February 16, 2025
After running out of fuel in his second Duel race, two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson fell from running as high as second to an eventual 19th-place finish. As a result, he starts 40th and next-to-last in Sunday's race as he was forced to advance to the Daytona 500 by virtue of his qualifying position instead of his Duel finish. Given his past history, his starting position, and the fact that the Toyotas seem to be the fastest in the draft based on the Duel races, he is a very tempting selection for DFS consideration, especially since he only costs $5,500. The problem is that most people don't expect him to finish the race, as he hasn't finished in five of his 12 starts since his return and he has never finished better than 26th in a race. There is some value here, but his ceiling is likely too low to make him a top option.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Ryan Preece makes his debut with RFK Racing in Sunday's Daytona 500, starting from the 27th position but he does seem to have speed as he qualified third in single-car qualifying and his RFK teammates both led in the second Duel race with Chris Buescher significantly contending for the win. As a result, Preece is priced highly at $8,400 for DFS lineups, but he still has considerable value since the Fords in general and the RFK cars in particular are likely to run better than 27th in the race. Preece himself had moments at Daytona on drafting tracks, but those primarily came during his JTG-Daugherty Racing years, and he has rarely contended in the Next Gen era, even considering Ford's speed on superspeedways. He is probably overvalued, but given his starting position and RFK's speed, he's still worth considering.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Although Michael McDowell has a reputation as a drafting expert because of his 2021 Daytona 500 win, the fact that he has eight top-10 finishes there and no more than four on any other track make him one to avoid this year. His actual finishing record at Daytona has not been so hot, as he has finished 28th or worse in four of his last five starts there and now he is driving for a Spire Motorsports team that has seemed to not be as fast as Front Row Motorsports on drafting tracks. However, he has brought his FRM crew chief Travis Peterson with him. McDowell was mostly a non-factor in his Duel race, starting ninth and finishing 12th en route to a 25th-place starting position in the Daytona 500. The fact that he is starting 25th indicates there is likely some DFS value, especially since he only costs $7,100, but there are probably better options elsewhere.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Justin Allgaier is making JR Motorsports' debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday's Daytona 500 after a late charge to finish ninth in the first Duel race. However, he seems drastically overvalued everywhere on DraftKings, where he is given 25-1 odds to win -- equal with Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher, who are both easily more likely to win -- and he is also favored to earn a top ten finish at minus-110 (which he probably won't do, especially for a brand-new team). Additionally, the fact that he is starting 19th, which is better than he will likely run, and valued at $7,000 on DFS lineups (making him more expensive than a lot of more valuable drivers), suggests that it's best to avoid him at all costs, especially when considering he caused three crashes in Saturday's Xfinity Series race, indicating he might be likely to overdrive.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Although many people expected Todd Gilliland to be a significant contender for the Daytona 500 pole, considering how many poles his ex-teammate Michael McDowell won in his No. 34 car last year, he only qualified 14th before both starting and finishing seventh in the second Duel race, where he was not really much of a contender even though his Penske quasi-teammates all were. Since he didn't really contend there, it seems less likely he'll move through the field than expected, so he is unlikely to be that valuable in DFS lineups because he is starting better than he usually finishes. It seems the departure of Travis Peterson from Front Row Motorsports may have weakened the team's competitiveness on these tracks. Bettors should likely stay away from him in all categories.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Although Corey LaJoie became the butt of jokes after a string of crashes last summer, he is actually quite serviceable at Daytona, especially in the Daytona 500. He has never crashed out of this race in eight previous starts and his average finish of 10.2 over the last five Daytona 500s is actually the best in the field. Furthermore, the Rick Ware Racing cars have generally done an excellent job of avoiding wrecks at Daytona, as 7 of RWR's 11 top tens have come there. Even though he is inexpensive on DFS at $5,700, the fact that he is starting 12th means the number of points he can gain relative to other drivers is limited and he is probably not worth considering there. Since it is Ware, betting on him for the win at 70-1 likely isn't a good value either, but he is possibly a good bet for a top ten at +260.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Upon his return to the NASCAR Cup Series after his Xfinity Series title in 2023, Cole Custer both started and finished 16th in Duel Race 2 and was generally uncompetitive throughout the event. Even with the recent history of Ford dominance on drafting tracks, he isn't worth considering betting on him for the win even at 80-1, but he may be a worthy choice for DFS lineups because he is very inexpensive $6,200, the fact that he is starting 30th at Daytona means he has considerable upside if he is able to earn any sort of good finish, and he has only ever crashed at Daytona once, which suggests he may be good for a top twenty finish. He likely won't even sniff the lead at any point, but if he can slice through the wrecks, he has a chance of being very valuable.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Ty Dillon starts seventh in Sunday's Daytona 500 after finishing third in the first duel race at Daytona. He was directly behind Bubba Wallace on the final lap of the race until he switched lanes to pick up his Kaulig Racing teammate A.J. Allmendinger to attempt to draft around Wallace for the win. Unfortunately, he made slight contact with the wall, but he had unusual speed in the race. The speed he showed in his Duel race, along with Kaulig's general speed on superspeedways, suggests it may be valuable to make a nominal wager on him at 70-1 for the win. But the fact that he is starting so much better than he typically finishes, means he is unlikely to score enough points to make him a worthwhile option for DFS, even though the fact that he is the second-cheapest driver in the field at $5,400 might make it tempting on the surface.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
