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Another Nascar season is upon us and another year of fantasy nascar is on tap! I have always viewed Daytona as one of the toughest races to preview as a fantasy nascar analyst, because how wildly unpredictable plate races are. I think you have to go with drivers who have a habbit of finishing up front, but nobody is sure thing though. I think that is one of the biggest challenges in making fantasy lineups for the 500! There will be endless combo of fantasy lineups for Sunday's race, however personally I would go the safe route with the top tier plate racers. Even though I would want to add in a few risky plays that could pay off as well. Point being is don't get too crazy with your lineups. If you do then you are much more prong to have a bad start to the season. And sometimes you never can dig out of these holes (depending how stiff your competition is), so this is a lot like gambling! You may have a good hand, but is good enough to win big?
Since I don't have a lot of time this week, I won't get super detailed with today's previews. In general I will just give you some of my thoughts and opinion on each driver for Sunday's big Daytona 500.
Alright enjoy!
Let get started!
1-Jamie Mac: I don't like Jamie like most people do at the plates. Sorry but I think he get way too much credit in my personal opinion. I am not denying he is a great plate racer, because that is absolutely true. However Jamie cannot finish these races ever it seems. If there trouble, then I am willing to bet Jamie will find it. To me that always seems to be the case for some reason. Over the past 5 seasons, he have managed 5 Top 20 finishes and 5 finishes outside of the top 20. Overall in 26 career races at Daytona, he have managed 10 Top 20 finishes. He also have collected 8 DNFs as well. Even more concerning, he have finished nearly double (18) the races outside of the top 20 than inside the top 20 (10). I think when you combine his inconsistency and his low rate of top 10 finishes at Daytona, I think you get an risky fantasy option in your standard leagues.
2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is listed under my dark horses for a few reasons. For one, he is a pretty good plate racer and often a heavy race contender. And two, he is often overlooked but shouldn't be. He don't always get the finishes you are hoping for, but he have great potential though. He haven't been that good lately with 22.8 average finish and 19.0 average running position. However when we go back and look at recent Daytona races, Keselowski is one of the guys that are usually up at the front. Prior to finishing 29th and 41st last season, he had 3 Top 10 in the previous 5 Daytona races. He wouldn't be my first choice as a fantasy pick, but he isn't a bad one either.
3-Austin Dillon: Dillon is one of the first drivers that come to mind when I think of young and accomplished at Daytona! Dillon already have a proven track record at Daytona and will try to build on that this weekend at the 500. Minus his debut, he have finished inside the top 14 in every start. Including 3 finishes from 7th-9th over his past 4 races at Daytona. He finished 14th and 9th in his past two Daytona 500 races. Dillon is a smart plate racer, he seems to understand how to race Daytona and have a chevy powered engine that allows him to run up front. I am not saying he going to win this weekend, but I am willing to bet one of his first career wins will come at Daytona though.
4-Kevin Harvick: Harvick is an interesting choice really. I could have either listed him under drivers I like or dark horses really. I decided to place him here, simply because he is a widely known driver at the Daytona. And he have found plenty of success. Including last season where he finished 4th and 2nd. I really do like him, especially in the salary cap games. He will have a fast car, so we know he will be capable of staying up front. He have finished 13th or better in 3 of his past 4 Daytona races. In certain formats he will be more valuable at other tracks. So check your league's rules, but overall he is a elite plate racer. With the abilities to finish up inside the top 5. If his car stays in one piece and on the lead lap, then you can pretty much expect a strong finish from him.
5-Kasey Kahne: Everytime I think of Kasey Kahne on any given race weekend, he makes me cringe. He is in my opinion the most inconsistent fantasy option in the series. Now if you trust him enough to use him at Daytona, then please be my guess and try your luck with him. But I am not touching him! So far in 8 Daytona races with HMS, Kasey have finished 27th or worse in 6 of those 8 races. In all 6 of those races he finished 27th or worse in, he posted a driver rating below 101.0. Two race he did top that mark, he finished 9th and 7th though. Not sure how much that means at Daytona though. Regardless I don't really trust him and that's all I need to avoid him for Daytona.
