Chase Elliott won the Busch Pole Qualifying Award and will start in the top position in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Daytona International Speedway. After one practice session and qualifying, we’ve dissected the numbers and restrictor-plate histories to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you go to make roster decisions for the 18th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018. Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2.
RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Joey Logano
2: Aric Almirola
3: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
4: Ryan Blaney
5: Michael McDowell
Garage: Alex Bowman
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Analysis: My roster decisions were influenced by two things. First, I’m trying to save uses with top drivers I’ve deemed more valuable elsewhere — specifically Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Clint Bowyer. Secondly, prior to this race weekend, I mapped out a projected lineup for the final nine races of the regular season to evaluate if there were any drivers I was in danger of under using or that I was risking leaving uses on the table for.
From my original lineup, I’m keeping Logano, Almirola, Stenhouse Jr., Bowman and McDowell. I was pretty set on Almirola and McDowell all week. Stenhouse and Bowman are plays based on low usage thus far, how they have looked this weekend at Daytona and in recent restrictor-plate races. When evaluating my uses left for the final nine regular season races, I was afraid I might leave a Logano use on the table. For a driver currently third in the point standings, that is not acceptable to me. Given his strong history with plate racing and Penske’s success in this type of racing, I’m comfortable with the play knowing how I am positioned for the remainder of the season.
My one lineup change is Ryan Blaney slotting in for Paul Menard. This play is motivated by a few things with the concern of missing out on a use one of them. Blaney was THE dominant car here in the 2018 Daytona 500 and is a perfect 12-for-12 in scoring stage points in plate races in the stage points era. I want someone that puts themselves in position for stage points and that is something he has done all year as well. Menard has been strong of late at Daytona with three straight top-six finishes, but I just think the Blaney play could pay off bigger for me.
For the bonus picks, looking at Chase Elliott for a Stage 1 win, Clint Bowyer in Stage 2 with Brad Keselowski taking the checkered flag.