Daytona Coke Zero Sugar 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Daytona Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney is arguably the premiere big superspeedway racer in NASCAR and at Daytona, look for him to be a favorite. Blaney consistently runs up front, and he’s more than capable of putting on a drafting masterclass. At Daytona, Blaney won in summer 2021, he’s flirted with victory lane on numerous occasions, and he’s never lacked when it comes to performance. In the Next Gen at Daytona, Blaney has the 6th best Driver Rating, the 8th best Average Running Position and the 10th best average finish (18.4), which very much so underrates him. Since 2020 minus his DNF level crashes which there’s been a few (4 of 11), Blaney has a 6.1 average finish.
Daytona Track History – Ryan Blaney has been a super-elite performer at Daytona. Blaney raced his way to victory lane in summer 2021 and since 2020 minus the four races he’s crashed (DNF level), Blaney’s average finish is 6.1. Currently, Blaney is in the midst of a 5-race crash streak but somehow he still snuck in a good finish in February despite crashing. In this year’s Daytona 500, Blaney was a standout performer. In the race, Blaney finished 3rd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, earned the best Driver Rating, had the 2nd best average running position, led 22 laps, was running in 4th on lap 185 but then that very lap, he was collected in the Logano/ Stenhouse “Big One” and got a ton of damage which dropped him back to the high 20’s. Somehow, Blaney finished 7th thanks to a ton of attrition. Last summer, Blaney ranked among the best, but he finished 29th after crashing late. In the race, Blaney finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, was running in 11th on lap 150 but then on lap 151 he was collected in the “Big One.” In the 2024 Daytona 500, Blaney was one of the best but finished an asterisk mark 30th. In the race, Blaney won Stage #2, led 12 laps and was running in 6th on lap 190, but then the next lap he was collected in the “Big One.” In 2023, Blaney crashed while leading in the summer (36th) and then crashed twice in the “500” but snuck in an 8th.

Brad Keselowski
Daytona Fantasy Outlook – At Daytona with a Playoff berth on the line, look for 7-time big superspeedway winner, Brad Keselowski to be a factor and race with a checkers or wrecker’s approach. There’s no doubt he’ll be fielding a car capable of reaching victory lane and his mastery of the draft is second to none. I fully expect him to dial up his aggressive superspeedway driving style up two notches and it will either go really good or really bad.
Daytona Track History – Brad Keselowski is a former Daytona winner (summer 2016), who’s been one of the best “Performance Wise” in the Next Gen, with him having the 6th best average running position and the 7th best Driver Rating despite crashing in 4 of the 7 races (19.3 Next Gen Average Finish). In this year’s Daytona 500, Keselowski finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished mid-pack in Stage #2, looked to be bidding his time for a lot of the final Stage, was running in 17th on lap 195 but then later that lap he was caught up in a “Big One” which led to his 26th. Last summer, Keselowski was stout but finished an asterisk mark 8th. In the race, Keselowski finished 7th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 8 laps, had the 6th best average running position (9.1) but then late in the race on lap 144 while battling for the lead during a restart, NASCAR black flagged him for jumping the restart. In the 2024 Daytona 500, Keselowski was a contender. In the race, Keselowski consistently ran up front when the trophy was on the line but then on lap 191 while running in 2nd, Byron turned him and then a “Big One” ensued which led to his 33rd. In summer 2023, Keselowski won Stage #2, finished 2nd overall, led 6 laps and then pushed Buescher to victory lane in overtime. In the 2023 Daytona 500, Keselowski was a standout performer. In the race, Keselowski won Stage #1, led a race high 42 laps, earned the 2nd best driver rating, had the 2nd best average running position (8.6), was the leader as late as lap 196 but then late in the race he got shuffled out of the lead and then crashed in overtime which led to his 22nd. In 2022, Keselowski led 31 laps in the summer but crashed (35th) and then in the Daytona 500 he led a race high 67 laps, had the best average running position, earned the 2nd best driver rating and then finished 9th.

Austin Cindric 
Daytona Fantasy Outlook – Austin Cindric should be on your short list of favorites at Daytona. Cindric won the 2022 Daytona 500, he nearly won it again in February and then this spring at Talladega, Cindric of course raced his way to victory lane. This year at big superspeedways, Cindric could easily be 2 for 2 in the win column and over the combined races he has a 4.5 average finish, the best Driver Rating and the best Average Running Position. Overall in the Next Gen era at Daytona, Cindric has the 2nd best Driver Rating, the 2nd best average running position, he’s averaged leading the 3rd most laps per race (17.3) and has the 7th best average finish (16.0), which underrates him courtesy of quite a few misleading results.
Daytona Track History – Daytona has been a great track for Austin Cindric and he ranks among the premiere performers. Over the last three Daytona races, Cindric’s actually been caught up in a late accident while running in the top 2. In this year’s Daytona 500, Cindric finished 2nd in Stage #2, had the best average running position (5.7), earned the best Driver Rating, led the most laps (59) and then finished 8th. Cindric was the leader on the last lap, but he was then involved in some last lap mayhem and faded back to his 8th. Last summer, Cindric had a race best 7.4 average running position, earned the 5th best Driver Rating, led 15 laps, was leading on lap 158 but then Josh Berry crashed into him, leading to Cindric’s 18th. In the 2024 Daytona 500, Cindric looked poised to finish in the top five but right at the beginning of the last lap, Chastain crashed him while he was running in 2nd which led to his 22nd. Additionally, Cindric finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 13 laps and had the 4th best average running position (12.3). In summer 2023, 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 “500”, Cindric was strong 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.” In 2022, Cindric finished 3rd in the summer and then raced his way to victory lane in the 500.

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