Daytona 500: Fantasy Picks for the Big Race
It is that time of year again. The time when the engines are fired up, the fans begin to cheer and Darrell Waltrip says those words that put tingles through every NASCAR fan’s body, “Boogity… Boogity… Boogity… Let’s go racing boys!”
With those words also begins the fantasy NASCAR season for many fans. Fantasy NASCAR is growing at a rapid pace. An estimated 20 million people play each year.
There is nothing like starting the fantasy NASCAR season with the hardest race to predict. The restrictor plate races of Daytona and Talladega are the only races where the drivers do not hold their fate in their own hands. A driver could be driving a perfect race, only to be caught up in “the big one.”
I have been playing fantasy NASCAR for 17 years. No one is really an expert at picking the winning drivers for each race, but I do believe I am better than most people. I have finished in the top 99 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing for four consecutive years. I am not trying to brag, but trying to convince you to take my advice on my picks.
I can help you!
The Daytona 500 is the one race where it really does not matter who you pick. Each driver has a shot to win the race. Who would have thought Trevor Bayne had a shot to win going into the 2011 Daytona 500?
My advice for Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing is to use drivers who you do not plan on using a lot during the season. Each fantasy player can use a driver nine times in the Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing game. There is no need to waste a start in a race where the driver does not hold his fate in his own hands.
Pick drivers who have performed well at Daytona in the past and hope that they are still on the track at the end of the race. If your drivers do happen to get in a wreck, do not panic. There is plenty of time in the season to regain the points your team lost.
Here are my picks for the Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing game and NASCAR Fantasy Live played on nascar.com…..
Yahoo Group “A” Drivers
1 of 4The list of drivers in Group A in the Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing game is deep. I would not worry much about wasting one of your nine allocations on a driver from this group. There are enough talented drivers to get you through the season. Here are my picks for Group A:
I have the feeling that Stewart will pick up where he left off last season. Smoke has an average finish of 14.1 at Daytona. That might not sound too good, but only Kurt Busch has a better average finish than Stewart at Daytona. Stewart also has an average running position in the race of 13.5. That is the third best of any driver in the field. Stewart is an excellent pick for the Daytona 500.
"Wild Thing" lived up to his nickname in the Budweiser Shootout. He wrecked his car twice before taking it to victory lane. His performance last Saturday night was one of the best I have seen at Daytona. He is a great driver and a good pick.
Busch may win the Daytona 500, and I would have no problem using him on my team. I will start Stewart over Busch on my team. Stewart will run a smarter race than Busch. Stewart will hang out in the back of the pack avoiding the big wrecks.
He will make his move to the front when the race comes down to the end. Busch will be up front competing to lead every lap.
Busch has a much better chance of being caught up in a wreck, because of his driving style.
Other good picks: Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson
Yahoo Group “B” Drivers
2 of 4The list of drivers in Group B is not as deep as Group A. This is where I suggest trying to pick a driver that you may not plan to use nine times over the course of the season. Here are my picks for Group B:
Kurt Busch
When you look at the numbers, the older Busch brother is the best driver at Daytona. Busch holds an average finish of 13.9 at Daytona. His average running position in the race is 13.6. Busch has a good chance to run up front the entire race, and be up front at the end of the race.
Busch has a car that can compete at Daytona. No one knows how the Phoenix Racing cars will be on the tracks that require more handling than speed. I suggest using Busch in the Daytona 500 because it may be his best race of the season.
Earnhardt’s numbers have not been too good the past five restrictor plate races. In those races, Earnhardt failed to finish in the top 24 in four of the five races. He might have a career year, and you may wish you had an extra start from him later in the season.
I have a feeling his luck will change this year, and he will once again finish near the top in the Great American Race. I would not want to be the person to have Earnhardt on my bench when he wins the Daytona 500. That day could be Sunday.
Clint Bowyer
I will have Bowyer on my team for the Daytona 500, but unless something happens to Busch or Earnhardt, I do not plan on starting him.
