February 16, 2025
Noah Gragson will roll off the starting grid from 32nd place for this weekend's Great American Race (the Daytona 500), and that in and of itself is enough reason to consider him in DFS contests on Sunday. However, when you add in the fact that Gragson has been a legitimate top-10 contender in four of his last five races at this track, that's even more reason to roll the dice with the Front Row Motorsports driver this weekend. Coming in at $6,800 on DraftKings, Gragson has the potential to be a little overlooked by DFS players that are opting for the bigger-name drivers starting deep in the field, but the high upside for place-differential fantasy points is still there for Gragson. He came home ninth in last year's Daytona 500 despite starting back in 38th, and also has a fifth-place finish to his credit at this track (back in 2022 with Beard Motorsports).
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
February 16, 2025
Don't overlook Justin Haley in DraftKings contests this weekend. The Spire Motorsports driver is priced at $6,600 on the DFS site for the Daytona 500, and he will start back in 35th-place for this year's Great American Race, giving Haley tremendous upside when it comes to Place Differential in the contest. Because he's not one of the big-name drivers starting deep in the field, though, it is certainly possible that Haley will go under-owned in DFS contests on Sunday despite his upside to move up through the field. Justin is a previous winner at Daytona (2019) but has yet to post a top-20 finish at this track in the Next Gen era. Still, he led 21 laps in the race here last August, and has shown great superspeedway skill in the Xfinity Series recently.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
February 16, 2025
Josh Berry will be making his official debut for Wood Brothers Racing this weekend, as the 34-year-old driver will be making his first points-paying start in the famed No. 21 Ford. Berry will be rolling off the starting grid from 29th-place when the Great American Race gets going. During his Duel race on Thursday night, Josh was able to get up to the front and lead some laps, but ultimately finished 14th after falling back. "I was glad to get to race up front for a little bit," Berry remarked. "The car has good speed." When it comes to DraftKings, that confidence should help DFS players decide whether or not to roll the dice with Berry on Sunday. The upside for Place Differential is definitely there, and Harrison Burton went to victory lane here at Daytona last summer in this same car. Berry could very well end up being one of the highest-scoring drivers on the slate this weekend at his $7,700 salary on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Digest
February 16, 2025
The sample size may be small, but John Hunter Nemechek has a pretty good track record at Daytona International Speedway thus far. In four career starts at the track, JHN has never finished worse than 15th, and that includes a seventh-place result in last year's Daytona 500 after starting 10th. This weekend, Nemechek will start the Great American Race from 18th-place when the green flag waves on Sunday. As far as playability goes in DraftKings, John Hunter Nemechek becomes an intriguing option with his mid-pack starting spot. There is room for John Hunter to get Place Differential points for sure, but he will likely need to finish sixth or better to cross the 50 FPTS barrier. There's no reason to avoid Nemechek in DFS contests this weekend, but don't go too crazy on your exposure with him. Although there is scoring upside there on DraftKings, the ceiling is somewhat limited.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
February 16, 2025
AJ Allmendinger has a knack for finishing well at Daytona International Speedway. Over his last eight points-paying starts at the track, Allmendinger has walked away with a finish of 13th or better in all but one of them, including a sixth-place result in the Daytona 500 in each of the last two years. For this season's Great American Race, Allmendinger will start from 13th place, which is best starting spot in the Daytona 500 thus far in his career. As far as DraftKings playability goes, Allmendinger does come in at a palatable $6,700 salary this weekend, but he carries quite a bit of risk by starting inside the top 15. Although Allmendinger has a good finishing record as of late at the track, the Place Differential upside is limited, so it's likely going to take a top-five finish for him to come close to making the optimal DFS lineup. Although it's not impossible, it's probably better to consider drivers other than Allmendinger when building your Daytona 500 DraftKings rosters.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
February
16,
2025
Zane
Smith
is
back
at
Front
Row
Motorsports
this
year,
as
the
25-year-old
will
pilot
the
No.
38
Ford
in
the
NASCAR
Cup
Series
this
season.
Smith
is
coming
off
of
a
relatively
rough
2024
season
spent
with
Spire
Motorsports,
where
read more...
February
16,
2025
Daytona
International
Speedway
is
a
great
equalizer.
Pretty
much
any
driver
in
the
field
has
a
legitimate
chance
to
get
a
good
finish
when
it's
all
said
and
done,
and
that
even
includes
guys
like
Cody
Ware,
who
has
a
career
read more...
