Fantasy Fastlane: Will Haley be comet that rises at Daytona once again?

Editor's note: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays and sleepers as well as plays to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. Garage driver will lock at end of Stage 2. Odds come from BetMGM.


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Denny Hamlin | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota

Odds: 8-1

Fastlane forecast: Hamlin has won three of the last six Daytona 500s. On top of that, he has racked up the most laps led and points over the last six Daytona races. Of the drivers in last year's Championship 4, he's the one I’d be most likely to use for this race given how strong he has been on superspeedways. But given the all-around strength he has shown in recent years, you can make a compelling case to just stash the use as well.

Joey Logano | View stats

Team Penske, No. 22 Ford

Odds: 12-1

Fastlane forecast: The winner of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is also well known for his superspeedway prowess. The winner of the 2015 Daytona 500 has just one top 10 in his last six starts at the World Center of Racing. However, he has the second-most laps led in that stretch and the third-most points thanks to his propensity to snag stage points. The latter makes him a very intriguing play if you are looking to roster one of the big names.

Ryan Blaney | View stats

Team Penske, No. 12 Ford

Odds: 12-1

Fastlane forecast: Blaney is the most recent winner at Daytona with his victory at the summer race last season. He has three top-six finishes in his last four starts at this track and the third-most points over that same stretch. The catch lies in how versatile Blaney is and the speed he has shown at nearly every Next Gen test heading up to the start of this season. I expect Blaney to build off his three-win season but I see the appeal in using him here as well.

Kevin Harvick | View stats

Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford

Odds: 20-1

Fastlane forecast: Harvick is an interesting case depending on how your view his 2021 season. If you think the winless season was an outlier, it's best to save the use. But if you think otherwise, then the risk of a spent use could be well worth it. In his last two Daytona 500s, Harvick has top-five finishes and over the last four races there he has the sixth-most points. I’d play it safe with the 2014 champion but it's not farfetched to ponder a use.

Alex Bowman | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet

Odds: 18-1

Fastlane forecast: Of the Hendrick fleet, Bowman is the play I'd consider the most at Daytona – yes, I know Chase Elliott has more points at Daytona in the last six races, but I think he's way too valuable elsewhere (road courses/short tracks). Bowman has top-seven finishes in two of his last three Daytona starts and he has scored at least 25 points in four of his last six starts there. A four-time winner last year, he was a tough fantasy play to figure out in 2021 but he starts on the front row Sunday.

Michael McDowell | View stats

Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford

Odds: 40-1

Fastlane forecast: The reigning Daytona 500 champion has long been a sneaky play on superspeedways but last year's win took the sleeper factor away. Three of McDowell's five top fives and seven of his 17 top 10s have come at Daytona. Over the last six races at the 2.5-mile track, he has the fifth-most points. In his last 12 Daytona starts, the veteran driver has just two finishes outside the top 15 and that consistency is hard to find at this track.

Bubba Wallace | View stats

23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota

Odds: 16-1

Fastlane forecast: Wallace is the most recent superspeedway winner with his victory at Talladega last fall and the fifth-year Cup driver has shown a knack for this type of racing. Daytona is his best track (with more than one start) on average finish with a mark of 13.3. He has three top fives in nine starts there including two in his last three starts. Over the last six races there, he has the eighth-most points. This is a solid spot for a use.

Austin Dillon | View stats

Richard Childress Racing, No. 3 Chevrolet

Odds: 25-1

Fastlane forecast: In terms of top-10 finishes, Daytona has been Dillon's best track with eight. Among drivers with at least 10 starts there, he also holds the best average finish at 14.9. Not only did he win a Duel last year, he nearly grabbed the big prize for the second time in his career to go with his 2018 victory in this race. I like this play quite a bit especially if you are looking at rostering a bunch of drivers in the mid-tier range based on last season.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | View stats

JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 47 Chevrolet

Odds: 33-1

Fastlane forecast: Stenhouse is never afraid to dice it up at superspeedways – Ross Chastain is quite similar in that regard as well. Stenhouse's body of work at Talladega is much more impressive than his Daytona stats but he does have a win at this track from his Roush days in 2017. While he hasn't scored over 25 points in a race at this track since the 2020 Daytona 500, it's hard to fully go against him on this track type.