10-Danica Patrick: Patrick is an okay plate driver, but she really haven't given us a good reason to truth her though. Outside of her rookie season (2013), she only have one finish better than 20th. And 3 of 5 ending 31st or worse overall. If we exclude the 2014 July race (she finished 8th - most of the field was wrecked/rain shortened), she have managed 2 DNFs in her past three races at Daytona. I personally don't really see any reason to use Danica at Daytona, since she probably will be a mid-pack driver for majority of the event and finish somewhere around 20th or so.
11-Denny Hamlin: Hamlin have quickly became one of the series top plate racers at Daytona. I never considered him a good driver at Daytona, until most recently. For some reason, he have turned the corner significantly. Over the past 4 races at Daytona, Hamlin have compiled 3.8 average, 29.5 average start, 9.0 average running position and 107.5 driver rating. Hamlin haven't been a great qualifier, but his performance overall he been stout though. He tied with Dale Jr for the most top 5 (3) and the only driver in the series with 4 Top 10 finishes in the past 2 seasons. More impressively, he have finished inside the top 6 in every race. Prior to the past two seasons, he only had two career top 10 finishes (both were top 5s). Since he have triple that number of top 10 finishes! He also won the Sprint Unlimited race on Saturday and JGR looked stout in qualifying and practice. So that should translate to some fast speed in the race. Not sure why or how he have suddenly flipped the switch at Daytona, but until he gives us a reason not trust him, I say employ him all in fantasy formats.
13-Casey Mears: Mears is someone I am never comfortable or ballsy enough to start, especially in standard scoring leagues that don't offer position differential. However lately he always seems to finish well and bite me in the ass! When looking at his numbers since joining the 13 team, it hard not to be impressed, considering this is a small raceteam. Since joining Germain racing in 2011 (9 races), he have compiled 6 Top 18 finishes. Including 5 straight top 11 finishes and 4 of those races have resulted inside the top 10. So the big question is Mears overdue for a bad finish at Daytona? I don't really know, but until he have a bad finish. Then I would continue rolling with Mears in most fantasy formats. Especially since most people will continue ignoring Mears's impressive track record of late. Simply because he isn't one of the more popular names on a top team!
15-Clint Bowyer: Different team, but same old Clint Bowyer on the plates though. I think some people will get confused by him switching team, however mark my words it the same Bowyer behind the wheel. Bowyer always been very good at Daytona and his numbers of late reflects that as well. Over his past 6 races at Daytona, he have finished 11th or better in 5 of those races. Over his past 8 races at Daytona, he have finished 11th or better in 6 of those races. Including 3 straight top 10 finishes. Bowyer have had a knack for running and finishing up front, I don't think that will change for the Daytona 500 in my honest opinion.
16-Greg Biffle: The biff have fell off a lot of people radar heading into the 2016 Daytona 500 and that fine by me. I am not expecting him to blow anyone away with his finish in Sunday's race, but he is also someone who is very capable of knocking off a top 10 finish or maybe a top 15, if you are looking for that. If Biff can avoid all of the drama and wrecks, then he should be primed for a solid finish here. Biff have a knack for finishing well at the Daytona 500. Oh yes! He have 4 straight top 10 finishes dating back to the 2012 Daytona 500. His highest finish in the summer race is 17th.
17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr: I really like Stenhouse at Daytona, he have a knack for finishing respectably with 5 Top 20 finishes in 7 races. He haven't been that great recently (over past two seasons), but he is a quality plate racer who have shown speed thus far in speedweeks. I think that stands out more than anything really. The speed he showed in Ford in practice and qualifying was pretty solid, so if I was looking for a sleeper then Stenhouse could be my ticket. Obviously speed doesn't translate into results, but Ricky is a very capable driver who have found some success on the plates so far in his career. With a little luck, then who knows what could happen.
18-Kyle Busch: Kyle is a solid plate racer, but he often seems to be a hit or miss type of fantasy pick. He not someone who I would want to select to my team this week at the Daytona 500. Looking at recent races at Daytona for Kyle, he haven't collected an top 10 finish since July 2011 here. Prior to that season, his most recent top 10 finish was in 2008 July race. Funny thing is he swept both the top 10 in both of those seasons. Looking at his numbers, I would say he most common finish is somewhere in the teens. He typically will run up front at Daytona, but something always seems to happen to him that gives him a poor outcome though.
