Fantasy Update: New Toyota, Ford bodies look strong on superspeedways

This year’s Daytona 500 grid seems to be more wide open than ever. There is a case to be made for upward of 30 teams ending up as the 2024 Daytona 500 champion. Of course, the race is never as straightforward as it seems, and there will be plenty of hurdles to overcome throughout the day. Toyota swept the Duel races Thursday night; early returns after moving to a new body better suited for drafting tracks. It’s worked out thus far, but plenty of horses within the other two manufacturers can get the job done. RELATED: 2024 Daytona Speedweeks schedule Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup: Starter 1: Joey Logano Starter 2: Brad Keselowski Starter 3: Bubba Wallace Starter 4: Michael McDowell Starter 5: Erik Jones Garage pick: Corey LaJoie MORE: Monday's starting grid | Set your Daytona 500 lineup NEXT IN LINE: Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher RISING: Bell isn’t shy to voice his displeasure regarding superspeedway racing, but he continuously improves on the craft each year. So much so, in fact, that one of his biggest goals for 2024 is to win a points-paying race on a drafting track. Courtesy of his win in the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel race Thursday evening, Bell is tied for the points lead heading into the "Great American Race." The Toyotas showed improved speed during the Duels, with six of its nine drivers leading laps. Spire Motorsports has been in the running to win multiple superspeedway races over the last couple of years, thanks to Corey LaJoie and the No. 7 team. With added bullets in Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith, the team has upped its chances of showing out on race day. All three cars did just that in Thursday’s Duels, with Hocevar finishing fourth in the first Duel and Smith sixth in the second. FALLING: Blaney has fallen off my lineup entirely; the first time I can remember him not being in my lineup for a superspeedway. In Blaney’s last three trips to Daytona, his luck ranks somewhere between slim and none. His chances to win the Daytona 500 are certainly higher than that, as he’s among the best superspeedway drivers in the garage. But he will come from the tail of the field in a backup car after being hooked in the right rear and sent into the wall for the third consecutive Daytona race. This is Kyle Busch’s 19th attempt at winning the Daytona 500, but his shot at winning the “Great American Race” might be halted for another season. The No. 8 team was strong on superspeedways last year, scoring a win at Talladega Superspeedway and leading at the end of regulation of last year’s Daytona 500. However, Busch will need to come from the rear for a second straight year in this race, as he was involved in the Blaney wreck on Thursday. FEATURED MATCHUPS: Ty Gibbs vs. Joey Logano Gibbs looked comfortable in the draft on Thursday, riding a chunk of the race in line behind Jimmie Johnson, who was leading the points in his rookie season ... the year Gibbs was born. Weird anecdotes aside, Logano is the choice. The No. 22 team is aggressive in these races, which can be both beneficial and detrimental. Team Penske already earned its first pole in the 500 with Logano this week, but if he wins the race, it will be the first time since 2000 that the polesitter won the 500 (Dale Jarrett). Ricky Stenhouse Jr. vs. Michael McDowell McDowell has had a special aura around him this week, making him a real sleeper to become a two-time Daytona 500 champion. He earned the best qualifying start of his career on Wednesday and bowed out of the lead draft late in the second Duel to miss any potential chaos. Stenhouse, the reigning 500 winner, was strong in the opening Duel, leading three laps before getting involved in a late wreck. The pick is McDowell, who is often in contention for a strong finish late in the race, scoring three finishes of seventh or better in the last five 500s. Ross Chastain vs. Tyler Reddick Reddick is reaping the benefits of the new Toyota body on superspeedways. He made a nice, slicing move on Kyle Larson with a half-lap remaining in the first Duel to win and score 10 points. Chastain has won a points-paying race on a superspeedway in the past, but Toyotas looked strong on Thursday and Reddick's the pick. Zane Smith vs. Josh Berry Smith fits the bill for drivers with long shots of winning the Daytona 500, but you could certainly choose worse than him. He is an accomplished superspeedway driver, winning at Daytona in his final two Truck starts there. Berry still has to prove himself at the national level on superspeedways, so Smith gets the call. SHOP: Gear up for Daytona 500