NASCAR takes another turn as the schedule returns to super-speedway racing in Daytona. DraftKings honors the annual summer race with a $100K grand prize fantasy NASCAR contest. Check out the DFS NASCAR rankings below and make your fantasy racing picks for the Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $300K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Ryan Blaney ($9,800) — Can statistics be trusted? It’s a super speedway. The results and wrecks are random. If the stats matter, then Blaney is atop the list. His super-speedway top-10 finish rate is the best in the Cup Series.
2. Denny Hamlin ($10,300) — It never fails. Top-tier plate racers go through slumps. Hamlin has not earned a top-10 finish at Daytona since the 2021 Daytona 500. His average finish is 23rd over that span of six races.
3. Joey Logano ($9,300) — The data is fun but it’s worthless. Logano earned top-5 finishes in both 2023 Daytona races. In every other Daytona race since 2019, his average finish is 22nd. The numbers are all over the place.
4. Justin Haley ($5,500) — It’s hard to believe that Haley has participated in 22 Cup Series super-speedway races. His Cup Series success at plate tracks is not hard to believe. He was the best plate racer when he was in the Xfinity Series. Haley has earned a top-10 DFS score in 41% of his plate races. That is the best mark in the series.
5. Bubba Wallace ($9,000) — This is a tough position for Wallace. He currently sits outside of the playoff cutline. He needs points. He must race hard at the end of each stage. That’s when wrecks happen.
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6. Michael McDowell ($7,700) — The 2021 Daytona 500 winner has struggled at the Florida super speedway since his win. He’s finished outside of the top 25 in four of the last six at Daytona. He’s struggled at Talladega, too. He’s due.
7. William Byron ($9,500) — The reigning Daytona 500 champion makes his return to the super speedway that started the season. Byron has been an optimal DFS NASCAR pick in the last two Daytona races. He’s won at Daytona twice and Atlanta twice.
8. Corey LaJoie ($6,300) — This is the quintessential DraftKings Fantasy NASCAR DFS Daytona pick. Lajoie typically starts in the back and survives for a top-10 finish. The place differential points result in Lajoie routinely being an optimal DFS NASCAR pick.
9. Chase Elliott ($9,600) — Every car can survive but not every car can win. Hendrick Motorsports cars can win. Elliott has been in the mix for the win in six of the last eight Daytona races.
10. Kyle Busch ($8,800) — It’s checkers or wreckers for Rowdy. He needs to win to make the playoffs. His one-win-a-season streak is also on the line. Daytona is his best shot. RCR won the 2022 Daytona summer race.
11. Kyle Larson ($9,200) — This is a checkbox race. Larson has never won a Cup Series race at Daytona. He doesn’t need points. Top-10 finishes do not always work in DFS at Daytona. Laying up hurts. Larson isn’t lying up.
12. Alex Bowman ($8,000) — Do recent results predict future super-speedway finishes? Bowman finished fifth at Talladega in the spring. He’s finished sixth or better in each of the last three Daytona races.
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr ($7,900) — This feels like a race where Stenhouse spoils the party. There are two scenarios. Stenhouse wins his fourth plate race. The second is more fun. Wrecky Spinhouse shows up and wrecks the field.
14. John Hunter Nemechek ($5,700) — A sample size of three races is too small. A 36-race sample size of super-speedway races isn’t that trustworthy. Nemechek has finished 11th twice and seventh in his three races at Daytona.
15. Parker Retzlaff ($5,000) — Scared racing doesn’t work at a super speedway. The young Xfinity Series driver is making his Cup Series super-speedway debut at Daytona. It’s doubtful that he is freaking out but Retzlaff will likely be passive and try to stay out of the way. That’s one way to survive a super speedway.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $300K Engineer [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
