February 22, 2026
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start in the third position for this week's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway after qualifying was cancelled due to weather. Since 2022, when Atlanta Motor Speedway was reconfigured, Stenhouse has never previously started in the top 10. In the last eight races at EchoPark, Stenhouse has four top-10 finishes, which were all earned in his last five appearances. Stenhouse has also placed in the top 20 in each of his last six Atlanta races. He also finished as the runner-up last week in the Daytona 500. Despite his history of positive finishes at Atlanta, Stenhouse's high starting position leaves him almost no upside for DFS. Stenhouse is only worth consideration for tournament lineups, and even then, there are other alternatives with more upside and cap flexibility available.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 22, 2026
After qualifying was cancelled, Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports was given a starting position of 36th for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Since 2022, this will be Bowman's lowest starting position at the site. In eight prior races at Atlanta, Bowman has four top-15 finishes with three of them inside the top 10. Two of Bowman's last three appearances at the site ended with top-5 finishes. Last week at Daytona for the Daytona 500, Bowman ended the race in 40th after crashing. With his starting position towards the very end of the field, Bowman is one of the safest DFS options available for this week's race. Despite his boom-or-bust results at Atlanta, the upside makes Bowman worthy of consideration for all DFS formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 16, 2026
In the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Joey Logano finished third after starting the race from the same position. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford driver competed for the lead through most of the first stage and led nine laps. Before the end of the first stage, Logano and his team decided to pit for fuel and tires, making him finish the stage in 29th. In the second stage, Logano took most of the stage to recover towards the front, but he would be caught in the 20-car wreck on lap 124. Although he was damaged, he still ended the second stage in ninth, scoring two stage points in the process. In the final stage, Logano kept quietly riding in the pack until the very last lap. The Penske driver avoided the first wreck on the final lap between Carson Hocevar, Erik Jones, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to run inside the top 10. Then, as he caught up with the leaders, they crashed again in front of Logano. Although the No. 22 driver couldn't avoid the second wreck, he crossed the finish line in third while being damaged. This was Logano's first top-5 finish at Daytona since 2023 and is considered one of the top favorites to compete for the win as a former winner at EchoPark Speedway next weekend.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
February 16, 2026
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished in second place in this year's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Stenhouse began the race from the 16th position, but mostly lingered towards the back of the pack until the late parts of the race. The No. 47 Chevrolet driver placed 31st at the end of stage one and 32nd at the end of the second stage. In the final stage, Stenhouse kept moving up through the field for positions and made it to the top 10. During the race's final restart, coming to the final lap, Stenhouse was involved in a crash with Carson Hocevar and Erik Jones, but Stenhouse was able to keep going and remain in the top 10. As Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst chased down Chase Elliott and Zane Smith on the final set of corners, Stenhouse kept following behind them. Stenhouse passed Smith, but then Herbst and Elliott crashed in front of him. While Stenhouse sustained some damage, he squeezed past the final crash but was still short of Reddick, who went on to win. As Stenhouse finished second, this was his best Daytona result since winning the 2023 Daytona 500.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
February 16, 2026
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports nearly won his first Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, but fell short in the final stretch. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver started fourth after winning the second America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona. Elliott did not have much of a presence during the race, running in the middle of the pack and keeping his car together through most of the race. At the end of the first stage, he placed 17th, and at the end of the second stage, Elliott was 28th. In the final stage, Elliott set himself in position to contend for the win. After returning to the top 10 on the final restart, Elliott made moves and went to the lead after Carson Hocevar caused a multicar crash on the final lap. Elliott continued forward with Zane Smith pushing him ahead, and although Elliott looked like he was cruising to a victory, Tyler Reddick chased him down after turn four. The Hendrick driver did not have enough speed to hold off Reddick and then ended up crashing after Reddick's teammate, Riley Herbst, got into Elliott and caused him to crash. Although Elliott finished with damage, he still finished in fourth place, marking his best result in the Daytona 500 since 2021.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
February 16, 2026
RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski ended up finishing in the fifth position at the end of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 6 Ford driver started the race from the ninth position and moved between the front and the back of the pack throughout the stage. Pit stops and even contact with other drivers set him back to finish 28th at the end of the first stage. He maintained his position towards the back of the pack to keep out of trouble in the second stage, finishing in 29th. In the final stage, Keselowski used pit strategy and made moves to make it back up to the top 10. By the end of the race on the final lap, Keselowski mounted a charge after making the top five, but was blocked by Riley Herbst, who the RFK driver ended up crashing alongside across the finish line. Despite ending with a damaged car, Keselowski earned his first top-5 finish at Daytona since August 2023.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
February 16, 2026
Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing won the Daytona 500 in dramatic fashion at Daytona International Speedway. Starting from the 26th position, Reddick quietly kept himself in contention throughout the whole race and avoided trouble. At the end of the first stage of the race, Reddick was 20th, but by the end of the second stage, he cracked the top 10 and was in eighth place. It was in the final stage that Reddick put himself in position to win, remaining in the top 10 throughout the stage. With his teammate Riley Herbst, Reddick avoided a wreck on the last lap and pushed for the lead against Chase Elliott. Reddick then passed Elliott in the final few feet before the finish line to claim not only his first Daytona Cup victory, but his first Daytona 500. The only lap that Reddick led was the final one, but it helped to snap a winless streak dating back to 2024.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
