The 2017 Fantasy NASCAR season is officially upon us as the exhibition races leading up to Sunday’s Great American Race are all completed; Joey Logano took the checkered flag in last weekend’s Clash while Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin were the winners of their respective Duels on Thursday night. The finishing order of those latter races set the starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500, but a few drivers–namely Martin Truex, Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, and Chris Buescher–failed post-race inspection and will have to start from the rear. They will be credited with that starting spot as well.
There were no major changes to the FOX Fantasy Auto game from last season’s running, which means you should be focused on one thing and one thing only when setting your lineup: place differential points. Drivers earn 1 fantasy point for each place they improve from their starting spot in this game, and unlike other leagues, they cannot lose points for moving back. Drivers also receive a point for leading a lap and an additional point for leading the most laps. Finally, a driver’s total score also includes the points he/she receives based on his/her finish. Restrictor plate races, such as Daytona, have a huge potential for points due to starting position not being really important, so place differential points are what you should focus on for the first race of the season.
I’m switching up my format for this post a bit this year: instead of listing my five picks, I’m going to elaborate on 3 to 4 drivers you should target in the FOX game as well as 1 or 2 drivers to avoid. I’ll also list a couple other drivers that wouldn’t make bad picks for the race.
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Top FOX Fantasy Auto Drivers for the 2017 Daytona 500
Martin Truex, Jr. ($9,000) – For most drivers, past results at restrictor plate tracks mean nothing. And with how terribly inconsistent Martin Truex, Jr. has been throughout his career, that is especially true with him. However, it’s pretty much impossible to pass up the #78 Toyota on your FOX Fantasy Auto roster this weekend. Truex was one of the drivers that failed post-race inspection on Thursday night, and because of that he is going to be credited with the 35th-place starting spot in this game. He’s got Toyota power underneath the hood and he is the defending runner-up finisher of this race, how can you say no? It’s also worth noting that Truex has finished 15th or better in three of the last five points-paying races here at Daytona. Only 31% of teams had Martin rostered as of Friday afternoon, which means a big advantage for you if he stays in the mid-30s percentage of ownership through Sunday.
Ryan Blaney ($6,700) – In case you didn’t catch the Duel races on Thursday night, Ryan Blaney had a very strong showing in the second event before David Ragan ran into the back of him–to be fair, he probably couldn’t see Blaney’s red car because his head was so far up his ass–and sent the #21 Ford into the wall, effectively ending Ryan’s night. The Wood Brothers team pulled out the backup car for the sophomore soon after the Duel was over, but the good news is that usually doesn’t mean a whole lot on restrictor plate tracks. Because of all that, Blaney will have to start Sunday’s Great American Race from back in 36th, but he should have a much better finish than that. Ryan finished inside the top 20 in both races here at Daytona last season, and should be able to challenge for a finish at least around there this Sunday as well.
Kyle Busch ($11,700) – Kyle Busch and the #18 crew had a disappointing finish in the Duel on Thursday night, but they did get lucky with that 2nd-place finish in The Clash last Sunday. What really matters, though, is how Rowdy performs in the Daytona 500 this Sunday. Kyle was one of the best drivers in the series on the restrictor plate tracks last season, especially here at Daytona: in the two points-paying races here, Busch finished 3rd and 2nd after starting 4th and 3rd, respectively. He’s got a little more work to do this time around (the #18 Toyota will roll off the grid from 21st on Sunday) but that shouldn’t matter; the Joe Gibbs Racing fleet is still the group to beat heading into the big day, and Kyle Busch should be right there mixing it up with the other leaders pretty quickly after the green flag drops.
A.J. Allmendinger ($7,800) – Here’s another outside of the box pick for you. Allmendinger is by no means a stud on the restrictor plate tracks. However, A.J. will have to start from way back in 38th on Sunday since the #47 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection after the Duel on Thursday night. That means that his typical mid-pack finish (he has ended up between 13th and 21st in each of the last four points-paying races at Daytona) should net fantasy owners at least 35 fantasy points. Anything higher than that is just bonus. Allmendinger looked strong in his Duel race on Thursday night, and part of that is because the JTG-Daugherty group has an alliance with Childress as far as their engines go. If Allmendinger can stay out of trouble in Sunday’s Great American Race, his owners in the FOX game should benefit greatly–and there’s not many of them, as his ownership percentage was at just 2.8% as of Friday afternoon.
Other viable options: Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard
Stay away from…
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($6,700) – Remember, this game is all about strategy. As of Friday morning, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the highest-owned driver in the FOX Fantasy Auto game, with nearly 2-in-3 teams having him on their roster. So not only does this allow you to fade a wildly popular pick, but the fact of the matter is that Junior is simply not a very good option in the FOX game this weekend. He’s going to start from 2nd on Sunday, but getting a big score in this game is all about capitalizing on place differential points–especially on the restrictor plate tracks. To put it simply, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could win this year’s Daytona 500 and still not be in the top 5 in scoring in FOX Fantasy Auto. While he may be a viable option in other Fantasy NASCAR leagues, there’s no reason whatsoever to put Junior on your FOX Fantasy Auto team this weekend.
Chase Elliott ($9,000) – The same applies to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s teammate, Chase Elliott, who is the pole sitter for Sunday’s Great American Race. However, Elliott is even easier to keep out of your lineup this week, and for three main reasons: 1) he is very over-priced, coming in at an even $9,000, 2) he’s starting on the pole and cannot gain even one place differential point, and 3) he’s an unproven racer on restrictor plate tracks (although his victory in Thursday night’s Duel race was pretty impressive). Like Junior, though, most FOX Fantasy Auto players aren’t thinking strategy with this first race of the season, as over 45% of players had Chase Elliott in their lineup as of Friday morning. Fade the Hendrick cars in FOX this weekend–and thank me later.
