NASCAR fantasy racing fans don’t have to wait any longer, the start of the season is finally here. Let’s take a look at which drivers should be on your Daytona 500 roster.
The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s biggest race of the year. Drivers and teams will give it their all this weekend to win “The Great American Race” and begin their 2017 season on top of the standings.
Racing at Daytona only happens twice a year and the style of racing at Daytona, restrictor plate racing, only happens four times a year. This makes setting fantasy racing lineups an unique challenge.
Taking a look at recent driver performances at Daytona is key. The style of racing at Daytona and Talladega, the other restrictor plate track, is very similar, but there are a few characteristics of Daytona that are different and shouldn’t be ignored when looking at recent success on restrictor plate tracks.
Handling at Daytona comes into play much more often than at Talladega. Also unique to the Daytona 500, all drivers have had at least one race, some drivers two, leading into a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the same exact track. Use those races to your advantage.
Here are a few drivers to keep in mind when creating your NASCAR fantasy racing lineup for the Daytona 500.
Avoid Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott
The last time a driver won from the front row in the Daytona 500 was in 2000 when Dale Jarrett earned his third and final Daytona 500 victory. In 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 from the third starting position.
History doesn’t always repeat itself and with the way both Earnhardt Jr. and Elliott performed in the Daytona Duels on Thursday night, there is a chance one of them could end up in victory lane.
When it comes to most NASCAR fantasy racing formats, it isn’t a good idea to build your lineup around the drivers starting on the front row, unless they are hands down the class of the field. At Daytona, it can be anyone’s race.
Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing
The Fords have been strong throughout Speedweeks, led by the Team Penske duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. The new-look Fords from Stewart-Haas Racing have also been fast and their drivers all have a knack for running well at Daytona.
If you had to narrow the Fords down to the top two choices and a sleeper then it would look something like: Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick.
Keselowski has been fast in The Clash and the Duels. Harvick showed speed and was able to work with not just his teammates or Fords, but other drivers as well. That compatibility will be crucial as the 500-mile race wears on. Patrick has historically run well on the restrictor plate tracks and positioned herself well to finish fourth in The Clash.
Stick with Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is the defending Daytona 500 champion and won the second Can-Am Duel. Hamlin was also leading entering turn 3 on the final lap of The Clash before Keselowski made a move that slowed up both of their cars.
Next: Five Tracks Where Dale Earnhardt Jr. Will Show Strength In 2017
Repeating as Daytona 500 champion is tough, but Hamlin will roll off from fourth and his team has been riding momentum since they arrived in Daytona.
Choose drivers starting from 35th or worse
Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and A.J. Allmendinger are all starting 35-38. The place differential points alone are worth the risk on a group of drivers who have all finished inside the top-ten at restrictor plate races in their careers.