19-Carl Edwards: Edwards is a pretty good plate racer, but I don't think he is as good as everyone thinks he is. Sure solid performer usually and contend for top 10 finishes here, but it been a few seasons before he have finished inside the top 10. In fact he have finished 17th or worse in 7 of his past 10 Daytona races. Including 6 straight finishes of 17th or worse. 5 of those 6 have ended outside of the top 20. I personally think it concerning that he is only batting .300 inside the top 20 over the past 5 seasons here. That's basically an top 20 finish every 3.3 races. To me that is not good enough, considering Edwards is one of the series top drivers and can be used anywhere really. I am personally not banking on anything special out of Edwards when the checkers wave.
20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth is a talented plate racer who will be a strong performer in Sunday's Daytona 500. However he have trended in the wrong direction in terms of final finishing position. To me that is never a good sign for a driver's fantasy value. Obviously there a lot of luck involved, but I still don't think Matt is the plate racer he was with RFR back in 2012 and prior. Since joining JGR, he have compiled 25.7 average finish with 18.3 average running position and 81.1 driver rating. In those 6 races (past 3 seasons - all with JGR), he have only managed 2 Top 20s (6th- 2014 Feb, 20th-2014 July). Overall 4 of 6 races have ended 23rd or worse. 3 of those 4 races have ended 33rd or worse. No doubt that JGR will have the speed, but recent history with Kenseth says it will be wise to back away from him
21-Ryan Blaney: Blaney is a driver that I like as fantasy pick. Blaney have showed a lot of speed at Daytona so far and should be one of the toughest drivers to beat during the Daytona 500 on Sunday! He was strong on the plates last season, but he didn't do very well at Daytona. He blew his engine in the Daytona 500 and missed the second race because of rain. However he was pretty stout at Talladega last season. If his engine can hold up in Sunday's race then he should be in great shape for a solid finish.
22-Joey Logano: Logano won this past Daytona 500, but outside of that his success have been limited towards the front. Even though he will have plenty of speed in his #22 Ford for Sunday's race. In 14 career races, he have managed 9 Top 20 finishes. However only 3 of those ended inside the top 10 and only 4 of those ended inside the top 15. So really the trend been from 17th-23th more often than not. To me, I need a better finish than that out of Joey Logano. He probably too pricy and too valuable to be wasted at Daytona in my opinion. If you are looking into using Logano then you probably can expect a teen finish based on recent trends. Over past 6 races, he have finished 11th-22nd in 4 of those 6 races. Over his past 4 races at Daytona, he have compiled 12.8 average finish with 15.8 average running position and 93.5 driver rating. While those solid numbers across the board, I just think he will be more useable on every other type of racetrack!
24-Chase Elliott: Elliott does not any real experience at Daytona or much in a Cup car in general, so I am little concerned about him heading into the race. Really it more to due that I don't know what to expect from him. He have an bad fast #24 car, so he should be able to stay up front. So he is a dark horse in my mind. He doesn't really scream to me as an aggressive driver, so if it comes down to crunch time he might be in some trouble. Then on the other hand, he have really fast car in both practice and qualifying. Like I said it really hard to say what to do with Chase. I am very interesting in watching him in Cam-AMS 150s on Thursday. That should give us a better idea what to expect from him overall.
27-Paul Menard: Menard is another driver who commonly get overlooked at the plate tracks, even though he have constantly been compeititive over the past few seasons at both Talladega and Daytona. He always show up at these plate racers under the radar and more often than not comes away with a solid finish. He doesn't always finish inside the top 15, but he is usually capable of least of a top 20. Luck is a major factor clearly, but Menard understands how to get around Daytona and should be least worth consideration. His best Daytona 500 finish in past three seasons is only 16th, but I have a really good feeling about him for some reason.
