2025 Daytona 500 Fantasy rankings, racing picks, strategy, advice for NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway
Fantasy sports have elevated the popularity of nearly every sport in America, and NASCAR is no different. The Daytona 500, which many consider NASCAR’s Super Bowl, marks the beginning of the quest toward the NASCAR Cup Series championship, and there are plenty of viable options in the 2025 Daytona 500 driver pool to consider for NASCAR Fantasy lineups when the green flag drops at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday from Daytona International Speedway. Which drivers should be at the top of your Daytona 500 Fantasy rankings?
Is the best way to form a 2025 Daytona 500 Fantasy strategy based on last year’s results, which featured a top three of William Byron, Alex Bowman and Christopher Bell, who are all running in the Daytona 500 2025? Drivers like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney are among the favorites to win the 2025 Daytona 500 and could be popular options in NASCAR Fantasy picks, so should you include or fade them in 2025 Daytona 500 Fantasy racing lineups? Before locking in your NASCAR Fantasy lineups for the 2025 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, be sure to check out the optimal NASCAR at Daytona Fantasy strategy and advice from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure has won over $2 million in his career as a daily Fantasy pro, and his NASCAR Fantasy driver pool, projections and advice can help you score a big win on Sunday.
McClure’s model began its 2025 season by calling Chase Elliott to win for a +300 payout at last week’s Clash at Bowman Gray. In 2024, it nailed Kyle Larson to win in Las Vegas for a 21-5 betting payout and predicted Denny Hamlin’s wins in Bristol at 5-1 and Richmond at 17-4.
It also impressively nailed five of Larson’s wins during his historic season in 2021. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 19 winners since 2021, including nine in 2023 and three in the first seven races last season. Anyone who followed its lead on betting apps and sportsbooks on those NASCAR picks could have seen huge returns.
Now, he’s turned his attention to Sunday’s Daytona 500. He’s only sharing his picks and NASCAR Fantasy lineups here.
Top 2025 Daytona 500 NASCAR Fantasy picks
One of McClure’s top 2025 Daytona 500 Fantasy picks is William Byron, even though he’s a longshot at 17-1. The 27-year-old is the defending Daytona 500 champion and although he only led four laps in last year’s Great American Race, they were the four most important ones to close the race. The victory was the beginning of another successful NASCAR Cup Series season for Byron as he finished third for the second straight year. The 27-year-old has finished in the top 10 of the final NASCAR Cup Series standings for four straight seasons.
Byron had an elite finish to last season with four top-three finishes over his final seven races and he finished no worse than sixth in any of those runs. He seeks to become the first back-to-back Daytona 500 winner since Denny Hamlin and given how strong he finished last season, McClure views that as a real possibility. See which other drivers to back here.
Another curveball: Brad Keselowski, one of the top betting favorites this week, barely cracks the top 10 of McClure’s Fantasy NASCAR rankings for the Daytona 500. Keselowski hasn’t fared well at the Daytona 500 in recent years, finishing 22nd or worse in each of his last two starts at this event.
He also struggled down the stretch last season, finishing 15th or worse in eight of his last 10 starts on the NASCAR Cup Series. Keselowski has never finished the Daytona 500 better than third, a big reason why McClure is fading him on Sunday. See which other drivers to avoid here.
How to set 2025 NASCAR at Daytona Fantasy lineups
McClure is also targeting an undervalued driver set to return plenty of value for his NASCAR Fantasy picks. This driver is in a prime position to make a run at the checkered flag for the ultimate Daytona 500 sleeper. You can see who it is, and every other pick, right here.
So what are the top NASCAR Fantasy picks for the Daytona 500, and which value driver is a must-roster? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure’s complete Daytona 500 Fantasy rankings, for a chance to cash in big on NASCAR Fantasy.