The Monster Energy Cup Series is back for another season! Last year, we witnessed first-time winner Martin Truex Jr. dominate all season long winning the most stages and races to earn his championship. It was also the last year for former champion Matt Kenseth, uber-popular and NASCAR royalty Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the most mainstream driver among them all, Danica Patrick(she will have one final ride this weekend.
This weekend is the Super Bowl of NASCAR, the Daytona 500. This race is a restrictor plate race, meaning that speeds are dampened, and no car driver can complete run away from the field. Therefore, the “Laps Lead” DFS scoring category is wide open and most likely won’t be dominated by a few drivers with the fastest cars(as in other race tracks). So, cars are tightly packed, and drafting strategies(usually with teammates or Ford-Chevrolet-Toyota) are critical to moving up the field or risk falling back. Because of the tightly packed racing scenarios, Daytona is notorious for “the Big One”. One car spinning out can cause a major chain reaction wiping out several drivers from the race.
What does this mean for DFS strategy? PIck your drivers who qualified in the back. Why? If they don’t move up throughout the race, then they can see the crash carnage(Daytona is known for multiple wrecks) and avoid it accordingly. The Place Differential stat category is the most important, which is the difference between the qualifying(starting)position and the finishing position. For example, if your driver starts 39th and finishes 1st, then your place differential points would be 38.
For this race, I will have two categories: My Top Picks, and Best Drivers in the Back.
My Top Picks for the Daytona 500 (Pick one or two for your lineup)
Ricky Stenhouse($8,900): Stenhouse ran really well in Thursday night’s Duel race and is a Restrictor Plate specialist. He won the July Daytona race and also runs well at Talladega, a similar racetrack.
Ryan Blaney($8,600): Races really well at Daytona. He won this Duel race on Thursday night and finished 2nd last year at the Daytona Race.
Paul Menard($7,000): Menard is a really sneaky pick. He finished 5th in last year’s Daytona 500 and also finished an impressive 3rd place in the July Daytona Race.
Best Drivers in the Back(Fill out the rest of the Lineup with any of these guys)
Martin Truex Jr.($9,500): Starting 24th. The champion is a must start at this position. He lost to Denny Hamlin at the 2016 Daytona 500 by a photo finish.
Brad Keselowski($10,400): Runs really well at Talladega, winning it four times. He ran well at Thursdays Duel race before crashing on the last lap. Starts 31st. Great position for him for DFS purposes, but he will be using a backup car for this race.
Jimmie Johnson($9,100): Had some bad luck in his Duel race on Thursday, crashing his car. For the 7 time champion, who has won the Daytona 500 twice in his career, he is worth putting in your lineup even with a backup car. Starts 35th.
Kyle Larson($9,300): Starts 38th. One of last year’s best drivers, I love him at 38th where he can work his way to the front by the end of the race.
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Matt DiBenedetto($5,400): Starts 32nd, and finished 9th last year in the Daytona 500.
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