Welcome to “Pick Whoever You Want Week” part 3! Saturday night is the third superspeedway race of the 2021 season, and pretty much any driver on the field is a viable option in Fantasy NASCAR. Why? Because races at Daytona and Talladega are all about avoiding the wrecks and being in the right place at the right time at the end. Now, with the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest, there’s some strategy that I’d recommend when making picks, but at the end of the day, this is literally a “pick whoever and enjoy the race” type of weekend.
It’s an all Hendrick front row for the second race in a row, as Kyle Larson is on the pole again just like last week at Michigan, and his teammate, William Byron, will be starting 2nd. You can click here to see the full starting lineup for this weekend’s race. Now onto the picks!
*Please note: the picks and suggestions below are my opinions and strategy for the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest. These are not meant to sway your thinking in any way, but rather give you insight into the drivers I am most likely to pick on race day.*
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Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest Picks for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
The Safe
Joey Logano ($12,500) – One of the best superspeedway racers in NASCAR is Joey Logano and he starts 22nd this weekend at Daytona. In a game like the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest, that’s great upside since place differential matters so much in scoring. Now, Logano’s recent finishes here at Daytona aren’t great–only two finishes better than 25th in his last six starts–but he’s led in each of the last five events here, and also is a perfect 10-for-10 when it comes to top 10 Stage finishes. From 2016 to 2019, Logano had a stretch of seven races where he finished 6th or better five times.
Austin Dillon ($9,500) – All eyes are going to be on Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick on Saturday night, as the final spot in this year’s Playoffs are going to come down to one of these two drivers unless we get a surprise winner. Thanks to his wreck on the frontstretch at Michigan last weekend, Austin Dillon will be starting from back in 27th for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, which makes him an obvious place differential Fantasy NASCAR play. Dillon actually has the best average finish (14.8) among active drivers with more than two starts at Daytona and in 11 of his 16 races here, he’s ended up 16th or better. This #3 Chevrolet finished 3rd in this year’s Daytona 500 and 8th in the Talladega race in April.
Kaz Grala and Landon Cassill ($7,900 and $7,800) – Of the drivers starting in the back of the pack this weekend, Kaz Grala and Landon Cassill have the best equipment, so they’re obviously the safest options in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest. Remember, place differential is the name of the game when it comes to these superspeedway races, and with Grala starting 38th and Cassill starting 39th, there’s a ton of upside here even with just a top 20 result. Grala is running the #16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, which he finished 6th with at Talladega in April, and Landon Cassill is in the #96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing, which was piloted to a 20th-place finish at Talladega by Harrison Burton.
The Risky
Denny Hamlin ($11,800) – Denny Hamlin is the best superspeedway racer in the NASCAR Cup Series, there’s really no disputing that. He also starts 3rd on Saturday night, which makes him a risky pick in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest. Hell, that would make him a risky pick on a normal track, but at Daytona it’s extra risky due to the fact there can be a huge wreck at any point in the race. However, Hamlin could end up winning one (or both) Stages this weekend and also lead the most laps (he’s 2-for-2 in leading the most laps at superspeedways this year). It’s very risky, but if I was going to take anyone starting up front on Saturday night in this Fantasy NASCAR contest, it would be Hamlin.
Michael McDowell ($7,100) – This year’s Daytona 500 champion is bound to get plenty of attention from NASCAR Fantasy players this weekend, especially considering that McDowell came home 3rd in the Talladega race back in April as well. And with him starting 18th here at Daytona on Saturday night, there’s definitely upside for Michael McDowell to put together another solid Slingshot score. Strategy-wise, though, often times at superspeedway races it’s better to zig while everyone else zags. McDowell starting 18th is still in the top half of the field, so if he wrecks he could easily score negative points in this Slingshot game. Is he a solid superspeedway racer? Absolutely; McDowell has finished 14th or better in five of the last eight races on this track type. Is he worth a roll of the dice this weekend? That’s up to you…
Ryan Preece ($7,000) – This could be our final chance to pick Ryan Preece this year. Reports came out before the 2021 season got going that JTG Daugherty didn’t have full funding for Preece this year, and they’d likely be forced to skip races once the 24 sponsored events wrapped up. But the good news is, maybe this team can get a good finish on Saturday night and use that to find some sponsorship for the rest of the year. Ryan Preece is actually a very solid superspeedway racer and has ended up 15th or better in six of his ten starts on this track type. Four of those were also top 10 results. Preece finished 6th in this year’s Daytona 500 and came home 14th in April’s Talladega race. He starts 24th here on Saturday night in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
The Winner
“Race Winner” Pick = Denny Hamlin – Hamlin is fighting for the regular season points championship and has nothing to lose if he wrecks out. He’s going to be going 110% to get this win and is the best superspeedway racer in the series right now. Yes, this race will likely get crazy on Saturday night, but there’s a reason Hamlin is the established favorite by all sportsbooks.
