This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Wawa 250
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Course: Daytona International Speedway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 100
Race Preview
Daytona International Speedway hosts the next round of the NASCAR Xfinity series as the march toward the playoffs continues. Noah Gragson won the last time the series visited in February, and Justin Allgaier got his maiden 2020 win last week at the Dover double-header. Chase Briscoe, won the Sunday edition of that Dover weekend. Ross Chastain is the defending winner of this week's race and is still looking for a 2020 win of his own. As the regular-season races wind down, the competition for the final playoff spots continues to heat up. Only six drivers are assured of their playoff positions with five races remaining for drivers to claim the remaining spots. Jeremy Clements, Myatt Snider and Alex Labbe are the drivers on the outside looking and will be trying to make something happen Friday night.
Key Stats at Daytona International Speedway
- Number of races: 57
- Winners from pole: 4
- Winners from top-5 starters: 25
- Winners from top-10 starters: 38
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 4
- Fastest race: 157.137 mph
Previous 10 Daytona Winners
2020 spring - Noah Gragson
2019 fall - Ross Chastain
2019 spring - Michael Annett
2018 fall - Kyle Larson
2018 spring - Tyler Reddick
2017 fall - William Byron
2017 spring - Ryan Reed
2016 fall - Aric Almirola
2016 spring - Chase Elliott
2015 fall - Austin Dillon
Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval that features pack racing and drafting throughout the pack. Handling and fresh tires play a larger role at this track than at Talladega Superspeedway, but the name of the game is horsepower and drafting to move forward in the pack. Drivers and teams will look for partners to work with as they attempt to move forward, and they also will likely coordinate their visits to pit road under green in order to ensure their ability to keep in the draft and get back up to speed as quickly as possible. The pack-style racing Daytona and Talladega produce has a tendency to create unexpected results. Avoiding trouble and being within reach of the lead at the finish is the goal for every driver.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $11,500
Austin Cindric - $10,700
Justin Allgaier - $10,400
Harrison Burton - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Anthony Alfredo - $9,800
Justin Haley - $9,600
Chase Briscoe - $9,400
Daniel Hemric - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Myatt Snider - $8,900
Brandon Jones - $8,700
Noah Gragson - $8,500
Ross Chastain - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Michael Annett - $8,000
Jeremy Clements - $7,900
Ryan Sieg - $7,600
Vinnie Miller - $7,000
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Justin Allgaier - $10,400
Brett Moffitt - $9,000
Noah Gragson - $8,500
Jeremy Clements - $7,900
Brandon Brown - $7,200
Vinnie Miller - $7,000
One week after scoring his first 2020 win, Justin Allgaier heads to Daytona where he finished second twice. He has eight top-10s from 19 starts at the track and led 23 laps there in February. Brett Moffitt crashed out of that February event but will start 12 places farther forward than in that race. He has four truck series starts at the track and will be looking to score his best Daytona finish in the Xfinity series by navigating his way to to the finish. February's Daytona winner Noah Gragson has an average finish of ninth from his three Daytona starts in the series. He will start Friday's race from the second row. Jeremy Clements has significant Daytona experience in the Xfinity series with 20 career starts. One of his two top-10 finishes at the track came in this race last year when he finished ninth. Playoff hopeful Brandon Brown needs to get to the finish and ensure he does not lose ground in the playoff battle. He finished sixth and seventh in the last two races here and starts 15th on Friday. Vinnie Miller will be coming from the rear with his 30th-place starting position, but his average finish of 17.8 from his five Daytona starts makes him a good value for fantasy rosters.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Justin Haley - $9,600
Daniel Hemric - $9,200
Myatt Snider - $8,900
Ross Chastain - $8,300
Ryan Sieg - $7,600
Josh Williams - $6,400
Justin Haley earned his first Cup series win at Daytona last July. Kaulig Racing consistently has produced some of the fastest superspeedway cars, and Haley's average finish of 10.8 from four Daytona starts means he has a real chance of being up front this week. After four top-10 Daytona starts, Daniel Hemric scored his first top-10 in the 2018 edition of this race. He will start seventh again this week. Myatt Snider is another driver looking to make himself a factor in the playoff battle. He qualified on pole for the February race but didn't make it to the finish. This race could be a chance for him to make an impact with a win. Ross Chastain made that impact with his win in this race last season. He also has five other top-10 finishes at the track from 12 career starts. Ryan Sieg has two top-10 finishes from the last three Daytona races. His best finish at the circuit is third, which he achieved twice. His 14th-place starting spot this week is three rows farther forward than his average start of 20.7, too. Finally, Josh Williams will start this race in 20th. He has been capable of scoring top-15 finishes this season, and getting to the finish should give him the ability to score another this week.
