Superspeedway racing returns when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back to Daytona International Speedway. The sport’s most famous track is set to host Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, and while these superspeedway races can provide plenty of exciting moments, they can also be one of the biggest challenges for Fantasy NASCAR owners.
The pack racing at Daytona and Talladega levels the playing field between the drivers who are normally the top fantasy options and everyone else, and it also leads to wrecks and high attrition rates. It can be difficult to pick drivers who make it to the checkered flag, let alone drivers who finish at the front. It can seem like an impossible task, but fortunately, there are ways to exploit the rules in each Fantasy NASCAR leagues to lessen the potential blow.
For Fantasy Live, I like to avoid using starts from the elite options while still targeting drivers who tend to score the most points at the superspeedways. Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch have all won superspeedway races, but since this format limits how often I can use them, I won’t risk using any of their starts at a track like Daytona.
The good news is that you don’t need a lineup full of big names to post big point total at the superspeedways, and you don’t necessarily even need to pick drivers who finish at the front. Stage points are critical in this format, and they are critical for drivers at tracks where attrition his or where pit strategy plays a big role.
A few weeks ago at Sonoma, Denny Hamlin finished fifth, but he outscored race-winner Martin Truex Jr. by seven points thanks to stage points. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson and William Byron ranked in the Top 5 in points scored despite finishing 10th and 19th because of all the stage points they earned.
Yes, Daytona can be a headache from a fantasy standpoint, but ff you can roster drivers who usually score some stage points early in the race, it still allows them to post serviceable scores even if they do end up wrecking late and huge scores if they end up finishing well.
I’ll be using a similar strategy for the Driver Group Game, focusing heavily on the drivers who have been able to pile up points in these superspeedway races. However, it is worth noting that the DGG runs the entire 36-race season while Fantasy Live cuts off after the regular season. As a result, you probably want to rely a little more heavily on sleepers in the Driver Group Game because you have to make the starts from the stronger options stretch an additional 10 races.
The Slingshot contest is a different beast entirely. Place differential points enter the equation, and as a result, I love to load up on drivers starting deeper in the field. Not only does it give me the best opportunity to post big point totals, but it allows me to avoid being saddler with a horrible score if a few of my drivers to end up crashing out.
Unfortunately, qualifying was canceled by inclement weather, which means that there really aren’t any big names starting deep in the field. While I would have loved to be able to build around a couple of studs, my strategy isn’t going to change. I want a bunch of place differential upside built into my lineup, even it means using a bunch of unconventional options.
Check out all my season-long Fantasy NASCAR picks for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, and good luck surviving one of the tougher races of the 2019 season.
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NASCAR.com Fantasy Live
Kurt Busch
Busch always seems to get overlooked when discussing the best superspeedway drivers, but while he doesn’t have a bunch of wins, he has finished in the Top 10 in more than half of his 73 starts. He also ranks third in driver points scored in the 10 races since the start of 2017 and sixth in points scored since the start of last season. Busch always seems to be around the front when the series visits a superspeedway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Send all the memes you want about Stenhouse running over the rest of the drivers on the track, but you can’t say his bulldozing strategy hasn’t been effective at the superspeedways. He ranks second in points scored over the last 10 races and third in points since the start of last year. Stenhouse has multiple wins in that span and has led multiple laps eight times. He knows how to get to the front, stack stage points and contend for wins.
Alex Bowman
Bowman is riding high after his win at Chicagoland, and he has been an absolute stud at the superspeedways in six starts since taking over the No. 88. He has piled up the second-most points in the series in those races, finishing 11th or better four times. Bowman was the runner-up at Talladega back in April, and he has finished second in three of the four stages across the two superspeedways this year. Yes, he has been running well enough to use just about every week, but I still have seven starts left from Bowman.
Aric Almirola
Since the start of the 2017 season, Almirola leads all drivers with an 11.1 average finish at the superspeedways and has logged six Top 10s. He ranks eighth in points scored in that span, which is even more impressive than it seems because he missed a race with a back injury. Since the start of last year, he ranks fourth in points scored at the superspeedways.