February 16, 2025
Kyle Larson will have a bit of a disadvantage to start out this year's Great American Race, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver will have to start the race from the rear of the field after his team got the backup car prepared to race. Starting at the back of the pack is by no means a disadvantage, though, and Larson may actually prefer it. As far as his DraftKings playability goes on Sunday, Larson will still be credited with a 22nd-place starting spot, and still has Place Differential upside to work with. He should be a relatively popular DFS pick on the slate, but it's worth noting that Larson hasn't had a single-digit finish at Daytona since the 2019 season. Perhaps this is the opportunity to go underweight on one of the more popular drivers in the Daily Fantasy Sports world? If you're feeling contrarian, that's certainly a way to go.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Bob Pockrass
February 16, 2025
Many sportsbooks around the country have listed Kyle Busch as the favorite to win this year's Daytona 500. From Bet365 (+1100) to Caesars Sportsbook (+1200) to DraftKings Sportsbook (+900) and more, most books are giving respect to one of the strongest cars on the superspeedways in the Next Gen era. Since the new race car was unveiled, Kyle Busch has been a standout performer at Daytona specifically, with the best average finish (9.3), the third-best average running position, and the fourth-best average driver rating. Busch will start from back in 21st for this weekend's Great American race, but should be able to make his way through the field and contend for the lead early. He makes for a solid DFS choice this weekend despite a relatively high salary on DraftKings ($9,300). He should also be a popular pick on the slate, as so many are taking notice of Rowdy's prowess on the superspeedways.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
February 16, 2025
Shane van Gisbergen will be making his Daytona 500 debut this weekend in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. He will start the Great American Race from 26th-place after finishing 14th in his Duel race on Thursday night. This will be SVG's second-ever Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway, as he walked away with a 35th-place finish in the summer race last year after having engine issues during the event. It also is worth noting that he came away with a 15th-place finish at Talladega last fall. Van Gisbergen is an interesting DFS play on Sunday because of his starting position and lack of track history. Because of these factors, SVG ($6,300 on DraftKings) should be considered in large tournament formats as a pivot play for DFS players. A top-10 finish from van Gisbergen will earn daily fantasy players 50+ FPTS in DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Autoweek
February 16, 2025
Daniel Suarez will start this year's Daytona 500 from 36th place, which means the Trackhouse Racing driver has a huge amount of place-differential upside for DFS contests. Additionally, Suarez is priced at just $7,300 on DraftKings, so he's easy to fit into your DFS lineups on Sunday. But is he worth the risk? Suarez has been a DNF machine at Daytona International Speedway and ended up 34th and 40th in the two points-paying races here last season. In his Duel race this past Thursday, Suarez looked strong and led nine laps, but ultimately finished near the back after getting caught up in a wreck. When it comes to DFS, though, it often works out to zig when others zag, and that could be the case this weekend. We've seen the No. 99 Chevrolet be strong enough to contend on speed at these big superspeedways. Now Suarez just needs to make it through an entire race unscathed.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: The Tennessean
February 16, 2025
Chase Briscoe will be making his official debut for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend, and he's kicking off the 2025 Cup Series with a bang by sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500. But while that may be a good confidence boost for him and the No. 19 JGR team, that doesn't mean you should have confidence in Briscoe when it comes to DFS contests. Place Differential is too important at superspeedways when it comes to being successful at DraftKings, and it is impossible for Briscoe to score any positive points in that category this weekend. Even if he ends up winning the race on Sunday, it'll take a lot for Chase to make it into the optimal lineup on DraftKings. Stay away from the $8,000 Joe Gibbs Racing driver this week.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ESPN
February 16, 2025
Erik Jones nearly won his Duel race at Daytona on Thursday evening, and because of that he will start from fourth place for this year's Daytona 500 on Sunday. Jones is a previous Daytona winner (2018), and while it is certainly possible that he contends for his first Great American Race victory this weekend, he's probably not worth the risk in DFS contests. Jones is priced relatively low at $6,400 on DraftKings this weekend, but even then, the high probability of him scoring negative place-differential points in the race is what makes the risk heavily outweigh the potential reward. When building your DraftKings lineups for the Daytona 500 this weekend, look elsewhere.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Sports Illustrated
February 16, 2025
Expect Martin Truex Jr. to be one of the highest-owned drivers on the Daytona 500 slate this weekend. MTJ is driving the No. 56 Toyota for TRICON Garage this weekend, with the organization making its NASCAR Cup Series debut with technical help from Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex will start this year's Great American Race from the 39th position, giving him massive place-differential upside at a relatively low salary of just $7,200 on DraftKings. MTJ has typically run well at superspeedways throughout his career, although he has yet to get a victory at one. Still, Truex has finished 15th or better in all three of his Next Gen Daytona 500 starts, and if he can continue that streak this weekend, DFS owners will be looking at a massive day from the Mayetta, New Jersey, native.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
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