NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Daytona 500

Stock car racing’s premiere series begins the regular season with the 66th annual running of The Great American Race. Make the most of the 2024 Daytona 500 with our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers.

We reveal our “Tire Tiers” and betting cards live every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST on our YouTube series, “The Backroad.” Be sure to tune in, enjoy the race and reach out if you have any questions.

(DFS prices are courtesy of DraftKings and Fantrax)

NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Daytona 500

Driver As | The Elites

I don’t mind paying up for Denny Hamlin in a race where pay-down options are abundant. The three-time Daytona 500 winner usually knows when to be aggressive and when to bail. Only four times has a driver ever won the Busch Light Clash and Daytona 500 in the same season. The last time was in 2016 when no one other than Hamlin did it.

Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano finished first and second in combined driver ratings across superspeedways (courtesy of ifantasyrace.com) last season. Blaney comes in at $9,800 on DraftKings and $23.77 on Fantrax. However, he’ll start towards the rear in a backup car, creating an opportunity for differential points. Logano is on the opposite side of the spectrum, starting on the pole and still presenting a value of $9,200 on DraftKings and $21.72 on Fantrax.

The Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Fords of Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski were fourth and fifth in those combined driver ratings and are always a threat to contend at drafting tracks. They’ll be chalky NASCAR DFS plays, but likely worth the price of admission. Also, don’t rule out Christopher Bell, who won the Bluegreen Vacation Duel No. 2 on Thursday and had a solid 2023 season on superspeedways.

Driver Bs | Point-Getters

Kyle Larson has been snake-bitten at superspeedways, which continued on Thursday night when he lost Duel No. 1 on the final corner of the last lap. However, he was one of that race’s best pushers and overall cars. His relationship with Lady Luck is no secret, which might actually make  Larson a sneaky NASCAR DFS leverage play at $9,500 on DraftKings and $24.82 on Fantrax.

Keep an eye on the mid-priced Legacy Motorsports cars, Erik Jones and Jimmie Johnson, who were both racing towards the front of their respective Duel at various moments and have won at Daytona.

I also can’t seem to get away from Michael McDowell when setting NASCAR DFS lineups this week. The Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Mustang was a hot rod in practice and Duel No. 2. McDowell finished stage one in fifth last year and already has a Daytona 500 victory in his back pocket. Expect him to be competitive yet again.

Driver Cs | In the Mix

Ross Chastain finished P8 and won stage two in last year’s Daytona 500. He’s a fair price of $8,100 on DraftKings and $22.96 on Fantrax. Carson Hocevar and Corey Lajoie are priced like dart throws. However, Hocevar finished fourth in Duel No. 1, and Lajoie had three T10s in six superspeedway races last season.

Both Rick Ware Racing (RWR) drivers Riley Herbst and Justin Haley will get some love on rosters this week after previous success at Daytona and good speed in their Duel. They make for interesting paydown options, although they could be more heavily rostered as such.

Driver Ds | Could Do Worse

Tyler Reddick might have won his Duel out of nowhere Thursday night, but he has a career average finish of 31.2 in the Daytona 500. Starting third and with the possibility of losing differential points, he is an obvious landmine waiting to happen. Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez also had speed in that Duel. The driver of the Trackhouse Racing No. 99 Chevrolet Camero finished seventh in last year’s race and has two straight T20s at Daytona, making him a safer mid-tier NASCAR DFS play.

Zane Smith can be acquired for the $5 minimum on Fantrax and a lowly $5,800 on DraftKings. Smith has won the last two NextEra Energy 250s, the NASCAR Truck Series’ version of this race, and finished 13th in the Daytona 500 last year. Smith should not be heavily rostered and could be the perfect low-priced leverage option.

Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer

With so many viable options this week, I highly advise playing anyone in our F-Tier. They are mostly overpriced and prime candidates to Do Not Finish (DNF) via a wreck or mechanical issue. I am betting on Harrison Burton to lead a lap, but I still don’t like him to finish better than his 12th-place starting position, resulting in negative differential points.

Check out all of our content for the 2024 Daytona 500:

• NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Daytona 500
• Between Bets: 2024 Daytona 500 Outrights
• PropKings: 2024 Daytona 500

Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the 2024 Daytona 500. Check out more of our racing content and other written work here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.

For more fantasy sports and sports betting content, you can find me on Twitter @Between_SethFF.

*Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports*