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It's officially Daytona 500 race week, and we're coming off of one of the WILDEST Clash races in years. If you had a chance to check it out last Sunday's race, you witnessed what can only be described as Tony Stewart's sarcastic post-race proposal from Talladega back in 2012.
The 2020 Busch Clash at Daytona: Say no more fam. pic.twitter.com/X1mI2RrvYB
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Only six cars finished the Busch clash, and Erik Jones took the victory (with a car that looked like a smashed beer can by overtime).
On Thursday, drivers will compete in the second NASCAR Speedweeks event, The Duels at Daytona. The Duels are two 60 lap, 150-mile races, that separate the odd, and even-numbered cars to race for starting position. The winner of Duel 1 will start the Daytona 500 in third, and the Winner of Duel 2 will start in fifth.
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The Duels are also a unique superspeedway event to watch because of them being held at night. Daytona International Speedway is the only superspeedway in the cup series that has lights, making it even more desirable to go watch some fast cars make left turns on your Thursday night. More importantly, I'm excited for another chance to play NASCAR DFS before the Daytona 500.
For this race I will pick two drivers for each duel.
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Duel 1
Brad Keselowski #11 (DraftKings $9,300 | FanDuel $14,000)
Slam Brad K's is dead now, but that didn't stop Keselowski from slamming his hands all over an ambulance at the Busch Clash. Keselowski is obviously not happy with the way things are going at Team Penske, and with his comments on teammate Joey Logano, it could pose a serious threat.
I look for Keselowski to convert his anger, and frustration into precision driving this Thursday night. Keselowski finished last season Duels in P20 after getting caught up in a wreck, but I see him finding a way to finish this go-round.
Denny Hamlin #11 (DraftKings $9,800 | FanDuel $11,500)
Hamlin is almost a sure-fire bet anytime NASCAR visits a superspeedway. Hamlin should be able to lead laps early, taking on Chase Elliott and Ricky Stenhouse Jr for position.
Joe Gibbs Racing no doubt has killer equipment, and with Hamlin being last year's Daytona 500 winner, I'd say he has a good read on what he needs to do to punch out a win. Don't be afraid to start Hamlin in this race just because he's sitting towards the front of the pack.
Duel 2
Kurt Busch #1 (DraftKings $9,000 | FanDuel $10,500)
I'm back on my Busch-It for 2020 early this year, and it's all for good reason. Busch is starting the year fresh with a new contract, and he has plenty of skill to work his way through a pack of cars.
Busch started last year's Duels in P10, and bagged a Top 5 finish. On Thursday, he will start P11, and is a strong candidate to repeat with another Top 5.
Ty Dillon #13 (DraftKings $6,200 | FanDuel $4,000)
Ty Dillon made some waves in Daytona over the weekend by finishing the first Daytona 500 practice with a speed of 203.592. Dillon doesn't get quite the attention his brother (Austin Dillon) gets, but it looks like that could change (at least temporarily) come Thursday.
With Dillon starting the Duels in P15, he has tons of room to work his way up to the front, and in turn, rack up some solid fantasy production. Look for him to make his push to secure a Top 10 start in the Daytona 500.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase and subscribe to the Garage Guys Fantasy Sports Podcast for Fantasy Football and NASCAR talk. Good luck RotoBallers!
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