41-Kurt Busch: Busch is probably the greatest active driver to never win a race at Daytona or Talladega. He is a talented plate racer who almost always seems to be in contention at the Daytona 500. The fact that he haven't won at Daytona yet is probably still eating away at him. Maybe this will be his year? Maybe or maybe not. History on his side though. He have 3 Top 6 finishes over his past 6 races at Daytona. Overall 6 of his past 10 races at Daytona have ended inside the top 14. If he avoid the big one, then I say chances are he will improve that stat in the 500. However if you were looking for a reason to avoid him at the 500, then you should know he have finished 21st or worse in his past three Daytona 500 races. But he is a quality racer at Daytona, so I am not sure how much you should put into that stat line that have so much luck involved.
42-Kyle Larson: I am still not sure how Kyle Larson saved his car on the last lap at the Sprint Unlimited race! Seriously he had his car halfway sideway at about 190 mph and managed to save it. I was pretty impressed by that, but it won't be the last time any of us say that about him. However I am not touching him for the Daytona 500. In 4 races at Daytona, his highest finish is now 34th. That not something to be proud of. Even worse? 3 of those 4 races have resulted in DNFs. Including sweeping last season's races with DNFs finishes. I think that all I need to hear. I think this kid is in for a huge season, but I don't think it will come at Daytona though.
48-Jimmie Johnson: Johnson isn't as good as teammate Dale Jr at the plate tracks, but I am willing to say he is inching closer and closer. He been one of the best recently at the 500 and I think he continues his success this Sunday. He enters Sunday's event with 3 straight finishes of 5th or better at the Daytona 500. Including 5 Top 5 finishes over his previous 6 (3 seasons) races at Daytona. He finished 2nd and 5th here last season. Johnson have a knack for finishing well recently at the plate races and I do believe he keep that trend going in 2016.
88-Dale Jr: Look Dale Jr isn't the pick you want to make (because the popularity), but it the pick need to make though. I don't think there any way around that Dale Jr is the best plate racer in the field and will be tough to beat all race long with HMS power under his hood. His Daytona 500 numbers are impressive overall! 4 of the past 5 Daytona 500, he have finished 3rd or better. Including 3 straight top 3 finishes in this event. I think the fact that so many people have him on their rosters, that only makes him an even more safer fantasy option. Hard to beat skill and security at Daytona, Dale Jr have both of those conformity in hand.
*All stats are from DriverAverages and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
Another Nascar season is upon us and another year of fantasy nascar is on tap! I have always viewed Daytona as one of the toughest races to preview as a fantasy nascar analyst, because how wildly unpredictable plate races are. I think you have to go with drivers who have a habbit of finishing up front, but nobody is sure thing though. I think that is one of the biggest challenges in making fantasy lineups for the 500! There will be endless combo of fantasy lineups for Sunday's race, however personally I would go the safe route with the top tier plate racers. Even though I would want to add in a few risky plays that could pay off as well. Point being is don't get too crazy with your lineups. If you do then you are much more prong to have a bad start to the season. And sometimes you never can dig out of these holes (depending how stiff your competition is), so this is a lot like gambling! You may have a good hand, but is good enough to win big?
Since I don't have a lot of time this week, I won't get super detailed with today's previews. In general I will just give you some of my thoughts and opinion on each driver for Sunday's big Daytona 500.
Alright enjoy!
Let get started!
1-Jamie Mac: I don't like Jamie like most people do at the plates. Sorry but I think he get way too much credit in my personal opinion. I am not denying he is a great plate racer, because that is absolutely true. However Jamie cannot finish these races ever it seems. If there trouble, then I am willing to bet Jamie will find it. To me that always seems to be the case for some reason. Over the past 5 seasons, he have managed 5 Top 20 finishes and 5 finishes outside of the top 20. Overall in 26 career races at Daytona, he have managed 10 Top 20 finishes. He also have collected 8 DNFs as well. Even more concerning, he have finished nearly double (18) the races outside of the top 20 than inside the top 20 (10). I think when you combine his inconsistency and his low rate of top 10 finishes at Daytona, I think you get an risky fantasy option in your standard leagues.
2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is listed under my dark horses for a few reasons. For one, he is a pretty good plate racer and often a heavy race contender. And two, he is often overlooked but shouldn't be. He don't always get the finishes you are hoping for, but he have great potential though. He haven't been that good lately with 22.8 average finish and 19.0 average running position. However when we go back and look at recent Daytona races, Keselowski is one of the guys that are usually up at the front. Prior to finishing 29th and 41st last season, he had 3 Top 10 in the previous 5 Daytona races. He wouldn't be my first choice as a fantasy pick, but he isn't a bad one either.
