2026 Daytona 500: Top NASCAR DFS picks, lineups, Daytona driver pool from a daily Fantasy pro

The Great American Race takes place on Sunday with the 2026 Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway. Your NASCAR DFS lineups could feature any of the eight former winners in this year's race, including Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson or William Byron. Or, you could target less expensive options with your Daytona 500 DFS picks, such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was when he won this race in 2023. A winning NASCAR DFS strategy should have a combination of both, but who are some of the more economical options for the Daytona 500 2026 when the green flag drops at 2:30 p.m. ET?

Tyler Reddick was runner-up last year after never finishing better than 27th over his prior six starts. Was that 2025 finish an outlier, or is he one to target with your Daytona 500 DFS picks? Meanwhile, Connor Zilisch is the lone rookie in the starting grid as the 19-year-old hopes to return value for NASCAR daily Fantasy racing players.

Before locking in your NASCAR DFS lineups for Daytona 500 2026, you NEED to see what Mike McClure has to say.

McClure has won over $2 million in his career as a daily Fantasy pro, and his NASCAR DFS driver pool, projections and advice can help you score a big win on Sunday. 

McClure's model began the 2025 season by calling Chase Elliott's win in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray for a +300 payout. Then it went on to predict Kyle Larson in Miami (+350), Christopher Bell's NASCAR All-Star Race win (+600), Denny Hamlin's wins in Michigan (+650) and Las Vegas (+650), Shane van Gisbergen's win in Mexico City (+330), Elliott's win in Atlanta (+1500), and van Gisbergen again in Chicago (+150), Sonoma (+125), Watkins Glen (+135) and Charlotte (-105).

All told, the model has nailed a whopping 29 winners since 2021 and hit 11 winners in 2025! Anyone who followed its lead on those NASCAR picks could have seen HUGE returns.

Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday and is revealing his top NASCAR DFS picks, NASCAR DFS lineups and driver pool.

For NASCAR at Daytona, McClure is high on Denny Hamlin ($9,500 on DraftKings and $11,000 on FanDuel). Part of McClure's optimal NASCAR DFS strategy also includes rostering Austin Cindric ($9,000 on DraftKings and $12,500 on FanDuel), who won this race in 2022. Cindric also led for a race-high of 59 laps in last year's Daytona 500 which resulted in a top-10 finish.

McClure is also targeting an undervalued driver set to return HUGE value for your NASCAR DFS lineups! He's in prime position to make a run at the checkered flag, and it comes at a price that won't break the bank. This pick could be the difference between cashing HUGE in your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing.

So what are the top NASCAR DFS picks for Sunday's Daytona 500 2026, and which value driver is a MUST-ROSTER? ... Join SportsLine right now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure's NASCAR DFS picks, complete driver pool, and strategy for NASCAR at Daytona!