1)Joey Logano (Starting – 4th)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Spin – Defending series champion, Joey Logano is an elite restrictor plate racer who’ll be the driver to beat in the Daytona 500. He has a great car underneath him and he’s consistently performed at an extremely high-level in the “Great American Race.” The Duel 150’s are “simulation races” for the Daytona 500 and on Thursday night Logano drove a patient race, and then on the last lap he made an impressive move and drove from 4th up to the lead. In the Daytona 500, handling will come into play and all week Logano has been talking about how well his car has been handling in the draft. If Logano can avoid trouble, I would look for him to finish in the top five and be a serious threat to win.
Daytona Track History – Joey Logano has been a standout performer at Daytona. He won the 2015 Daytona 500 and in 5 of the last 8 races he’s finished in the top 6. In recent Daytona 500’s nobody has been better. Over the last four “Great American Races” he has the best average finish (4.3), the best driver rating and has finished in the top 6 every race. Last summer, Logano had a tough race and was collected in the lap 54 “Big One” which led to his asterisk mark 39th place finish. In the 2018 Daytona 500 he had a great car and finished 4th. Additionally, he earned the 2nd best driver rating and finished 3rd in Stage #2. In summer 2017 he had a strong car but wrecked and finished 35th. At the time of his wreck he was running around 10th. In Stage #1 he finished 5th. In the 2017 Daytona 500 he finished 6th, earned the 6th best driver rating and led 16 laps. At the end he had a very fast car but nobody would help him. In the two Daytona races prior to that he finished 4th and 6th.
DraftKings Price – $10,400 / Fan Duel Price – $12,500

[themify_box]Want to be a better fantasy racer? Get the ifantasyrace advantage and read all of our in-depth exclusive week to weekend content. Our content is good for every type of fantasy league, and we have many different membership levels available. Join Now![/themify_box]

Before you scour the 2021 Daytona 500 starting lineup and make your NASCAR at Daytona predictions for the Great American Race, be sure to see the latest 2021 Daytona 500 picks from SportsLine's. As difficult as the Daytona 500 can be to predict (with Big One crashes, blown engines, and the capriciousness of the multi-car draft) there are certain drivers who still manage to post back-to.

2) Kevin Harvick (Starting – 3rd)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Spin – Kevin Harvick is a two-time Daytona winner who’ll be a contender. He’s one of the best drafters in NASCAR and he has a great car underneath him. On Thursday night In his Duel 150 he was impressive. He led 44 laps and easily raced his way to victory lane. In terms of “Performance” at Daytona he’s unquestionably one of the best, but he’s had tough luck in recent races. In the last five Daytona races his average finish is 28.8. I think it’s clear he’s due for some good luck and on Sunday I would look for him to compete for a top five if he can avoid trouble.
Daytona Track History – Kevin Harvick is one of the best drivers at Daytona, but he’s had rotten luck over the last couple of races. Over the last five he’s finished 19th or worse and has a 28.8 average finish. In 2018 he had a great car in both races. Last summer he was very competitive but finished 19th after crashing late. He was the leader with 3 laps to go, but then with two laps to go he wrecked. In last years Daytona 500 he had a fast car but was collected in the lap 101 “Big One” which led to his 31st place finish. One lap prior to wrecking he was running in 3rd. In Stage #1 he finished 7th. In summer 2017 he had a good car but wrecked and finished 33rd. In that race he finished 6th in Stage #2 and earned the 9th best driver rating. In the 2017 Daytona 500 he had a great car that I would argue was the best. He finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led a race high 50 laps but finished 22nd after getting damaged in a wreck. In 3 of the 4 Daytona races prior to that he finished in the top 4.
DraftKings Price – $10,200 / Fan Duel Price – $11,500

3) Ryan Blaney (Starting – 14th)
Daytona 500 Fantasy Spin – Ryan Blaney should prominently be on your fantasy NASCAR radar for the Daytona 500. He’s been knocking on the door to victory lane, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds it in the “Great American Race.” In the last two Daytona 500’s he’s been a serious contender to win. Last year if there wasn’t a late caution I think he probably would’ve won. On Sunday I think Ryan Blaney will compete for a top five and be a factor to win.
Daytona Track History – Ryan Blaney has performed at a high-level at Daytona. Last summer he had a fast car but finished last after crashing on lap 54. I’ll note prior to Stage #1 ending he easily looked top ten good and ran many laps inside the top five. When Stage #1 ended he finished just outside the top ten. In last years Daytona 500 he was the man to beat, but victory lane eluded him. When the checkered flag waved he finished 7th, earned the best driver rating, led a race high 118 laps, finished 3rd in Stage #1, won Stage #2 and earned the best PROS Ranking. If there wasn’t late cautions which regrouped the field he was poised to race his way to victory lane. In summer 2017, Blaney ran really well but finished 26th after wrecking with 8 laps to go. From the race it should be noted he finished 3rd in Stage #1, 10th in Stage #2 and earned the 8th best driver rating. In the 2017 Daytona 500 he finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating and led 2 laps.
DraftKings Price – $9,000 / Fan Duel Price – $10,700

Portions of this content are hidden. To view this ifantasyrace advantage content log in or join the site

The 2021 Daytona 500 will take place on Sunday, Feb. 14 at the famed 2.5-mile oval of Daytona International Speedway, with the green flag dropping at 2:30 p.m. ET. It's the 63rd running of The Great American Race, and the 40-driver 2021 Daytona 500 starting grid will be eager to put what they learned during the coronavirus-altered 2020 season to the test. Denny Hamlin has won the last two Daytona 500 races and will try to become the first driver ever to three-peat.

