NASCAR DFS: Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 opens the NASCAR season with a race that consistently throws conventional DFS strategy out the window. Daytona’s superspeedway produces tightly packed racing, massive draft influence, and the ever-present risk of “The Big One,” making it one of the most volatile slates of the year.

Because this article is being published ahead of practice and qualifying, the focus will be on understanding the track, reviewing recent Daytona and superspeedway trends, and identifying the types of drivers who tend to survive and score well in this format. From there, I’ll walk through the fantasy angles that matter most and highlight several drivers I’m circling early as potential DFS targets.

NASCAR DFS: Daytona 500

Track Preview

Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5-mile superspeedway with 31 degrees of banking in the turns, 18 degrees of banking in tri-oval front stretch, and 3 degrees of banking on the backstretch. Like I mentioned in the intro, Daytona produces pack racing with an abundance of drafting which in turn, creates a ton of variance when analyzing year-to-year data.

That variance has led to just four drivers (Buescher, Bowman, Blaney, Elliott) tallying five or more Top 10s over the last five years (10 races). Looking at the Daytona 500 specifically, there have been three drivers (Briscoe, Blaney, Bowman) with three Top 10s in the last five season-opening races. Of the drivers with more than one start at Daytona in the last five years, your average finish leaders are John Hunter Nemechek (11.0), Chris Buescher (12.6), Bubba Wallace (14.2), Alex Bowman (15.2), and Ryan Blaney (16.1).

There are three superspeedway tracks making up six total races on the 36-race schedule. The closest comp track would be Talladega, as Atlanta is more of a hybrid superspeedway/intermediate track. Either way, all three are heavy drafting tracks, so we group them together for track type history. Looking back at 2025, there was no driver to win multiple superspeedway races, there were only seven drivers to have multiple Top 5 finishes, and 19 drivers tallied multiple Top 10 finishes. In terms of average finish, your leaders were Tyler Reddick (11.5), Kyle Larson (12.5), Michael McDowell (14.0), Carson Hocevar (15.0), and Ty Gibbs (15.3).

Fantasy Angle

As with any superspeedway race, place differential is the foundation of building DFS lineups. The combination of tight packs and unpredictability makes drivers who gain positions far more valuable than those relying solely on laps led or fastest laps.

To be more specific with that strategy, I am normally looking to build my lineups with at least four drivers starting outside of 20th, with the possibility of two or more starting outside of 30th. This strategy maximizes the upside of the lineup with one point for each position gained, and gaining positions comes much easier in the draft. I also try to avoid using more than one driver starting Top 15 and no drivers inside the Top 5.

These styles of races, especially Daytona and Talladega, also create very uneven builds in terms of salary. Do not be afraid to leave $1000 or more on the table. At the end of the day, it is best to reserve your contests early in the week to get into the contests you want, but don’t build until after qualifying, especially at Superspeedway tracks.

Top Pre-Qualifying Targets for DraftKings

Alex Bowman (#48 Hendrick Motorsports)

No driver has had more recent success at the Daytona 500 than Alex Bowman, who has finished 6th or better in three straight. He has also been solid at Daytona overall with five Top 10s in the last 10 races. The one thing to closely monitor with Bowman and the Hendrick cars in general is the starting position. After starting on the front row in six straight Daytona 500’s, Bowman has started 7th and 38th the last two years and been a solid fantasy play.

Chris Buescher (#17 RFK Racing)

Buescher checks a ton of boxes this week, starting with his track history. He finished Top 10 in both Daytona races in 2025 and won here in the 2023 summer race. Going deeper, he leads all drivers with six Top 10’s over the last 10 races here at Daytona and has an incredible series-leading 50% Top 10 rate over 20 races at the track.

John Hunter Nemechek (#42 Legacy Motor Club)

It may be a smaller sample size, but JNH has been terrific at Daytona in his young career. It started back in 2020 when he drove the #38 for Front Row Motorsports, finishing 11th in both Daytona races that season. In 2024, he came back to the Cup series full-time with Legacy Motor Club, and the Daytona success continued with four finishes of 17th or better with back-to-back Top 10’s at the Daytona 500. Over his six career races at Daytona, he has an average start of 23.3, and if starting outside 20th again, he will be a top value play.

Corey Lajoie (#99 RFK Racing)

Lajoie is a driver who is always atop the value charts when it comes to Daytona and especially at the Daytona 500. After a 24th and 40th in his first two Daytona 500’s, he has found some unmatched consistency. In the last seven Daytona 500’s, Lajoie has finished 22nd or better with a 13.0 average finish with three Top 10’s. This year, he will drive the #99 for RFK Racing alongside some very good superspeedway racers in Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher. I will be looking for Lajoie to start outside of 20th to lock him in to some high exposure in my player pool.

Michael McDowell (#71 Spire Motorsports)

One of the former Daytona 500 champions in the league is always a target on superspeedway tracks. McDowell was very consistent on drafting tracks in his first season with Spire Motorsports as the only driver in the Cup Series to finish all six races inside the Top 20 with the third-best average finish(14.0). He was an excellent value on DraftKings at both Daytona races, starting outside of 20th in both races, and finished 12th or better in both.

Final Thoughts

The Daytona 500 always demands flexibility, and this slate is no different. Starting positions following the Duel races will play a major role in final DFS decisions, especially when it comes to place differential and overall roster construction. Be sure to revisit this slate once qualifying is finalized, and for the latest updates, notes, and lineup thoughts throughout the week, you can follow along on X at @CDurellFantasy.