Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Alex Bowman
Daytona 500 Bottom Line – Alex Bowman is a solid performer at Daytona. Bowman swept the top 6 last year and his 5.5 average finish between the combined races ranked as the 3rd best. Overall, in 7 of the last 11 Daytona races, Bowman’s finished between 5th to 14th. Last year at big superspeedways, Bowman finished in the top 13 in 3 of the 4 races and his average finish was 13th.
Daytona Track History – Alex Bowman has been respectable at Daytona. Bowman had a great year in 2023 having a 5.5 average finish between the combined races, but historically he typically has one good finish (14th or better) / one bad finish a year (21st or worse). Over the last five Daytona races minus the 2022 500 his average finish is 8.3. Last summer, the #48 closed strong. In the race, Bowman finished 4th in Stage #2 and then 6th overall. In the 2023 Daytona 500, Bowman started on the pole, led 12 laps, earned the 10th best Driver Rating, finished 2nd in Stage #2 and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In summer 2022, Bowman was sporty but finished an asterisk mark 14th (finished four laps down), thanks in large part to the extreme attrition rate. In the race, Bowman led 11 laps but on lap 124, Chase Briscoe pulled out to the lead right in front of him for a microsecond, and then a bad push from Bowman caused chaos to ensue and he was caught up in the carnage. In the 2022 Daytona 500, Bowman finished an asterisk mark 24th. Bowman was damaged in the lap 62 Brad K bump draft “Big One.” The #48 was wounded, but he continued logging laps and was aided by attrition. On the very lap before his car was damaged, he was running in 11th.

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Austin Cindric
Daytona 500 Bottom Line – Austin Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 champ should be on your radar. Cindric will have a fast Ford underneath him, plenty of manufacturer teammates to work with and he’s strong at superspeedways. In the Next Gen at big superspeedways, Cindric has 1-win, 3 top fives, 4 top tens and minus last summer at Daytona his track type average finish is 12.4. Last fall at Talladega, the most recent race on this sub-track type, Cindric finished 5th.
Daytona Track History – Daytona has been a great track for Austin Cindric. Cindric of course raced his way to victory lane in the 2022 “500” and since he’s been a full-time driver minus last summer his average finish is 9th. Last summer, Cindric finished 7th in Stage #1 but then during the last lap of Stage #2 he was caught up in the “Big One”, leading to his 37th. In the 2023 Daytona 500, Cindric had a hot rod but crashed late and finished 23rd. In the race, Cindric finished 5th in Stage #2, had the 4th best average running position (9.5), earned the 5th best driver rating, was running in 9th on lap 198 but then shortly after that he was caught up in the first “Overtime Restart Big One.” To close out the race over the final Stage, Cindric looked great and spent time running in the top five. In 2022, Cindric was the only driver who swept the top 5, and one of just three who swept the top 10. In summer 2022, Cindric got lapped early under green, but he evaded the mass carnage in the “Rain Big One” and nearly raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Cindric led 13 laps late but then with 3 to go, Austin Dillon moved him out of the way which led to Cindric’s 3rd. In the 2022 Daytona 500, Cindric had a great performance and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Cindric finished 6th in Stage #2, led 21 laps (led the final 8), earned the best driver rating and had the 2nd best average running position (6.2). When it was closing time, Cindric teamed up with Blaney and drove right to the front.

Martin Truex Jr.
Daytona 500 Bottom Line – Will Martin Truex Jr.’s 20th attempt at winning the Daytona 500 finally propel the veteran to victory lane? Truex has never won at a superspeedway before, but race #20 in this crown jewel event worked out well for Dale Earnhardt, so there’s hope. At Daytona, Truex has historically been a high-risk driver and it ranks among his very worst tracks (21.4 average finish). That said, Truex has been pretty solid here in the Next Gen, so he presents upside for those looking to roll the dice. If Truex can avoid trouble, look for him to have a solid showing in the Daytona 500.
Daytona Track History – At Daytona in the Next Gen over the combined races, Martin Truex Jr. has the 4th best average running position, the 7th best Driver Rating, the 7th best average finish (15.0, among drivers who every race) and he’s placed in 7 of the 8 Stages, having won 3 of them. Purely in terms of the results column, in 3 of the 4 he’s finished between 8th to 15th. Last summer, Truex won Stage #1 with a last lap pass, led 4 laps, had a 13.1 average running position but then finished 24th overall. The #19 was fast but for whatever reason, Truex just kind of faded back to close out the race. In last year’s Daytona 500, Truex finished 9th in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2, led 13 laps, had a 13.1 average running position and then finished 15th. I’ll note, Truex was involved in a lap 181 multi-car crash, so he really didn’t get to flex his muscle at the end. In 2022, Truex had a great year. In summer 2022, Truex looked great. In the race, Truex finished 5th in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2 but then in the last Stage on lap 101, Truex was involved in a “Big One” which did some damage to the #19. Truex was able to continue, but his Toyota was clearly wounded. One lap prior to that he was in 6th. Then following the “Rain Big One” after he dodged that mayhem, Truex was up to 4th with 15 to go. Then to close out the race, Truex got shuffled out of line and lost the draft which led to his 8th. In the 2022 Daytona 500, Truex won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 11 laps, had an 11.9 average running position and then finished 13th overall. I’ll note, Truex’s race wasn’t incident free. On lap 150 he was running in 10th, but then later that lap he was involved in an accident that damaged the #19.

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