Hamlin is the 8-1 favorite in the latest 2021 Daytona 500 odds from William Hill Sportsbook, but several past champions and superspeedway standouts are hot on his heels. In fact, there are 11 other drivers listed at 20-1 or shorter on the 2021 NASCAR at Daytona odds board, including Joey Logano (10-1), Kevin Harvick (12-1), and Martin Truex Jr. (18-1). Before you scour the 2021 Daytona 500 starting lineup and make your NASCAR at Daytona predictions for the Great American Race, be sure to see the latest 2021 Daytona 500 picks from SportsLine's proven projection model.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction computer model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results. What is 1x in betting.

The model began the 2020 season paying out big by picking Denny Hamlin to win his second consecutive Daytona 500 at 10-1. The model also called Kevin Harvick's win at Atlanta and nailed a whopping nine top-10 finishers in that race. McClure then used the model to lock in a 10-1 bet on Hamlin for his win at Miami.

At The Brickyard, the model called Harvick's fourth victory of the season. Then during the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, the model nailed its picks in back-to-back races, calling Denny Hamlin to win at 17-2 at Talladega and Chase Elliott to win at 7-2 at the Charlotte Roval. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, his model simulated the 2021 NASCAR at Daytona race 10,000 times. Head to SportsLine to see the complete projected leaderboard for the 2021 Daytona 500.

Top 2021 Daytona 500 predictions

One surprise: the model is high on Alex Bowman, even though he's an 18-1 long shot in the latest NASCAR at Daytona odds 2021 from William Hill. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The 27-year-old will move from the No. 88 car to the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports, but that minor change shouldn't keep him from qualifying near the front during a condensed Daytona Speed Week.

Bowman qualified in the front row of the Daytona 500 the last three years, winning the pole in 2018 and starting on the outside row in 2019 and 2020. While he hasn't been able to parlay that into a top-10 finish yet, he did finish seventh last season in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 after starting eighth.

The track should be well-worn with the Clash, qualifying, Duels, Truck Series, ARCA and Xfinity all running in the five days prior. Starting in front could be a huge advantage come race day, making Bowman a live long shot for the 2021 Daytona 500.

And a massive shocker: Kevin Harvick, one of the Vegas favorites at 12-1, stumbles big-time and barely cracks the top 10. There are far better values in this loaded 2021 Daytona 500 lineup. Harvick won a career-high nine races in 2020 and spent a large portion of the season at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series standings.

However, he faltered late, finishing outside the top 10 in four of his last six starts and failing to make the Championship Four cutoff. Harvick is a two-time winner at Daytona, but his track record at the iconic superspeedway has been poor. He has just one top 10 in his last nine starts at Daytona International Speedway and has finished 20th or worse in seven of those races.

How to make 2021 NASCAR at Daytona picks

The model is also targeting three other drivers with NASCAR at Daytona odds of 15-1 or longer to make a serious run at winning it all. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big. You can see all the NASCAR picks over at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2021 Daytona 500? And which long shots stun NASCAR? Check out the latest 2021 Daytona 500 odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2021 Daytona 500 leaderboard, all from the model that nailed Hamlin's win last season.

2021 Daytona 500 odds

Denny Hamlin 8-1

Chase Elliott 10-1

Joey Logano 10-1

Brad Keselowski 10-1

Ryan Blaney 10-1

Kevin Harvick 12-1

Kyle Busch 15-1

William Byron 18-1

Aric Almirola 18-1

Martin Truex Jr. 18-1

Kyle Larson 18-1

Alex Bowman 18-1

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 20-1

Austin Dillon 25-1

Bubba Wallace 25-1

Ross Chastain 30-1

Matt DiBenedetto 30-1

2021 Daytona 500 Fantasy Picks

Cole Custer 40-1

Chase Briscoe 40-1

Tyler Reddick 40-1

Christopher Bell 40-1

Chris Buescher 50-1

Austin Cindric 50-1

Erik Jones 50-1

Michael McDowell 75-1

Ryan Newman 75-1

Jamie McMurray 100-1

Ryan Preece 100-1

Ty Dillon 100-1

Digital bingo machine picture cartoon. Daniel Suarez 125-1

David Ragan 150-1

Noah Gragson 150-1

Anthony Alfredo 150-1

2020 Daytona 500 Fantasy Picks

Corey Lajoie 150-1

Fantasy Picks Nba

Kaz Grala 250-1

BJ McLeod 750-1

Timmy Hill 750-1

Chad Finchum 750-1

Josh Bilicki 750-1

Cody Ware 1000-1

Quin Houff 1000-1