Bowyer is also very good at Daytona. Bowyer has an average finish at Daytona of 15.1 with an average running position of 15.7 in the race. Those numbers are top 10 among the drivers in the field. Bowyer will have different teammates to race with this year, but I still think he will finish up front. Using Bowyer as your pick this week would not be a bad idea.
Greg Biffle
The last pick for my team came down to Kasey Kahne or Greg Biffle. I think Kahne is going to have a career year, and I do not want to waste a pick on him at Daytona. Biffle will start the Daytona 500 in the front row (unless he crashes in the Gatorade Duel and has to go to a backup car).
The Roush Fenway Racing cars have been strong so far in Speedweeks. Biffle had the fastest car in both practices for the Daytona 500. He will have one of the fastest cars in the race, but I plan to use Biffle many times this year as my Group B driver. I am not wasting a pick on him at Daytona.
Other good picks: Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Jeff Burton, A.J. Allmendinger
Yahoo Group “C” Drivers
3 of 4Group C is where you can gain points in your league. Most of the drivers in this group are unknown. The well-known drivers are over the hill and probably will not perform well in the race. You need to dig deep to pick the best driver from this group. Here are my picks for Group C:
Elliott Sadler
This is a no-brainer. Sadler has a history of being a good driver in restrictor plate races. He is also driving the No. 33 car for Richard Childress Racing. Sadler will have the best car out of any of the drivers in Group C. He will also have teammates Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard to work with during the race. Not bad company to be in.
Sadler will surprise people and finish near the top of the Daytona 500. That is why he is my pick for Group C.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
I am guessing that many people will pick Sadler for their team. If you want to go outside of conventional thinking, use my other pick for Group C: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The last car to go to victory lane at Daytona was the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Stenhouse will be driving that car this Sunday. Roush Fenway has looked strong so far in Daytona, and Stenhouse might be the driver from Roush Fenway Racing to go to victory lane. His situation looks very similar to Trevor Bayne’s situation in 2011.
Other good picks: Trevor Bayne, Aric Almirola, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan
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Fantasy Live Picks (nascar.com)
4 of 4If you are not playing the Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing game, you are probably playing the NASCAR Fantasy Live on nascar.com.
I like this game because players are allowed to use a driver as many times as they want to during the season. Each player is given a salary from which to pick drivers. As long as you stay under the $100 salary cap, you can have any driver you want.
For this game, I suggest picking at least one driver with a low salary and stocking up on the higher priced drivers. Here are my picks for the Daytona 500 for NASCAR Fantasy Live:
Tony Stewart $27
I am playing the hot hand. Stewart finished the 2011 season as the top driver in the sport, and I have a feeling he will start the season with a good finish in the Daytona 500. For the money, Stewart is the safest buy on the board. I do not believe he will put his car in a position to be caught up in a big wreck.
Kevin Harvick $26
Harvick has been one of the best drivers at the restrictor plate tracks. He has been nicknamed “The Closer” because he likes to drive at the back of the pack until it is time to win the race. Harvick is too smart of a driver to get caught up in an accident. He will be fighting for the lead at the end of the race.
Jeff Gordon $25
Gordon had a strong car in the Budweiser Shootout and finished the Daytona practices in the top10. Gordon made a dumb mistake by getting into the back of Kyle Busch in the Budweiser Shootout. Gordon is a smart driver, and I think he learned from his mistake. Gordon is too good of a pick to pass up at $25.
Paul Menard $18
I went with Menard simply because of a gut filing. He had a fast car in practice and I think he would have had a good race in the Budweiser Shootout if he did not get caught up in an accident. I like Richard Childress Racing cars on restrictor plate tracks. Menard is a sleepy pick that could push me past the competition.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $1
Roush Fenway Racing has been the strongest team in Daytona all week, and I get one of their drivers for one dollar?
I will take it!
Stenhouse may not have much experience racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but I think he has the talent to do so. The 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion will surprise people on Sunday.
Wouldn’t it be great to have the Daytona 500 winner on your team, and it only cost you a dollar? This one is a no brainer!
Total budget: $97
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