Ryan Newman
He has been an underrated superspeedway driver for the last couple of seasons, ranking sixth in points scored over the last 10 races and fifth in points scored since last year. Newman has six Top 10s and seven Top 15s in his last eight starts alone, posting a 9.8 average finish and finishing on the lead lap in all eight starts. He has been piling up points and finishing races. You can’t ask for more at a superspeedway.
Garage Driver – Ryan Blaney
Blaney does have plenty of value outside of the superspeedways, but with six starts left, I don’t mind having him available. He ranks fifth in points scored in the last 10 superspeedway races and eight in the six races since the start of last season. The finishes haven’t always been there, but if Blaney goes out and grabs a bunch of early stage points, I’ll throw him in the starting lineup and take my chances.
Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet Driver Group Game
Joey Logano (A)
There is so much talent int his tier that I don’t really worry too much about how I allocate my starts. With that in mind, I am going to use Logano without hesitation. He has been the best in the business at the superspeedways lately, and over the last 10 races, he leads all drivers in point scored (317), Top 5s (6), Top 10s (7) and laps led (206).
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (B)
He has scored the second-most points at the superspeedways since the start of the 2017 season. He is the only driver with multiple wins in that span, and he has led laps in eight of those starts while completing 94.9 percent of the laps. He is easily a Top 5 fantasy option whenever the series visits a superspeedway, and the fact that eh has minimal value at other tracks means there is no need to save his starts. Stenhouse is a no-brainer play in this one.
Ryan Newman (B)
I’m looking for reliability, and Newman has been one of the safest plays at the superspeedways lately. He has finished in the Top 15 in seven of the last eight races, logging six Top 10 finishes. Perhaps more impressively, Newman has completed every single lap in those eight starts. I am hoping he can continue to dodge the wrecks and log another solid finish this weekend.
Ty Dillon (C)
Chris Buescher has been solid at Daytona and Talladega, but he is too valuable at the intermediate ovals to use this weekend. Instead, I will use Dillon, who has been surprisingly dependable at the superspeedways. Over the last 10 races, he has scored the 11th-most points and has compiled a 16.8 average finish. During the same stretch, he has finished 17th or better eight times, and his eight lead lap finishes are tied for the most in the series.
Fantasy Racing Online Slingshot Fantasy Auto
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($9,500)
Stenhouse was the one driver I decided to roster one driver who didn’t qualify outside the Top 25. He starts 19th, so there are still some place differential points to be gained. He has also been a prolific fantasy option at the superspeedways, picking a couple of wins and scoring the second-most driver points over the last 10 races.
Michael McDowell ($7,900)
He’s not on my radar most weeks, but for whatever reason, McDowell has been locked in at Daytona. He has six Top 15s in his last seven starts here, and he has three Top 10s in the last four starts alone, including a Top 5 run in this year’s Daytona 500. Most importantly, he starts 28th, giving him the place differential upside I’m looking for.
Ryan Preece ($7,500)
Preece only has two superspeedway starts under his belt, but he’s delivered big fantasy performances in both. He gained 13 spots and finished eighth in the Daytona 500 to open the year, and he gained 27 spots and finished third at Talladega in April. Preece starts 26th this weekend, and I am hoping for a similar performance.
Brendan Gaughan ($5,800)
It is a little scary to pick a part-time driver, but I Gaughan’s superspeedway numbers speak for themselves. Over the last 10 races, he has a 16.8 average finish, and he has gained an average of 12.8 spots per race. Gaughan has actually finished 12th or better in three of the last four superspeedway races, logging a Top 10 at Talladega back in April. From 39th, he has a legitimate shot at moving up 20-plus spots and posting a huge point total.
Ross Chastain ($5,200)
His underfunded equipment is not ideal for fantasy purposes, but it hasn’t stopped Chastain from delivering solid results at the superspeedways. He has a 21.2 average finish in five starts, gaining an average of 13.6 per race and logging a Top 10 in this year’s Daytona 500. After qualifying 38th, he has tons of differential points to gain and almost nothing to lose, and he will be driving for the same No. 27 team that Reed Sorenson finished 18th for at Talladega in April.
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