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The Mecca of stock car racing hosts the Cup Series on the infield for the first time today at today’s NASCAR Cup Coke Zero Sugar 400 on the oval at Daytona International Speedway.
It’s the last race of the regular season in the Cup series, and that means the top 16 drivers after today will advance to the playoffs. Right now William Byron, Jimmie Johnson, and Erik Jones are the drivers on the bubble taking the last three positions, with Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon on their heels and the outside looking for a spot.
DraftKings has plenty of DFS contests before the contests lock at 7:30 p.m., and we find some of the best picks to round out your roster below. You can set your lineups here.
Modest Sleepers
Ryan Newman ($6,500)
His last six at Daytona: 5th, 8th, 8th, 14th, 5th, and 9th in February of this year. The gambling nature of Daytona suits his style, and his ability to stay out of trouble will be key today. You’ll need some luck of course, but there’s value here.
Michael McDowell ($6,900)
An average finishing position has been 12.29 since February of 2017, with two top five finishes in the last three years. Starting in 26th position today means he’s capable of winning plenty of placement points as well. His early season success is a bit behind him, but at Daytona he’s too tough to leave out of the lineup.
Deep Sleepers
Matt Kenseth ($6,300)
He’s won The Big One here twice, and you know he’ll feel good about his chances during this return season. This is strictly a bet on his ability to stay in line and out of trouble in his first race at Daytona since the summer race in 2017. But if he’s running at the end, a place where Kenseth has created so much magic during this replacement season for Kyle Larson. It’s Daytona, and sometimes storybook endings do happen.