Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Denny Hamlin
Daytona 500 Bottom Line – In the Daytona 500, the road to victory lane goes thru Denny Hamlin. Denny’s dominated the Daytona 500 on numerous occasions, and he’s performed at a super-elite level over an extended period of time. Going back to 2014 in the “Great American Race”, Hamlin has 3 wins and in 7 of the 8 races he’s finished in the top 5. Over the last four 500’s, Hamlin has 2 wins and a 2.5 average finish. If it wasn’t for the final “Manufacturer driven pit cycle” in 2021, Hamlin would likely be vying for his 4th straight Daytona 500 win this year. Even though a brand-new car is debuting in 2022, look for Hamlin to still be the driver to beat. He’s the premiere performer on this track type, and there’s no question he’ll be bringing his “A-Game.”
Daytona Track History – At Daytona, Denny Hamlin’s level of performance is off the charts. In the Daytona 500, he’s been especially strong and since 2014 his average finish is 4.25. Last summer, Hamlin was strong, but was involved in multiple accidents which led to him finishing a misleading 13th. In the race, Hamlin led 7 laps and finished 2nd in Stage #1. Then in Stage #2 on lap 77, Hamlin was involved in a multi-car accident and got damage to his nose. Hamlin rebounded and was up to 2nd on lap 156 (4 to go), but then on lap 157 he was involved in another multi-car accident. In last year’s Daytona 500, Hamlin was the class of the field. In the race, Hamlin won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led a race high 98 laps but finished a misleading 5th. The final pit cycle which was manufacturer driven cost him the race. Just prior to the final pit cycle, Hamlin was the leader. In 2020 at Daytona, nobody was better. In summer 2020, Hamlin had a great car and finished 3rd when the checkered flag waved. In the race he was the leader at the start of over-time, but Byron and Elliott hooked up together and powered past him. In the 2020 Daytona 500, Hamlin finished 1st, won Stage #2 and led a race high 79 laps. When it was closing time, Hamlin was clutch and led the final 12 laps. In the six Daytona 500’s prior to that, Hamlin had results of 1st, 3rd, 17th, 1st, 4th and 2nd.
Joey Logano
Daytona 500 Bottom Line – Joey Logano is a super-elite performer at Daytona who’ll be a favorite. We’re now in a brand-new era of superspeedway racing with the Next Gen car, but “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I’ve long viewed Logano as the perfect combination of being smart and aggressive when it comes to racing on this track type, and those attributes about him won’t change. When it comes to the Daytona 500 specifically, Logano has been an outright fantasy ace. Since 2015 in the Daytona 500 minus the last two races where he wrecked while running in the top five, Logano’s finished in the top 6 every race, has 1 win and has a 4.2 average finish. If Logano can avoid trouble, look for him to finish up front and be a contender.
Daytona Track History – Joey Logano has thrived and in recent Daytona 500’s, him and Denny Hamlin are the two super standouts. That said, overall, he’s been a liability in recent races and in 4 of the last 5 he’s finished 23rd or worse. Logano hasn’t been lacking though when it comes to performance. Last summer, Logano had a great car, but finished an asterisk mark 23rd. In the race, Logano finished 8th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 37 laps but then had a flat tire and got into the wall while running in 3rd on lap 155 which led to his misleading result. In last year’s Daytona 500, Logano had a stellar showing and was well on his way to victory lane until Keselowski wrecked him on the final lap while leading. In the race, Logano finished 8th in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2, led 26 laps and had solid command of the race following the final pit cycle. In summer 2020, Logano had a great car and was a contender to win but crashed late and finished 27th. In the race, Logano won Stage # 1, won Stage #2, led a race high 36 laps and was running in 2nd with 4 laps to go right before he was swept up in a “Big One” after he just made a pass for the lead. In the 2020 Daytona 500, Logano was a standout performer, but wrecked late and finished 26th. In the race he finished 4th in Stage #1, 9th in Stage #2, had the best average running position (9.0) and led 6 laps. With 5 laps to go before he wrecked late, Logano was running in 2nd. In the five Daytona 500’s prior to that, Logano finished in the top 6 every race and had a 4.2 average finish. His results in those races were 4th, 4th, 6th, 6th and 1st.
Further Recommended Reading: 2021 Daytona 500 Scouting Report, 2021 Daytona 500 Asterisk Mark Report, Summer 2021 Scouting Report
Chase Elliott
Daytona 500 Bottom Line – Look for Chase Elliott to be a contender in the Daytona 500. Elliott’s knocked on the door to victory lane, and in recent races there’s no question he ranks among the best. Over the last three Daytona races, Elliott has two runner-up’s, the 3rd best driver rating and a 4th place average finish. Over a more extended period of time at Daytona, Elliott has finished in the top ten in 4 of the last 6 races, and in the two he didn’t his race wasn’t incident free. Look for Elliott to be a factor in the Daytona 500.
Daytona Track History – Chase Elliott has performed at an extremely high-level at Daytona. Last summer, Elliott had a great performance. In the race he won Stage #1, finished just outside the top ten in Stage #2, was the leader with 5 laps to go, but then near the end he was involved in an accident. Elliott was able to continue, and he finished 8th when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Elliott earned the best driver rating, led the 2nd most laps (36) and had the best average running position (8.0). In last year’s Daytona 500, Elliott had a great car and finished 2nd. Additionally, Elliott finished 4th in Stage #2, had an 8.1 average running position and was running in 5th at the start of the final lap. In summer 2020, Elliott pushed Byron to victory lane and of course finished 2nd. It was a pretty quiet race for Elliott overall, but you can’t argue with the result. In the 2020 Daytona 500, Elliott had a great car and was a contender to win, but crashed and finished a misleading 17th. In the race, Elliott led 23 laps, won Stage #1, finished 7th in Stage #2 and was running in the top ten late before being involved in a wreck. In summer 2019, Elliott had a great car, but was collected in the late “Big One” which led to his 35th place finish. “Performance Wise”, Elliott looked like a top five contender. In that race he finished 5th in Stage #1, 4th in Stage #2 and was running in 4th on lap 113 which was a few laps before the “Big One” ensued.
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