Daytona 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Daytona 500 Outlook – Ryan Blaney is arguably the premiere big superspeedway racer in NASCAR (5-time winner) and in the Daytona 500, look for last summer’s winner to be the driver to beat. Blaney consistently runs up front, and he’s more than capable of putting on a drafting masterclass. At Daytona, Blaney’s a 2-time winner, he’s flirted with victory lane on numerous other occasions, and he’s never lacked when it comes to performance. In the Next Gen, Blaney has the 3rd best Driver Rating and the 8th best average finish (16.3), which very much so underrates him.
Daytona History – Ryan Blaney has been a super-elite performer at Daytona. Since 2020 minus his DNF level crashes which there’s been a few (4 of 12), Blaney has 2-wins, a 5.5 average finish and he’s 7 for 8 at finishing in the top 8. Last year, Blaney had a series best 4.0 average finish and was one of just two drivers who swept the top ten (Buescher was the other). Last summer, Blaney had a “Where did he come from win” with a last lap pass. In the race, Blaney started on the pole, led 27 laps, finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 7th in Stage #2, earned the 17th best Driver Rating, had a 16.0 average running position and then of course finished 1st when the checkered flag waved. For much of the race to close out, Blaney ran about 10th or worse and with 5 to go he was back in 13th. In last 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. In summer 2024, Blaney ranked among the best, but 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 finished 8th.

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William Byron
Daytona 500 Outlook – Daytona 500 winner, William Byron will be looking to make history and win his third straight “Great American Race.” Byron already has three Daytona wins under his belt, and he definitely belongs in the conversation for being the best at big superspeedways right now. At big superspeedways since Talladega #1 2023 minus summer 2024 at Daytona and last fall at Talladega, Byron has a 5.9 average finish and he’s 8 for 9 at finishing in the top ten. Overall in the Next Gen era at big superspeedways, Byron has the 2nd best average finish (14.8).
Daytona History – William Byron currently has back-to-back Daytona 500 wins and in total, he’s a 3-time winner. Last summer, Byron finished 19th but that result is largely the product of him just fading back right at the end. In the race, Byron finished 5th in Stage #2, led 5 laps and was running in 9th with 5 to go, before he faded back during the wild ending. In last year’s Daytona 500, Byron didn’t have the best car but during the final lap while running in 9th, the field parted in front of him and Byron evaded the carnage which led to him finishing 1st. In the race, Byron led 10 laps, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and had the 4th best average running position (11.2). In summer 2024, Byron looked great but finished 27th. In the race, Byron finished 9th in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, was in 4th on lap 156 but then on lap 158 he was heavily damaged in a multi-car wreck. In the 2024 Daytona 500, Byron had a hot rod and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Byron finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2 and led 4 laps, which were the last four. In summer 2023, Byron had a great evening and finished 8th which snapped a four-race streak of him finishing 34th or worse. In the 2023 Daytona 500, Byron was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 34th. In the race, Byron finished 7th in Stage #2, was running in 3rd on lap 198 but then during overtime he was caught up in the “Big One.”

Joey Logano
Daytona 500 Outlook – Joey Logano is a super-elite performer at Daytona. The results column hasn’t been pretty for the 2015 Daytona 500 winner, but Logano hasn’t lacked when it comes to performance. In the Next Gen at Daytona, Logano has the best Driver Rating and the best average running position, so he’s not lacked when it comes to “Performance” (20.1 Next Gen Average Finish). Last year at big superspeedways, Logano had the best Driver Rating, the best average running position but had a 29.3 average finish.
Daytona History – At Daytona, Joey Logano is a magnet for problems but in terms of “Performance”, he’s arguably the best. Last year, Logano could’ve went 2 for 2 at winning but had major problems in both races. Last summer, Logano was arguably the best, but he finished an asterisk mark 27th. In the race, Logano finished 6th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, was tied for leading the most laps (27), had the best average running position (8.6) and earned the 3rd best Driver Rating. Late in the race on lap 148 while leading, Logano was spun and then got stuck in the grass, dooming him to a 27th. In last year’s Daytona 500, Logano had a rocket that I would argue was the best, but multiple problems led to his asterisk mark 35th. In the race, Logano led 43 laps, won Stage #1 but then to begin Stage #2 while leading, Logano had trouble getting up to speed due to a piece of debris that went into his throttle body, and it caused a multi-car wreck. Then after that, Logano was 20 MPH off pace, but then after two lengthy pit stops in the Stage, the #22 team fixed the issue and Logano rebounded to finish 8th in Stage #2. Then in the final Stage, the #22 team did another lengthy pit stop to make his car better and Logano was up to 7th on lap 185, but then he had contact with Stenhouse near the front which caused a “Big One.” In 2024, Logano had a near series worst 31.5 average finish but take note he ranked #1 for Driver Rating, average running position and led the most laps in both races. In summer 2024, Logano was arguably the best but finished an asterisk mark 31st. In the race, Logano finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, earned the best Driver Rating, led the most laps (34), was tied for having the 2nd best average running position (7.5) but on lap 151 while running near the front, McDowell got airborne and Logano plowed into him, dooming him to his 31st. In the 2024 Daytona 500, Logano started on the pole, led the most laps (45), had the best average running position (9.7) and earned the 2nd best Driver Rating. On lap 190 right before he crashed (finished 32nd), Logano was running in 2nd. In 2023, Logano had results of 2nd and 5th.

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