3-Austin Dillon: Dillon is one of the first drivers that come to mind when I think of young and accomplished at Daytona! Dillon already have a proven track record at Daytona and will try to build on that this weekend at the 500. Minus his debut, he have finished inside the top 14 in every start. Including 3 finishes from 7th-9th over his past 4 races at Daytona. He finished 14th and 9th in his past two Daytona 500 races. Dillon is a smart plate racer, he seems to understand how to race Daytona and have a chevy powered engine that allows him to run up front. I am not saying he going to win this weekend, but I am willing to bet one of his first career wins will come at Daytona though.
4-Kevin Harvick: Harvick is an interesting choice really. I could have either listed him under drivers I like or dark horses really. I decided to place him here, simply because he is a widely known driver at the Daytona. And he have found plenty of success. Including last season where he finished 4th and 2nd. I really do like him, especially in the salary cap games. He will have a fast car, so we know he will be capable of staying up front. He have finished 13th or better in 3 of his past 4 Daytona races. In certain formats he will be more valuable at other tracks. So check your league's rules, but overall he is a elite plate racer. With the abilities to finish up inside the top 5. If his car stays in one piece and on the lead lap, then you can pretty much expect a strong finish from him.
5-Kasey Kahne: Everytime I think of Kasey Kahne on any given race weekend, he makes me cringe. He is in my opinion the most inconsistent fantasy option in the series. Now if you trust him enough to use him at Daytona, then please be my guess and try your luck with him. But I am not touching him! So far in 8 Daytona races with HMS, Kasey have finished 27th or worse in 6 of those 8 races. In all 6 of those races he finished 27th or worse in, he posted a driver rating below 101.0. Two race he did top that mark, he finished 9th and 7th though. Not sure how much that means at Daytona though. Regardless I don't really trust him and that's all I need to avoid him for Daytona.
10-Danica Patrick: Patrick is an okay plate driver, but she really haven't given us a good reason to truth her though. Outside of her rookie season (2013), she only have one finish better than 20th. And 3 of 5 ending 31st or worse overall. If we exclude the 2014 July race (she finished 8th - most of the field was wrecked/rain shortened), she have managed 2 DNFs in her past three races at Daytona. I personally don't really see any reason to use Danica at Daytona, since she probably will be a mid-pack driver for majority of the event and finish somewhere around 20th or so.
11-Denny Hamlin: Hamlin have quickly became one of the series top plate racers at Daytona. I never considered him a good driver at Daytona, until most recently. For some reason, he have turned the corner significantly. Over the past 4 races at Daytona, Hamlin have compiled 3.8 average, 29.5 average start, 9.0 average running position and 107.5 driver rating. Hamlin haven't been a great qualifier, but his performance overall he been stout though. He tied with Dale Jr for the most top 5 (3) and the only driver in the series with 4 Top 10 finishes in the past 2 seasons. More impressively, he have finished inside the top 6 in every race. Prior to the past two seasons, he only had two career top 10 finishes (both were top 5s). Since he have triple that number of top 10 finishes! He also won the Sprint Unlimited race on Saturday and JGR looked stout in qualifying and practice. So that should translate to some fast speed in the race. Not sure why or how he have suddenly flipped the switch at Daytona, but until he gives us a reason not trust him, I say employ him all in fantasy formats.
13-Casey Mears: Mears is someone I am never comfortable or ballsy enough to start, especially in standard scoring leagues that don't offer position differential. However lately he always seems to finish well and bite me in the ass! When looking at his numbers since joining the 13 team, it hard not to be impressed, considering this is a small raceteam. Since joining Germain racing in 2011 (9 races), he have compiled 6 Top 18 finishes. Including 5 straight top 11 finishes and 4 of those races have resulted inside the top 10. So the big question is Mears overdue for a bad finish at Daytona? I don't really know, but until he have a bad finish. Then I would continue rolling with Mears in most fantasy formats. Especially since most people will continue ignoring Mears's impressive track record of late. Simply because he isn't one of the more popular names on a top team!