February 16, 2025
It has been a rough week for Helio Castroneves at Daytona International Speedway, but just because things haven't been ideal so far doesn't mean they can't go right on Sunday. Castroneves will use the Open Provisional to be the 41st car in this year's running of the Great American Race, and for DFS players, that means one big thing: Place Differential points. The only way that Helio can go on Sunday is up, making him the safest play on this year's Daytona 500 slate. It's certainly hard to trust the IndyCar legend when it comes to racing in NASCAR right now, but if he has luck on his side this weekend, that gamble should pay off in a big way for DraftKings players. Castroneves is priced at just $6,000 on the DFS site this weekend and could easily make the optimal lineup by just finishing the race on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Motorsport
February 16, 2025
23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace will start third in this year's Daytona 500. Wallace earned this starting position by winning the first of the two Daytona Duels, leading 21 laps, including the last three. In 15 starts in his Cup career at Daytona, Wallace has six top-10 finishes, including both 2024 races at the site. In first practice, Wallace ranked second in single lap times in first practice, while in second practice, Wallace ranked 20th of all drivers in single lap times. Although Wallace is one of the top performers at superspeedways, as proven by his Daytona numbers, he is difficult to recommend for DFS lineups outside of tournament lineups due to low upside from his starting position.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
February
16,
2025
Team
Penske's
Austin
Cindric
will
start
second
in
this
year's
Daytona
500
after
setting
the
second-fastest
time
in
qualifying.
Cindric
also
participated
in
the
second
Daytona
Duel
race,
where
he
won
after
leading
five
laps
in
a
photo
finish
against
Erik
read more...
February 16, 2025
Tyler Reddick scored a starting finish of 11th after placing fifth in the first of two Daytona Duel races for the Daytona 500. After 11 starts so far in his Cup career at Daytona, Reddick has two top-5 finishes, with none of them coming with his current team, 23XI Racing. In first practice, Reddick ranked 40th in single lap times while ranking 26th in single lap times in second practice. The No. 45 Toyota driver did not participate in final practice. Although his equipment is solid based on how well his teammate Bubba Wallace performs at Daytona, the site is one of his weaker tracks based on history. Based on his starting position, Reddick is a hard driver to recommend outside of tournament lineups for DFS because of his lower-than-average upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
February 16, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell will start 20th in this week's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Bell's starting position was awarded based on him finishing 10th after starting the second Daytona Duel race in fourth. In 10 starts at Daytona, Bell has three top-5 finishes, but they were all in third place and scored within his last four starts at the site. In first practice, Bell ranked 16th in single lap times and fifth in 10 consecutive lap averages, while in second practice, the No. 20 Toyota driver ranked 19th in single lap times. Bell is one of the more underrated superspeedway racers in the field based on his Daytona and Talladega history and, therefore, is worth utilizing in DFS, especially due to his solid upside starting right in the middle of the pack. FanDuel players should especially roster him for an excellent result due to his salary ($8,800 on both DraftKings and FanDuel) being below average compared to the field and favorable.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
February
15,
2025
Ty
Gibbs
of
Joe
Gibbs
Racing
obtained
a
starting
position
of
23rd
for
this
year's
Daytona
500
at
Daytona
International
Speedway.
Gibbs
received
the
starting
position
after
starting
13th
and
finishing
11th
at
the
end
of
the
first
Daytona
Duel
race.
read more...
February 15, 2025
Carson Hocevar is set to start this year's Daytona 500 from the 33rd position after collecting a finish of 18th in the first of two Daytona Duels earlier in the week. In two starts at Daytona in the Cup Series, Hocevar has one DNF from last year's Daytona 500 and a finish of 11th in last summer's Daytona race. In the Truck Series at Daytona, Hocevar has three finishes of 12th or better, including two top-10 finishes. In first practice, Hocevar ranked 19th in single lap times while ranking sixth in 10 consecutive lap averages while in second practice, Hocevar ranked 30th in single lap times. Although his finishing history at Daytona has been mixed, Hocevar is still worth consideration for all DFS lineups based on his salary ($6,500 on DraftKings) and great upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
February 15, 2025
23XI Racing rookie Riley Herbst will start from the 24th position in this week's Daytona 500. Herbst obtained the starting position by finishing 12th after starting 13th in the second of the two Daytona Duel races earlier in the week. In three previous starts at Daytona in the Cup Series, Herbst's best finish is 10th, which he captured during the 2023 Daytona 500 while driving for Rick Ware Racing. The No. 35 Toyota driver also nabbed positive Place Differential in two different Daytona races in the Cup Series. Herbst participated in first practice, where he had the sixth-fastest single lap time, and second practice, where his best single lap time ranked 25th of all drivers. With his DraftKings salary around $6,100 and based on his history and equipment, Herbst is a solid and underrated all-around choice for DFS lineups on Sunday who is likely to place inside the Top 20.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
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