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One unique feature of the Daytona 500 is that it features a pair of qualifying races on Thursday night to help set the lineup.
It's a nice tune-up for the action we'll see on Sunday, and because no one wants to crash out and have to go to a backup car for the 500. If you're looking to play some superspeedway DFS without as much risk as there will be on Sunday (but with some, because it is a superspeedway and there could still be a huge wreck), play some Bluegreen Vacations Duel DFS.
In this article, we'll look at DFS picks for Duel 1.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups.
Joey Logano
(DraftKings $10,100 | FanDuel $13,000)
Logano will start 11th for this 60 lap event. Because this race is shorter than we're used to but still takes place at an unpredictable track like Daytona, I'm targeting place differential more than I am laps led points, simply because fewer points will be available in terms of laps led. Logano's luck at Daytona in the big races hasn't been great lately, but he's a former winner of the 500 and maybe most notably has won his last two Duel races, and since 2015 has finished worse than third just once.
Kyle Larson
(DraftKings $9,600 | FanDuel $11,500)
Larson makes his return to NASCAR after losing his ride with Chip Ganassi last season after using a racial slur while streaming. He starts eighth in his first race with Hendrick Motorsports. Larson has third in his Duel last year and has four top 10s in these races. He has top 10s in two of his last three full races at Daytona. Larson's aggressive style can be an issue at tracks like this, but the shorter Duel race should help negate that concern.
Matt DiBenedetto
(DraftKings $8,700 | FanDuel $8,200)
Another guy starting in the back half of the top 10, DiBenedetto is beginning his last season in this 21 car before Austin Cindric eventually takes it over. He was seventh in his 2020 Duel and fourth the year before, plus led 49 laps in the 2019 Daytona 500 before crashing out. Should be a solid showing from DiBenedetto here.
Tyler Reddick
(DraftKings $8,200 | FanDuel $7,000)
Now we start to move back in the field. Reddick starts 16th, which means we get some nice differential possibility here. He was 10th in his Duel last season and while he's 0-for-3 in terms of finishing Cup races at Daytona, he's a former Xfinity winner at the track. He also ran well at Talladega last Fall, showcasing that he definitely has some superspeedway chops at this level. His fourth-place in the Busch Clash doesn't really tell us anything because that was on the Daytona road course, but it's worth at least bringing up that it happpened.
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Jamie McMurray
(DraftKings $7,700 | FanDuel $4,200)
Don't let the fact McMurray is technically in a Spire car fool you. This is a superspeedway and a partnership with Chip Ganassi, which means McMurray should have plenty of speed. Qualifying didn't really show that, but get the former Daytona 500 winner out there in the pack and he should be able to kick off the rust and move forward in the pack. Starting 18th will offer some nice differential upside.
Austin Cindric
(DraftKings $6,500 | FanDuel $6,200)
Cindric starts 10th and is looking to race his way into his first Cup Series start. I love the value here because he's driving a Penske car, and because he'll have no reason to play it safe and just sit back. Cindric will be aggressive here, as finishing ahead as the best non-chartered car in this race will get him into the 500. (He could still make it if he isn't the top one, but it gets more complicated then.)
Ty Dillon
(DraftKings $5,800 | FanDuel $3,500)
And who else is competing for one of those final spots in the 500? Ty Dillon, driving the 96 Toyota. Isn't it weird to see Dillon in a Toyota? Anyway, Dillon doesn't have the backup plan that Cindric has of making it in on speed, so he has to be the highest-finishing non-charter car if he wants to make this race, putting a lot of pressure on him. But starting 17th and coming at a really cheap DFS salary, Dillon seems like a driver that you want to have exposure to, even if there's the legitimate worry that he's forced to overdrive things and ends up wrecking himself because of that. But hey, it's Daytona! You have to take some chances sometimes.