15-Clint Bowyer: Different team, but same old Clint Bowyer on the plates though. I think some people will get confused by him switching team, however mark my words it the same Bowyer behind the wheel. Bowyer always been very good at Daytona and his numbers of late reflects that as well. Over his past 6 races at Daytona, he have finished 11th or better in 5 of those races. Over his past 8 races at Daytona, he have finished 11th or better in 6 of those races. Including 3 straight top 10 finishes. Bowyer have had a knack for running and finishing up front, I don't think that will change for the Daytona 500 in my honest opinion.
16-Greg Biffle: The biff have fell off a lot of people radar heading into the 2016 Daytona 500 and that fine by me. I am not expecting him to blow anyone away with his finish in Sunday's race, but he is also someone who is very capable of knocking off a top 10 finish or maybe a top 15, if you are looking for that. If Biff can avoid all of the drama and wrecks, then he should be primed for a solid finish here. Biff have a knack for finishing well at the Daytona 500. Oh yes! He have 4 straight top 10 finishes dating back to the 2012 Daytona 500. His highest finish in the summer race is 17th.
17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr: I really like Stenhouse at Daytona, he have a knack for finishing respectably with 5 Top 20 finishes in 7 races. He haven't been that great recently (over past two seasons), but he is a quality plate racer who have shown speed thus far in speedweeks. I think that stands out more than anything really. The speed he showed in Ford in practice and qualifying was pretty solid, so if I was looking for a sleeper then Stenhouse could be my ticket. Obviously speed doesn't translate into results, but Ricky is a very capable driver who have found some success on the plates so far in his career. With a little luck, then who knows what could happen.
18-Kyle Busch: Kyle is a solid plate racer, but he often seems to be a hit or miss type of fantasy pick. He not someone who I would want to select to my team this week at the Daytona 500. Looking at recent races at Daytona for Kyle, he haven't collected an top 10 finish since July 2011 here. Prior to that season, his most recent top 10 finish was in 2008 July race. Funny thing is he swept both the top 10 in both of those seasons. Looking at his numbers, I would say he most common finish is somewhere in the teens. He typically will run up front at Daytona, but something always seems to happen to him that gives him a poor outcome though.
19-Carl Edwards: Edwards is a pretty good plate racer, but I don't think he is as good as everyone thinks he is. Sure solid performer usually and contend for top 10 finishes here, but it been a few seasons before he have finished inside the top 10. In fact he have finished 17th or worse in 7 of his past 10 Daytona races. Including 6 straight finishes of 17th or worse. 5 of those 6 have ended outside of the top 20. I personally think it concerning that he is only batting .300 inside the top 20 over the past 5 seasons here. That's basically an top 20 finish every 3.3 races. To me that is not good enough, considering Edwards is one of the series top drivers and can be used anywhere really. I am personally not banking on anything special out of Edwards when the checkers wave.
20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth is a talented plate racer who will be a strong performer in Sunday's Daytona 500. However he have trended in the wrong direction in terms of final finishing position. To me that is never a good sign for a driver's fantasy value. Obviously there a lot of luck involved, but I still don't think Matt is the plate racer he was with RFR back in 2012 and prior. Since joining JGR, he have compiled 25.7 average finish with 18.3 average running position and 81.1 driver rating. In those 6 races (past 3 seasons - all with JGR), he have only managed 2 Top 20s (6th- 2014 Feb, 20th-2014 July). Overall 4 of 6 races have ended 23rd or worse. 3 of those 4 races have ended 33rd or worse. No doubt that JGR will have the speed, but recent history with Kenseth says it will be wise to back away from him
21-Ryan Blaney: Blaney is a driver that I like as fantasy pick. Blaney have showed a lot of speed at Daytona so far and should be one of the toughest drivers to beat during the Daytona 500 on Sunday! He was strong on the plates last season, but he didn't do very well at Daytona. He blew his engine in the Daytona 500 and missed the second race because of rain. However he was pretty stout at Talladega last season. If his engine can hold up in Sunday's race then he should be in great shape for a solid finish.
