Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano Among Daytona 500 Season Long Picks
Hello everyone once again. The engines will be cranking this week with The Duel on Thursday but first, single car qualifying determines the front row on Wednesday night under the lights. That is correct. One mission is to steer clear of William Byron.
Unfortunately, Daytona International Speedway is known for those crashes that can collect anyone and everyone. Also, watch the weather. Season long fantasy is considerably different in the sense that typically you have X amount of drivers to pick from tiers in general. One wants to get off to a good start.
Keep in mind that there will still be at least 25 races to go. Depending on the format of a league, some may go the entire 36 race slate, or there may be a playoff after 26 events. Either way, our goal at Fantasy On SI is to get your engines revved and ready to put your foot on the gas pedal HARD!
Look at rules and format carefully before picking drivers. We wiil quickly explain a few choices from dominators to values and beyond.
Denny Hamlin -- Joe Gibbs Racing
Again, it is not that surprising Denny Hamlin is the current odds on favorite to win the Daytona 500. Arguably, he should have won it in 2025 but the luck did not go his way. Hamlin is a three-time winner of the "Super Bowl Of Stock Car Racing". The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has the third highest driver rating career wise at 85.5.
Imagine if there were not a few of those unfortunate wrecks along the way. Still, there is this to consider.
From 2006-2021, Denny Hamlin finished 16 consecutive Daytona 500s.
— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) February 8, 2026
This is the most consecutive Daytona 500 starts a driver has ever had without a DNF.
To this day, Denny has only failed to finish one of his 20 Daytona 500 starts (2022). pic.twitter.com/I91U5mcris
At the least, Hamlin should be motivated to not only finish well but rack up a few stage points along the way. The #11 car could be the best it has been since 2021. Hamlin led 98 laps in that race and won both stages. The end foiled him as he had to settle for fifth. Again, Hamlin was right there. Expect him to be there again come the end.
Qualifying typically matters little at a superspeedway so keep this in mind. If Hamlin can get close to the front early, he can accumulate those stage points. Ideally, the most important part is getting across that finish line without getting collected.
Joey Logano -- Penske Racing
Some believe Joey Logano is another driver due for some better luck in February err Daytona. Logano was among the fastest cars in the first half of last year's race and was inside the Top 10 when disaster struck. He led 45 laps in 2024 before an early wreck ended his afternoon. Logano and his Ford nearly found a way to win the whole darn thing in 2023.
Settling for second is not in Logano's vocabulary. It is partly why he has won the season title three times (2018, 2022, and 2024). He has that one glorious moment in 2015 to hang his Daytona hat on. His career rating is 89.1 at Daytona with only Kyle Busch (90.3) above him among active drivers.
Logano, similar to drivers like Brad Keselowski and William Byron, always find a way to be there. What happens in those final laps is unknown to most anyone. However, Logano has as good a chance as any to win his second Daytona 500 or gain those stage points.
Some Fun Longer Shots To Look At
If you are playing NASCAR's Fantasy Live, also bear in mind you get a limit of 10 uses of a driver in a season. Inevitably, value becomes essential. Loading up with heavyweights at Daytona is a recipe for disaster.
Some have asked about Cole Custer and Custer was right in it last year. He was the catalyst behind the final lap wreck that foiled Hamlin. However, he did finish four in the summer race. Michael McDowell is always tempting given his Top 10 ability to run on superspeedways. Even Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has shown an inkling to be in contention at Daytona. Just watch the risk.
At Daytona since 2017 minus his two wins, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has ZERO top 10's.
— Ryan (@ifantasyrace) February 10, 2026
Ultimate checkers or wreckers driver.
So, what does one do? The key is to balance longer options with maybe a couple of "dominators". Corey LaJoie is tempting but has to qualify for RFK Racing first. With drafting KING, opting for guys like McDowell and Stenhouse Jr. could really pay off.
Yes, this is a little long but just think, we are only getting started!
