona races, but don’t let that scare you away. He’s run extremely well on this track type in recent races and he’s emerging as one of the better drivers. Last year on this track type he won at Talladega in the fall and should’ve won the 2018 Daytona 500. In this years Daytona 500, Almirola had a fast car, but crashed and finished 32nd. With 11 laps to go which was one lap before he wrecked he was running in 12th. Also from the race I’ll note he finished 3rd in Stage #2 and had a 13th place average running position. Last summer at Daytona he crashed and finished an asterisk mark 27th. He was damaged in the lap 54 “Big One” and he never ran well after that. Prior to wrecking he didn’t show much, but it was early in the race and he typically saves his stuff for the end. In last years Daytona 500 he nearly raced his way to victory lane, but was wrecked on the last lap while leading. Over the last segment of the race he consistently ran near 10th, but near the very end he climbed up to the front. In summer 2017 he missed the race due to injury. In the 2017 Daytona 500 he dodged trouble and came home with a 4th place finish. In the two races prior to that he had results of 12th and 15th. At Talladega this spring he led 27 laps and finished 9th.

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

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier