Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings
Matt DiBenedetto – Matt DiBenedetto is a dark horse driver who could come up big for you in the Daytona 500 as he makes his #21 Wood Brothers Racing debut. I’m going to view DiBenedetto’s new ride as a step-up from his previous #95. Fords are fast, and they have a lot of manufacturer teammates to work with. At Daytona, DiBenedetto has been a competitive performer and in 4 of the last 6 races he’s finished in the top 13. Last year at Daytona, DiBenedetto ranked as one of the best. Last summer, the attrition rate was sky high but DiBenedetto avoided the carnage and finished 8th. On lap 113, which was a few laps before the “Big One” ensued he was running in 8th. In last years Daytona 500, DiBenedetto had one of the best days of his career. He led the most laps (49), earned the 3rd best driver rating, had a 10th place average running position and finished 6th in Stage #2. Unfortunately, his race wasn’t incident free and he was caught up in a late wreck while running well that led to his 28th place finish. In summer 2018 you really didn’t see him until the end (ran around the mid to high-teens from about lap 100 until the end), but when the checkered flag waved he finished 7th. In the 2018 Daytona 500 he had a great chance of sneaking in a top ten, but with two laps to go he was caught up in the “Big One” which led to his 27th place finish. Two laps prior to crashing he was running in 6th. In 2017, DiBenedetto had a great season at Daytona. He finished 13th in July, and 9th in the Daytona 500. (DraftKings $7,800/ FanDuel $8,300)
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Kurt Busch – Kurt Busch, the 2017 Daytona 500 winner will be a factor to win “The Great American Race.” He’s one of the best superspeedway racers in NASCAR, and if he has an incident free race I think he’s poised to finish very well. So far in the post-plate era on this track type he’s finished in the top ten in 2 of the 3 races. At Daytona, Busch has had more than his fair share of trouble lately and in 5 of the last 7 races he’s finished 23rd or worse. Last summer, Busch had a solid showing and if he elected not to pit under caution at the end before the rain fell, he would’ve won. He certainly felt like NASCAR robbed him with their officiating. From the race I’ll note Busch had some strong moments, but his afternoon also wasn’t incident free. He spun out Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who was the leader on lap 58, but then later on lap 75 he spun, clipped Gaughan and got into the wall. That damage got him out of sync which put him in position to win following the “Big One”, but NASCAR suckered him into pitting which led to his 10th place finish. In last years Daytona 500, Busch had a tough race and wrecked early which led to his 25th place finish. On lap 42 which was 8 laps before he was caught up in an accident he was running in 9th. If his race would’ve been incident free, he may have very well been a top ten contender. In summer 2018 he showed top ten potential, but crashed and finished a misleading 37th. In the race he finished 6th in Stage #1 and was running in 4th a lap before his demise on lap #54. In the 2018 Daytona 500, Busch had a great car, but with 2 laps to go he wrecked while running in 3rd which led to his asterisk mark 26th place finish. Two laps prior to his demise he was leading. Additionally it should be noted he won Stage #1, earned the 6th best driver rating, had a 9th place average running position and led 16 laps. In 2017, Busch wrecked in the summer while running just outside the top ten, and in the Daytona 500 he raced his way to victory lane. (DraftKings $9,100/ FanDuel $10,000)
Aric Almirola – Aric Almirola should be high on your fantasy NASCAR radar at Daytona. He’s a former winner who’s been very solid. Since his summer 2014 Daytona win he’s finished in the top fifteen in 6 of the last 9 races. Since 2016 minus wrecks in the 2019 Daytona 500 and summer 2018, his average finish is 9.8. Last summer at Daytona, Almirola didn’t have that great of a performance, but since he dodged the “Big One” he finished 7th. In last 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. In summer 2018, Almirola crashed and finished an asterisk mark 27th. He was damaged in the lap 54 “Big One”, and never ran well after that. In the 2018 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. At superspeedways in the post-plate era, Almirola ranks among the best. Over the three combined races his 6.7 average finish ranks a the 2nd best. (DraftKings $8,500/ FanDuel $8,700)
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