Fantasy Live is back for its second season. The rules and scoring for the game stayed pretty much the same. That is good news because my picks finished 46th overall in this game last year. It was the 6th season my picks beat 99% of the competition. I am not satisfied though. I want our picks to be No. 1 in Fantasy Live. In order to do that, we need to get off to a good start.
Fantasy Live Lineup
Denny Hamlin (10): I would love to use Joey Logano or Kevin Harvick but their allocations are too important to be used at this track. Hamlin is the best non-Ford driver in the field. Hamlin has finished 3rd, 17th, 1st, 4th and 2nd in his last 5 Daytona 500s. Hamlin likes to run up front so he should earn some Stage points too.
Ryan Blaney (10): The No. 12 car is one of the safest picks in the field. Blaney has a series-high 100.6 driver rating in the last 4 races at Daytona. Blaney finished 2nd and 7th in his last two Daytona 500s. He works well with his Ford teammates. Last year he led the most laps in this race. I expect Blaney to be up front with his Ford teammates, scoring a lot of Stage points and finishing in the top 10.
Paul Menard (10): The Wood Brother’s Ford has been one of the best cars throughout Speedweeks. Menard has completed 810 of 810 laps in the last 4 Daytona 500s. That is the best in the field. Menard has only crashed once in his last 9 Daytona 500s. Are you kidding me! He absolutely knows how to stay out of trouble. I just hope I did not just jinx him. You will find Menard running between the Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing Fords Sunday. Not a bad place to be.
Aric Almirola (10): Almirola had a great chance to win the Daytona 500 last year. He was leading the race on the last laps when Austin Dillon use “Aggressive Drafting” to move Almirola out of the way. Almirola has completed 809 of 810 laps in his last 4 Dayton 500s. The only lap he did not complete is when he was wrecked on the last lap last year. Almirola tends to be a safe pick in these races and that is what we need in order to score well.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10): Stenhouse is the most risky driver in our lineup but we have a good driver sitting in the garage so I am not worried about the risk he offers our team. Stenhouse is very good at restrictor-plate racing. He leads the series in average finishing position in the last 10 races on the Superspeedways. Stenhouse won at Daytona in 2017 and he will have a good chance to do it again Sunday.
Garage Driver: Clint Bowyer will be the driver in the Garage. He never won the Daytona 500 but he has had a lot of success at the track. The Ford Mustang GT has not missed a beat. The Fords are still the fastest and best handling cars in the field. Bowyer almost won his Duel Race Thursday. He should be a good pick if we need him Sunday.
Stating Drivers Drivers
Denny Hamlin (10)
Ryan Blaney (10)
Paul Menard (10)
Aric Almirola (10)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10)
Garage Driver
Clint Bowyer (10)
Bonus Picks
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano
Race Winner: Joey Logano
Winning Manufacturer: Ford
Good luck this week!
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