DraftKings Busch Clash at Daytona Strategy Breakdown

We get our first real taste of racing action this weekend, as the Busch Clash at Daytona is set to run on Sunday afternoon. Now, this isn’t your typical race–this is an exhibition, invite-only race, and the starting lineup was determined by random draw on Saturday night. There will only be 18 drivers participating in the Clash, and they’ll only race for 75 laps total. There will be a competition caution on lap 25. Because of this unique format and limited field, that means our choices for DraftKings are relatively limited; you’re going to have one-third of the field in any lineup you make.

Click here for the starting lineup for the 2020 Busch Clash at Daytona.

DraftKings Strategy for the Busch Clash at Daytona

If you’re going to win much money with DraftKings on Sunday afternoon, you’re going to need to have the winner in your lineup. Now when it comes to the Busch Clash at Daytona, there’s been quite a trend with the victors: most of the time, they start outside of the top 10. In fact, since the 2003 Clash–so 17 races total–only three winners have started inside the top 5, and only five winners have started inside the top 10. The average starting position of those winners has been 13.1, and in four of the last five Clash races, the winner has started 13th or worse. The highest-starting winner over the last five years was Joey Logano in 2017, when he rolled off the grid from 9th.

Strategy-wise, you can go ahead and take Ryan Newman ($5,600) off of your radar. He drew the pole position in the random draw qualifying, and while that may be a bit of an advantage for the race, the chances of him ending up in the top DraftKings lineup on Sunday are slim to none. Don’t forget: DraftKings success is all about place differential at Daytona and Talladega, and there’s no room for Newman to improve there. Additionally, pole sitters don’t fare well in this exhibition event; while Denny Hamlin did win from the pole here back in 2014, only two of the last 17 Clash pole sitters have finished inside the top 5, and since 2003, the driver leading the field to the green for this race has an average finish of 14.6.

Now, as far as DraftKings lineup construction for Sunday’s Busch Clash at Daytona, obviously ownership percentages are going to be high across the board with such a limited amount of players. And most players will be focusing on the drivers in the lower half of the field, especially guys like Joey Logano ($9,800) and Denny Hamlin ($9,600), who start 13th and 18th (respectively) and are very good when it comes to superspeedway tracks. But I think it’s a good idea to sneak in one or two drivers that start near the front because finishing position pays good points as well.

Now, looking at the starting lineup, I’d avoid the front row, especially pole sitter Ryan Newman. Brad Keselowski ($9,300) is worth some exposure, but not much (in my book anyway). Instead I wouldn’t mind being overweight on guys like Kyle Larson ($6,100), who starts 4th, or Aric Almirola ($6,900), who starts 5th. Both are risky plays but Larson has two top 5s in five career Clash starts, while Almirola is actually one of the best racers at Daytona/Talladega in terms of consistent finishing, and he also has two finishes of 8th or better in his four career starts in this race.

One last thing to remember when putting together your lineups for the Busch Clash at Daytona: you don’t have to use the entire salary cap. You don’t even have to come close. As far as driver analysis, I put together a chart (see below), and I also put together a short driver-by-driver breakdown video (see at the bottom of this page. Remember, you can always hit me up on Twitter (click here) if you have any questions!

Drivers Statistics in the Daytona Clash

There’s a wide range of experience levels in this year’s Busch Clash at Daytona, from William Byron, who is making his first ever start in this exhibition race, to his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, who will be making his 18th career start in the Clash. Overall, 8 of the 18 drivers in this year’s Clash have made five or less starts in this race, while seven drivers have made 11 or more starts.

In terms of wins, Kevin Harvick ($8,500) and Denny Hamlin ($9,600) lead the way in that category, with three Clash victories each. Jimmie Johnson is the only other multiple-time winner in this year’s field, as he picked up his second Clash victory in last year’s contest.

Joey Logano ($9,800) leads the way with the best average finish among drivers with more than two starts in the Clash. Over his 11 career starts in this exhibition race, Joey has a very impressive average finish of 8.4. With that being said, Alex Bowman ($7,500) and Ryan Blaney ($8,000) both technically lead the way in this category, as they both have an average finish of 4th over two career starts apiece.

Driver-by-Driver Breakdown for the Daytona Clash