Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings/ Driver Breakdowns

1) Denny Hamlin (Starting – 21st)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Spin – Denny Hamlin, the defending Daytona 500 champion will be tough to beat in the “Great American Race.” Hamlin has a fast car underneath him and on Sunday look for him to race his way to the front, and stay there. In the Daytona 500, Hamlin has been a standout performer and in 5 of the last 6 races he’s finished in the top 4. Over those six combined races, Hamlin has 2 wins, a series best 4.7 average finish, he’s led the most laps (167) and his driver rating ranks as the second best. When it comes to superspeedway racing, Hamlin is without question one of the best drivers in the series. On Sunday, look for Hamlin to be a serious factor to win.
Daytona Track History – Denny Hamlin has thrived at Daytona, and he’s been especially good in February. Last year at Daytona, Hamlin was strong in both races. Last summer Hamlin finished 26th, but make no mistake he was a contender to win. In the race he led laps 113 to 117, but then on lap 119 the “Big One” ensued and he was collected in the carnage. When it was “Go time” with rain in the area, Hamlin had no trouble racing his way to the front. Also from the race I’ll note he finished 8th in Stage #1 and finished just outside the top ten in Stage #2. In last years Daytona 500, Hamlin had a great car and raced his way to victory lane after leading 30 of the final 38 laps. In summer 2018, Hamlin crashed on lap 54 and finished 38th. One lap prior to crashing he was running in 9th. In the 2018 Daytona 500, Hamlin was very competitive. He finished 3rd, earned the 4th best driver rating, led 22 laps and finished 10th in Stage #2. I will note his race wasn’t incident free. During the first round of pit stops while leading, Hamlin was penalized which led to him losing a lap. In the four Daytona 500’s prior to that, Hamlin had results of 17th, 1st, 4th and 2nd.
DraftKings $10,400 / FanDuel $13,000

[themify_box]Don’t be a pretender, become a contender and get the ifantasyrace advantage to read all of our full exclusive content. Full season passes are available! Join Now![/themify_box]

2) Joey Logano (Starting – 3rd)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Spin – Joey Logano is a super-elite performer at Daytona who’ll be a favorite. He’s consistently thrived on this track type, and in the Daytona 500 he’s been a standout performer. Over the last five Daytona 500’s he has 1 win, the best average finish (4.2), the best driver rating and he’s finished in the top 6 every race. It’s hard to argue with that high-level of success. When it comes to superspeedway racing, I view Logano as the perfect combination of smart and aggresive. This weekend, Logano has a great car underneath him. He won his Duel and I think he still hasn’t shown his hand. On Sunday, look for Logano to be a serious factor to win.
Daytona Track History – Joey Logano is without question one of the best at Daytona. Last summer, Logano had a great car and was a contender to win but finished a misleading 25th after crashing in the “Big One.” In the race he led 40 laps, won Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #2 and was the leader 9 laps before the “Big One” ensued. In 5 of the 7 Daytona races prior to that he finished between 4th to 6th. In last years Daytona 500, Logano had a great car. He finished 4th overall, 3rd in Stage #1 and 10th in Stage #2. If he would’ve had some help at the end, I think he could’ve won. In summer 2018, Logano crashed while running around 11th on lap 54. In the 2018 Daytona 500 he finished 4th and earned the 2nd best driver rating. In the three Daytona 500’s prior to that he had results of 6th, 6th and 1st.
DraftKings $10,500 / FanDuel $14,000

Further Recommended Reading – Daytona Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Playability Value Chart, FanDuel Playability Value Chart

3) Kyle Busch (Starting – 28th)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch, the defending series champion will be one of the drivers to beat in the Daytona 500. At this point in his career he’s looking to build his legacy, so winning this race is a must. Currently he’s 0 for 14 in the “Great American Race” and he doesn’t want to get up to one of those really high numbers. The good news for Busch is that he’s been very competitive at Daytona. He nearly won last year, and in 5 of the last 8 races “Performance Wise” he’s looked like a top five contender. Look for Busch to have a strong showing and be a serious contender to win the Daytona 500.
Daytona Track History – Kyle Busch has run extremely well at Daytona and in recent races “Performance Wise” he ranks among the best. Last summer, Busch looked solid and finished 14th despite crashing. In the 2019 Daytona 500, Busch had a great car and nearly raced his way to victory lane. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 6th place average running position, won Stage #1 and led 37 laps. In summer 2018, Busch had a fast car, but finished an asterisk mark 33rd. In the race he finished 2nd in Stage #1 and was running in 2nd at the time of his demise on lap 65 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrecked him. In the 2018 Daytona 500, Busch had a couple of flat tires that derailed his afternoon. At the time of his first flat he was running in the top five.
DraftKings $9,800/ FanDuel $14,000