SLEEPER PICK: Justin Haley | View stats

Kaulig Racing, No. 31 Chevrolet

Odds: 40-1

Fastlane forecast: Haley's impressive effort in the Busch Light Clash is noteworthy but his Daytona numbers earn him this spot. Here are Haley's Daytona three Daytona finishes: first (with Spire), 13th and sixth (with Spire). Kaulig was the best Xfinity organization on superspeedways and the young driver has shown an uncanny knack for this racing at any national series level.

SLEEPER PICK: Austin Cindric | View stats

Team Penske, No. 2 Ford

Odds: 33-1

Fastlane forecast: Looking to make a Penske play but wanting to stay away from the veterans of the organization? Say hello to the rookie taking over for Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 car. He finished 15th in the Daytona 500 last year and won the 2021 Xfinity opener at Daytona. He should be a factor on road courses all year, but is worth the consideration here as well.

SLEEPER PICK: Chris Buescher | View stats

Roush Fenway Racing, No. 17 Ford

Odds: 33-1

Fastlane forecast: If you believe in trends, then 2022 should be a solid year for Buescher at Daytona. In 2018, he scored two top-five finishes at Daytona and in 2020, he scored two top-10 finishes there. In 2019 and 2021, he did not – although, he did run top five in the summer before a post-race DQ. Long time readers know I am a big fan of Buescher on these tracks and he won one of the Duels on Thursday.

SLEEPER PICK: Corey LaJoie | View stats

Spire Motorsports, No. 7 Chevrolet

Odds: 100-1

Fastlane forecast: Do you know which driver has the third-best average finish at Daytona over the past six races? Mr. Stacking Pennies himself, that's who – only Haley and Hamlin have better average finishes in that stretch here. Over those six races, LaJoie has three top 10s and four races with at least 25 points. This is the type of race to take a flyer on SuperShoe.

SLEEPER PICK: David Ragan | View stats

Rick Ware Racing, No. 15 Chevrolet

Odds: 150-1

Fastlane forecast: We qualify this as a deep sleeper since Ragan is not a Cup regular anymore. This will mark his third Cup start since the end of 2019 – all of which have come at Daytona. Those results show the ebbs and flows of superspeedway racing – he finished fourth (in 2020) and 37th (in 2021). Both of his Cup wins and half of his top fives have come on superspeedways.

STAY AWAY FROM: Kyle Larson | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet

Odds: 10-1

Fastlane forecast: Larson has three top 10s in his last five Daytona starts but we’ve come to expect more from the reigning champ. With only 10 starts at our disposal, I want Larson available for tracks where speed is at a premium and to be frank, superspeedways are the last place I'd be looking to use him -- even with him on the pole -- when he is pretty much rock solid everywhere else.

STAY AWAY FROM: Kyle Busch | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 18 Toyota

Odds: 16-1

Fastlane forecast: Busch has finished outside the top 30 in three of his last four Daytona starts and the lone exception saw him caught in a last-lap wreck. Along the same lines as Larson, the two-time champion is so good at nearly every other track, that forcing a use here isn't worth the risk. In addition, the return of practice should make "Rowdy" all the more formidable.

STAY AWAY FROM: Martin Truex Jr. | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota

Odds: 25-1

Fastlane forecast: Longtime readers won't be surprised to see Truex in this section for a superspeedway race. In 67 starts on superspeedways, the 2017 champ has yet to win and has only five top fives and 13 top 10s. Daytona is his worst active track (among those with more than one start) by average finish (at 22.2). MTJ will have plenty of value elsewhere, so stash the use.

My lineup heading into the weekend: Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher; Garage: Joey Logano

/Alex Bowman

As you can see for Daytona, my priority is saving uses. Superspeedway racing is just too unpredictable for my liking in fantasy to want to risk uses with a host of big names.

Logano's late wreck in the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel has me wondering if I want to temp fate with a use.

Just missed the cut: Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain and Corey LaJoie.

Tweet at me @kraftdaddy85
with your lineups and questions ahead of Sunday's race at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.