February 15, 2026
Joey Logano of Team Penske will start third for this year's Daytona 500, taking place at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 22 Ford driver earned his starting position by being the winner of the first America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona. In 34 starts at the site, Logano has one win, an average finish of 18.7, and has 11 top-10 finishes. At drafting tracks last season, Logano has two top-20 finishes in six events at the track type. Despite leading in every Daytona Cup race dating back to 2018, Logano has a history of struggling to finish towards the front in most drafting track events. With his starting position being so close to the front, Logano is not recommended to be used in DFS this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 15, 2026
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney will be starting in the fifth position for this year's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Blaney obtained his starting position for this week's race after finishing second in the first America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona. In 21 starts at the site, Blaney has two wins, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 18.2. At drafting tracks last season, Blaney has three top-10 finishes, including a win at the summer Daytona race. The No. 12 Ford driver from Penske does have great history at drafting tracks, but his starting position provides almost no upside, making him hard to recommend outside of tournaments for DFS. Although Blaney could be a contender for the win, especially since Penske brings some of the fastest cars on drafting tracks, it may be better to consider alternative picks for cash games.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 15, 2026
Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing is starting on the outside of the front row in second for this year's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Briscoe earned his starting position by setting the second-fastest overall single lap time in qualifying. He also participated in the second America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona, where he led 38 laps, the most of all drivers in that race, until he faded back to a 20th-place finish. In 10 races at Daytona, Briscoe has three top-10 finishes with an average finish of 19.0. The No. 19 Toyota driver also finished in the top 15 in three of the last four Daytona Cup races. At drafting tracks last season, Briscoe has three top-15 finishes in six events at the track type. Although Briscoe's history at drafting tracks is decent, his starting position leaves almost no upside and makes him a huge risk to use in DFS. Fantasy players should consider other drivers with more upside than Briscoe, especially since he has one of the lowest score ceilings for DFS this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 15, 2026
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will start in the fourth position for this year's Daytona 500, taking place at Daytona International Speedway. Elliott was awarded his high starting position as a result of winning the second America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona. In 20 races at the site, Elliott has six top-10 finishes, an average finish of 20.5, and has never won. He also finished in the top 15 in four of the last five Cup events at Daytona. At drafting tracks last season, the No. 9 Chevrolet driver finished in the top 20 in five of six events at the track type, including a win at Atlanta. Despite having solid history at drafting tracks, Elliott's starting position makes him one of the riskiest drivers to utilize in DFS this week. Elliott can only be considered for tournaments, and even then, there are better alternatives available for less salary and more upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 15, 2026
Austin Cindric will start 36th for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver obtained his starting position through a 17th-place finish in the second America 250 Florida Duel race. In nine races at Daytona, Cindric has one win and five top-20 finishes, including three inside the top 10. The Penske driver also finished eighth in last year's Daytona 500. At drafting tracks last season, Cindric had two top-10 finishes in six events, including a win in the spring Talladega race. Cindric should be one of the top drivers to consider rostering for this year's Daytona 500, especially since he is with one of the fastest teams at drafting tracks with extremely high upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: racing-reference.info
February 15, 2026
RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will start ninth for this year's Daytona 500, taking place at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 6 Ford earned his starting position after starting 10th and finishing fourth in the first America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona. In 33 starts at the site, Keselowski has one win and nine top-10 finishes, and he also led at least once in four of the last six Cup events there. Keselowski finished in the top 20 in each of his last three drafting track races dating back to last season. Despite having limited upside given his starting position, Keselowski has seven drafting track victories and has historically been one of the best at this track type. Fantasy players could utilize Keselowski in tournament lineups as a potential winner to target and a contrarian play, but should not consider him for cash games.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
February 15, 2026
23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick will be starting in the 26th position for this year's Daytona 500, taking place at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 45 Toyota driver nabbed his starting position from finishing 12th in the second America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona. In 13 starts at the site, Reddick has three top-five finishes, including a runner-up finish in last year's Daytona 500. At drafting tracks last season, Reddick finished 21st or better in all six events, including three top-10 finishes. Reddick has great upside based on his starting position and is trending upward in terms of favorable finishes at drafting tracks. He is a solid overall option to consider for all DFS formats on Sunday.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
February 15, 2026
Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports obtained a starting position of 21st for this year's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver earned the starting position after placing 10th in the first America 250 Florida Duel race at Daytona. In 19 starts at the site, Bowman has 12 top-20 finishes, including seven inside the top 10. Two years ago, Bowman was the runner-up finisher in the Daytona 500 to his teammate William Byron, who won the last two 500s. Last year at drafting tracks, Bowman had three top-10 finishes in six events at the track type. Considering how Hendrick has some of the fastest cars at drafting tracks and Bowman's overall positive track history at Daytona, he is one of the more favorable mid-tier drivers to consider rostering this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
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