Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe Studs to Watch for Daytona 500
NASCAR DFS is very much a different animal. The Duels on Thursday night gave us another glimpse of how Sunday afternoon may run at Daytona. Joey Logano won the far more competitive duel while Chase Elliott held off Carson Hocevar in the second duel.
Dominators are a little under siege for the Daytona 500. With the prospect of "The Big One" and the inevitable amount of cautions, the finish will look far different than the start on Sunday. Add in the race to finish Sunday's season opener before the thunderstorms could prove interesting.
Let us dive into the studs err dominators.
Joey Logano - Penske Racing ($9,400 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
Okay, this is going to get interesting and fast! Joey Logano is one of those masters of "The Draft". It was not a surprise late in the first Duel when Ryan Blaney and Logano were leading the way. Blaney helped push Logano into the lead and the No. 22 car did the rest.
The risk of DFS is place differential. On FanDuel, that is plus or minus a half point. DraftKings jumps to one point. Laps Led are a little different too. Even pricing can change preferences here among the studs.
Categories | Points (DraftKings) | Points (FanDuel) |
|---|---|---|
Laps Led | 0.25 | 0.1 |
Fastest Laps | 0.45 | N/A |
Laps Completed | N/A | 0.1 |
Place Differential | + or - 1 point | + or - 0.5 points |
The key for drivers like Briscoe and Logano are to lead those laps and set some fastest laps along the way. If anything happens to them (accident, lose draft, etc.), their day is likely done. A high finish is needed. Driver points for first place is 45 on DraftKings and 43 on FanDuel.
It is why taking a roll of the dice on Logano is worth it here. The Penske Racing driver won the Daytona 500 in 2015 but has contended several times. Is he due? That answer is maybe. Qualifying third may not be a bad thing.
Chase Briscoe - Joe Gibbs Racing ($7,900 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
One could spend up for Denny Hamlin but if there is some discomfort about that shoulder issue, Chase Briscoe could step right in. Hamlin is a three-time winner of the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing.
After leading 38 of the opening 40 laps, Chase Briscoe has been shuffled back to ninth, right in the eye of the storm.
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) February 13, 2026
Anthony Alfredo and Michael McDowell are side-by-side for the lead.#NASCAR
Drivers in a higher position face the place differential risk. However, leading that many laps often negates the potential for losing points. Briscoe starts on Sunday on Row 1 next to pole-winner Kyle Busch.
Spending up for Hamlin involves risk. Briscoe comes across as a cheaper stud/dominator. For DraftKings, there are six drivers and FanDuel features five. This is where strategy comes in handy. Briscoe is far more a bargain on FanDuel given the price spread.
Chris Buescher - RFK Racing ($8,400 - DraftKings, $9,500 - FanDuel)
The risk with this dominator is the following. Can Chris Buescher get through the field and stay that way come the checkered line? The best news is that Buescher starts 41st. After Stage 2, the RFK Racing driver has been in a Top 10 or contending position three straight Daytona 500's in a row.
It is no secret that Brad Keselowski and Buescher work well together much like Blaney and Logano. Push drafting is so vital at the Daytona 500. Chaos only truly happens when the breaks happen or drivers take risks like going three-wide or worse typically.
Buescher led the Great American Race for 32 laps in 2023. He has an average finish of 8.3 overall in the last three years at Daytona. Yes, this includes the second races too. On the other hand, Buescher has improved at drafting since at RFK Racing. If that car is running well enough, Buescher is a dominator with potential.
