Daytona – Non-Cup Regulars/ The Low Tier
Riley Herbst – Riley Herbst will be returning to Cup competition at Daytona and will be driving a third Front Row Motorsports entry. Herbst piloted the #15 in the season opening Daytona 500 and finished 10th, so don’t be surprised if he sneaks in a good result. At Talladega in his one other Cup start this year, Herbst finished 20th.
JJ Yeley – JJ Yeley has boosted upside at Daytona courtesy of the draft/attrition being great equalizers. At Daytona, Yeley has been pretty respectable over his most recent races and in 5 of his last 8 he’s finished between 10th to 18th. I’ll note, Yeley last competed here in 2020 but I don’t view that as an issue. This spring at Talladega, Yeley finished 11th.
Chandler Smith – At Daytona, Chandler Smith will be piloting a Kaulig Racing #13 Chevy. On the Cup level, Smith only has one start under his belt and that was a 17th this spring at Richmond. This year in the Xfinity series at big superspeedways, Smith has results of 12th (Daytona) and 25th (Talladega).
Austin Hill – Austin Hill is a superspeedway racing savant in the Xfinity series. On Saturday night, he’ll be driving the Beard Motorsports #62. This car has RCR support and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he’s being brought in to be a dedicated “Wing Man” for Austin Dillon. At Daytona in the Xfinity series, Hill currently has back-to-back wins in February. In the Cup series at big superspeedways, Hill only has one race under his belt and at Talladega this spring he finished 24th.
BJ McLeod – BJ McLeod will be fielding the least competitive car at Daytona, but miracles can happen here courtesy of attrition, and McLeod currently has back-to-back top tens in the summer race. In this year’s 500, McLeod finished 30th. Last summer after carnage ensued, McLeod finished 7th. In the 2022 Daytona 500, McLeod finished 27th. In summer 2021, McLeod finished 10th. If you pick him, pray for carnage.
Josh Berry – Josh Berry will be returning to drive the Legacy Motorsports #42 at Daytona. In the Xfinity series at big superspeedways, Berry’s had success at Talladega (in 3 of the last 4 he’s finished in the top 11) but at Daytona he’s never cracked the top 15. I’ll note he ran great in the lower series in February but crashed at the end.
Brennan Poole – At Daytona, Brennan Poole will be driving the Rick Ware Racing #15. On the Cup level, Poole last raced at Daytona in 2020 and that season in the #15 he had results of 15th and 16th.
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