22-Joey Logano: Logano won this past Daytona 500, but outside of that his success have been limited towards the front. Even though he will have plenty of speed in his #22 Ford for Sunday's race. In 14 career races, he have managed 9 Top 20 finishes. However only 3 of those ended inside the top 10 and only 4 of those ended inside the top 15. So really the trend been from 17th-23th more often than not. To me, I need a better finish than that out of Joey Logano. He probably too pricy and too valuable to be wasted at Daytona in my opinion. If you are looking into using Logano then you probably can expect a teen finish based on recent trends. Over past 6 races, he have finished 11th-22nd in 4 of those 6 races. Over his past 4 races at Daytona, he have compiled 12.8 average finish with 15.8 average running position and 93.5 driver rating. While those solid numbers across the board, I just think he will be more useable on every other type of racetrack!
24-Chase Elliott: Elliott does not any real experience at Daytona or much in a Cup car in general, so I am little concerned about him heading into the race. Really it more to due that I don't know what to expect from him. He have an bad fast #24 car, so he should be able to stay up front. So he is a dark horse in my mind. He doesn't really scream to me as an aggressive driver, so if it comes down to crunch time he might be in some trouble. Then on the other hand, he have really fast car in both practice and qualifying. Like I said it really hard to say what to do with Chase. I am very interesting in watching him in Cam-AMS 150s on Thursday. That should give us a better idea what to expect from him overall.
27-Paul Menard: Menard is another driver who commonly get overlooked at the plate tracks, even though he have constantly been compeititive over the past few seasons at both Talladega and Daytona. He always show up at these plate racers under the radar and more often than not comes away with a solid finish. He doesn't always finish inside the top 15, but he is usually capable of least of a top 20. Luck is a major factor clearly, but Menard understands how to get around Daytona and should be least worth consideration. His best Daytona 500 finish in past three seasons is only 16th, but I have a really good feeling about him for some reason.
41-Kurt Busch: Busch is probably the greatest active driver to never win a race at Daytona or Talladega. He is a talented plate racer who almost always seems to be in contention at the Daytona 500. The fact that he haven't won at Daytona yet is probably still eating away at him. Maybe this will be his year? Maybe or maybe not. History on his side though. He have 3 Top 6 finishes over his past 6 races at Daytona. Overall 6 of his past 10 races at Daytona have ended inside the top 14. If he avoid the big one, then I say chances are he will improve that stat in the 500. However if you were looking for a reason to avoid him at the 500, then you should know he have finished 21st or worse in his past three Daytona 500 races. But he is a quality racer at Daytona, so I am not sure how much you should put into that stat line that have so much luck involved.
42-Kyle Larson: I am still not sure how Kyle Larson saved his car on the last lap at the Sprint Unlimited race! Seriously he had his car halfway sideway at about 190 mph and managed to save it. I was pretty impressed by that, but it won't be the last time any of us say that about him. However I am not touching him for the Daytona 500. In 4 races at Daytona, his highest finish is now 34th. That not something to be proud of. Even worse? 3 of those 4 races have resulted in DNFs. Including sweeping last season's races with DNFs finishes. I think that all I need to hear. I think this kid is in for a huge season, but I don't think it will come at Daytona though.
48-Jimmie Johnson: Johnson isn't as good as teammate Dale Jr at the plate tracks, but I am willing to say he is inching closer and closer. He been one of the best recently at the 500 and I think he continues his success this Sunday. He enters Sunday's event with 3 straight finishes of 5th or better at the Daytona 500. Including 5 Top 5 finishes over his previous 6 (3 seasons) races at Daytona. He finished 2nd and 5th here last season. Johnson have a knack for finishing well recently at the plate races and I do believe he keep that trend going in 2016.
88-Dale Jr: Look Dale Jr isn't the pick you want to make (because the popularity), but it the pick need to make though. I don't think there any way around that Dale Jr is the best plate racer in the field and will be tough to beat all race long with HMS power under his hood. His Daytona 500 numbers are impressive overall! 4 of the past 5 Daytona 500, he have finished 3rd or better. Including 3 straight top 3 finishes in this event. I think the fact that so many people have him on their rosters, that only makes him an even more safer fantasy option. Hard to beat skill and security at Daytona, Dale Jr have both of those conformity in hand.
*All stats are from DriverAverages and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
