Daytona Coke Zero 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Daytona Fantasy Outlook – Defending summer Daytona winner, Ryan Blaney is arguably the premiere big superspeedway racer in NASCAR (5-time winner) and on Saturday night, he’ll be tough 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 7th best Driver Rating and the 7th best average finish (17.4), 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 (5 of 13), Blaney has 2-wins, a 5.5 average finish and he’s 7 for 8 at finishing in the top 8. In this year’s Daytona 500, Blaney had a rocket but finished a DNF 27th. In the race, Blaney finished 3rd in Stage #1, was damaged in the lap 124 “Big One”, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 2 laps, was stalled back in mid-pack for much of the last Stage when Toyota’s jammed up the field 3-wide, was in 16th on lap 199 but then on the last lap, I’m assuming he crashed, since he DNF’ed and didn’t complete it which led to his 27th. In 2025, Blaney had a series best 4.0 average finish over the combined races. 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 overall. 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.

Joey Logano
Daytona Fantasy Outlook – Joey Logano is a super-elite performer at Daytona. The results column largely hasn’t been pretty for the 2015 Daytona 500 winner, but Logano hasn’t lacked when it comes to performance. In the Next Gen, Logano ranks #1 for Driver Rating, #1 for average running position but his average finish is a highly misleading 18.7, via quite a few asterisk mark results. Since 2025 at big superspeedways over the combined races, Logano has the best Driver Rating, the best average running position but a 20.8 average finish. If Logano can avoid trouble, look for him to finish up front and be a factor.
Daytona History – At Daytona, Joey Logano is a magnet for problems but in terms of “Performance”, he’s arguably the best. In the Next Gen, Logano has 3-top tens, 4 top 12’s but over the other five races he’s finished 21st or worse. Recently, times have been brutal and in 4 of the last 5 he’s finished 27th or worse. In February, I don’t know how he did it, but Logano dodged major trouble for once. In the race, Logano finished 9th in Stage #2 (lap 130), was in 13th before the final restart and then sprinted his way to a 3rd place finish. Additionally, Logano earned the 5th best Driver Rating and had the 11th best average running position. 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.

Chris Buescher
Daytona Fantasy Outlook – Summer 2023 Daytona winner, Chris Buescher will be a force to be reckoned with. Buescher’s an elite superspeedway racer and he’ll have a more than capable Ford Dark Horse Mustang underneath him. At Daytona in the Next Gen, nobody has been better and over the combined races he ranks #1 for average finish (11.1) and #2 for Driver Rating. In terms of the results column, Buescher currently has four straight top tens and in 6 of the last 7, he’s finished in the top 10. At big superspeedways since 2025, Buescher is 4 for 6 at finishing in the top ten and in the two outliers, he was 2 for 2 at wrecking while leading/ battling for the lead (both 2025 Talladega races).
Daytona History – Chris Buescher has been elite at Daytona. Buescher’s a semi recent winner and since 2023, Buescher has a series best 8.1 average finish, he’s 6 for 7 at finishing in the top ten and in 4 of the last 7 races, he’s ranked in the top 2 in terms of driver rating (Three #1 rankings). Over the last four, he’s 4 for 4 at finishing between 7th to 10th. In this year’s 500, Buescher finished 6th in Stage #1, finished 7th in Stage #2, was tied for the best average running position (11.7), earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 7th overall. I’ll also note, before the final caution came out, he was running in 3rd. Last summer, Buescher was fast and finished 7th, which might very well underrate him since Logano spun across his nose in the closing laps while battling for the lead, which appeared to do a little damage to the #17. Additionally, Buescher earned the best Driver Rating and had the 4th best Average Running Position (11.0). In last year’s Daytona 500, Buescher earned the 8th best Driver Rating and then finished 10th overall. In summer 2024, Buescher placed in the two opening Stages (3rd and 9th), led 10 laps, had a 10.7 average running position and then finished 10th overall. In the 2024 Daytona 500, Buescher finished 18th (15.6 average running position). In 2023, Buescher was 2 for 2 at earning the best Driver Rating and came home with results of 1st and 4th.

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