This Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off with the Daytona 500. With the new season comes the opportunity to play daily fantasy sports and win money. The high banks of Daytona make it one of my favorite tracks to play NASCAR DFS as literally, anyone can win the race. Usually, you can find some studs available at cheaper prices.
FanDuel NASCAR DFS Overview
For this NASCAR Cup Series DFS column, I will be using FanDuel prices and scoring. Their scoring includes the following:
- .1 points for leading a lap
- .1 points for completing a lap
- Add/subtract a point based on the difference in a driver’s finishing position relative to their starting position
- Points based on where the driver finishes
FanDuel NASCAR DFS Advice | Race 1
Daytona 500 Drivers to Consider
Tyler Reddick ($7,000)
His slow pit stop in Thursday’s Blue Green Vacations Duel race was his only downfall, but it is likely going to help you in NASCAR DFS. His starting position of 29th means that he has the potential for more points come Sunday when the race starts. Reddick has shown that he can lead at the plate tracks and as long as he doesn’t have another mistake like last Daytona race, he should be fine.
Micheal McDowell ($5,500)
A very cheap NASCAR DFS price on a great plate racer here. He has two top-five finishes at Daytona International Speedway in the last five years. His average start here is 26.5 and his average finish is 12.5, so the gain in points is there. Trust McDowell for the points come Sunday.
Martin Truex Jr. ($9,300)
Look, Truex Jr. raced really well on Thursday. He just mistimed a block and it cost him dearly. If he is in the same position on Sunday it won’t happen again. Truex Jr. could be due and Sunday could be the day. He will need to overcome an inspection penalty that has him starting from the rear of the field, but this could be a sneaky boost when it comes to accumulating NASCAR DFS points.
Brad Keselowski ($12,500)
Fianlly, my pick to win the Daytona 500. Keselowski starts 24th so his starting position is much worse than it should be. He is one of the best plate racers and has the ability to work his way up to the front quickly. He will get you plenty of NASCAR DFS points.
Daytona 500 Drivers to Avoid
Chase Elliott ($13,500)
Elliott does not seem to have much luck at Daytona outside of his two poles and his second-place finish last year. With an average finish of 24.3 and four DNFs on his resume, I think his price tag is too much for anyone to put him in their NASCAR DFS lineup.
Kyle Larson ($11,500)
The Hendrick Chevrolet power comes out in full force on the superspeedways, but Larson is not a plate racer. He does surprisingly has four top-ten finishes at Daytona in his career. But with a new team at Daytona in the first race of the 2021 NASCAR DFS season, I would steer clear of Larson this week.
Joey Gase, Derrike Cope, Cody Ware, Josh Bilicki, Quin Houff, BJ McLeod
I know I said that anyone can win the Daytona 500, but let’s be honest here. These guys are probably still going to finish in the 30s. None of them are worth the $2,000 or $3,000 NASCAR DFS price tag that has been placed on them. Hard passes all around. Seriously, don’t even think about it.
