The first fantasy NASCAR article on the new Belly Up Sports fantasy site is here ladies and germs! Because it is finally fantasy time or gambling time in NASCAR again! We all know that Daytona is a scrap fest some times, much like Talladega. So, the taste of racing we received during the Busch Clash, and during the duels is nothing like what’s to come this Sunday. These drivers know this is the biggest race of the season. It was also announced earlier yesterday that the total purse for Sunday’s race is approximately 23.6 million dollars! Which is a record purse for the race! So, let’s go with six drivers for you to consider tomorrow!

• Joey Logano
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• William Byron
• Erik Jones
• Matt DiBenedetto
• Ryan Preece

Higher End

Joey Logano is almost too good of a choice I feel like if you’re a betting person. Especially with his 10/1 Vegas odds as well as his high cost on other sites. On Draft Kings in the biggest Daytona 500, contest he is a whopping $10,500 of your salary. While he did have a solid showing in Thursday’s duel race with a win. He has been inconsistent in the last four races at Daytona he either finishes in the top five, or finishes in the middle of the pack. Joey is one of the better super speedway racers though even with inconsistency and is a solid pick in your upper-level drivers.

The pole-sitter, the man with the mullet or whatever you want to call him Ricky Stenhouse. Ricky even with being the pole sitter is only sitting at a 30/1 odd to win in Vegas. Most likely because the people in Vegas know we haven’t seen a pole sitter win the Daytona 500 since the year 2000. However, some people on Draft kings have him sitting in the upper class of drivers this Sunday. His cost is around $8,800 which puts him as the tenth most expensive driver. I would rank him as an average shot to win Sunday. In his previous four starts, he averages a top twenty finish, while the top twenty isn’t what we as gamblers want if he stays clean that could be just what we need.

One of the Hendrick stable, but probably not the one you expected to see on this list. William Byron in his four previous starts has an average finish of 19.5 at Daytona. His best finish of second coming back in July in the rain-shortened race. William Byron has admitted that this is his first time working a second year with the same crew chief. He is working with one of the best too, so his chances are even better in my opinion. His Vegas odds, or just a hair above the pole sitter at 25/1, and his draft king’s salary is affordable at $8,300. If your betting make sure you bet on the “under” for William he’s got huge potential.

Dark Horses

If you are going to think of one dark horse in NASCAR, no one fits better than Erik Jones. He is with Joe Gibbs Racing but honestly is sometimes forgotten with the teammates he has around him. The thing though is in six career starts at Daytona he is a half and half driver. He has three top-ten finishes including a July race win. While his odds are not high (30/1) he is a solid driver. Luck did play a key in his clash win, but come on that car should’ve never rolled into victory lane. Erik Jones has a salary on draft kings just under William Byron, but make sure you take the under bet for him as well this Sunday. His upside is a lot higher than the downside.

This dark horse is probably my favorite of the three if I am being honest. Matt DiBenedetto led the most laps here last year in a Leavine Family racing car before getting wrecked out. In his duel, he was pushing the crap out of Kevin Harvick and really just about anyone in front of him. His odds to win are the same as Byron’s (25/1) but I feel like that is due to the unknown. Matt is now in Wood Brothers equipment and is a relatively cheap pickup at $7,800 on Draft Kings. Matt’s potential for success this weekend is very high in my opinion.

So, I went a little high on my salary choices this race. While I did that it leaves me very few choices on draft kings left that are in my salary ranges. However, this second-year driver: Ryan Preece, has a twentieth average finishing spot at Daytona. He also has one of the best average if not the best average finish on superspeedways of all active drivers. The salary of $5,300 is super cheap but could relay big reward. Also, yes his odds in Vegas are horrible as well at 80/1. This is one time where you don’t need to let odds fool you. Because, if lady luck is on his side you could see an instant like we did last night in the truck race with Ryan Anderson finishing second. Low odds and price but big upside on the track tomorrow.

Conclusion

So, looks guys I have never really got into the draft kings thing before. This will be my first real dive into it this season. The experienced guys may read this and laugh. In all seriousness as an outsider and first-year guy these picks make a ton of sense so take them at what you will. After all, it’s your money to lose not mine. Let me know though who you go with, and why I am always interested in other opinions.