Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2025 Ambetter Health 400

After a wild first week of the season at Daytona International Speedway, get yourself ready for more of the same this week.

However, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will have even less room to fan out and race, as they take on the smallest drafting track of the three in Atlanta Motor Speedway.

There will be far less room to maneuver than there was in Daytona last week, and as big of a factor as handling was there, it’s absolutely essential here. You can be as fast as you can handle, but if you can’t navigate the tight packs of racing, you’re in trouble.

Last week, I advised that picking repeat winners at superspeedways is not advised, but I’m reversing course on that this weekend.

When playing fantasy and betting on these types of races, it’s best to have a blend of the usual drivers at the front, and a dark horse or two. A delicate balance should yield you a respectable day, even if things go wrong for your top picks.

DraftKings 2025 Rules of the Road

Drivers will be awarded points based on their finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second place gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 and 31st gets 10.

However many spots drivers lose or gain on the track are added or subtracted from their score. If the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 for each fastest lap.

As always, before we get into picks, let’s look at how we fared a week ago in Daytona. I just want to preface this breakdown with one statement:

I’m sorry Kyle Busch.

Right On The Money	Lick Your Wounds
Ryan Blaney, #1 pick: 57.2 points earned	Kyle Busch, #2 pick: -4.7 points earned
Ty Dillon, #6 pick: 27.2 points earned	Todd Gilliland, #5 pick: 2.9 points earned
Chase Briscoe, #4 pick 39.4 points earned	Bubba Wallace, #3 pick: -8.5 points earned

A mixed bag to be sure, and lost my money on Blaney when he got caught up in the Big One with 15 laps to go. We soldier on this week though, and I think I have a really good lineup to share.

Fantasy Forecast

1. Joey Logano ($9,700)

This was a pretty easy choice for me honestly. I think last week, this driver showed the speed and grit to be able to win sooner rather than later this season.

He clearly had the best car last week, despite multiple problems derailing his chance to win. The Team Penske cars are just too dominant on these types of tracks, so you can’t go wrong with any of them, but my confidence lies with the defending champion.

He’s one of the best to ever do it on this track style, and if he can make the correct decisions in the draft, this will be a winning layup for you should you pick him.

2. Chase Elliott ($9,500)

While Logano’s car was the best all-around car in the field last week, the second best car was pretty clearly the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro.

Elliott hung around the front for most of the day and multiple times was singled out as the best at being able to push another car to the front.

I think crew chief Alan Gustafson brings a similar approach to this race on Sunday (Feb. 23) and the hometown driver should be a huge factor.

The important thing though for Elliott is decision making. Since his win at Talladega Superspeedway back in October 2022, he’s been a factor late in these types of races, but a bad decision either on his part or of the field in front of him have laid waste to his chances.

3. Bubba Wallace ($8,300)

Wallace rolls into the lineup for the third consecutive week for good reason. These drafting tracks are his best, and to open the season with two, he’s a solid bet to score points.

He scored playoff points with his Duel win last week, and despite a poor return in the Daytona 500, there’s confidence still built up in that team.

Now, a little bit of buyer beware here: this is the worst of the three drafting tracks for him over the course of his career. He has one top-10 finish here since the reconfiguration back in 2022.

I truly believe in the skill set Wallace brings to the table, and if he can stay out of other driver’s trouble, he’s a lock for good points this week.

4. Daniel Suarez ($8,100)

The driver of the No. 99 returns to the site of his most recent win this week, but that’s not the only reason I’m going with him this weekend.

This is by far Suarez’s best track.

Since the reconfiguration, Suarez has been absolutely brilliant here. Along with the win last season, he’s only finished outside the top 10 once.

This is the best chance he has to run well during the course of the season, and you’d be missing out big time if you don’t look to cash in.

I’m not saying he will be the winner again, but he’ll be fast and likely finish well, which brings a large cache of points to your total.

5. Ross Chastain ($7,600)

Honestly, I got a sick feeling in my stomach about this pick. Chastain very clearly has the talent and equipment to run well in these superspeedway races, but he always seems to be on the wrong end of fate.

Despite having a win to his name at Talladega, he’s seemingly always on the hook back to the garage in these things now.

I think that could all change this week though. He’s Suarez’s teammate and has run well here in the past. It’s hard for me to see him struggling again this week. He’s due for a good run and has finished runner up here in the past as well.

As an added bonus, you’re getting him at a cheap salary this week, a rarity for a driver of this caliber.

6. Erik Jones ($6,800)

It cannot be understated just how important last week was for Legacy Motor Club.

Jones almost won his Duel race, and of course, both John Hunter Nemechek and owner Jimmie Johnson collected top fives.

I believe that this team will prove they belong yet again this week in Atlanta and Jones is the horse to bet on.

Despite not having as good of a finish as his teammates, the famous No. 43 hung up front most of the day with the very best. It’ll be his time to shine this particular Sunday.

Props and Locks

1. Austin Cindric (+1300) to win: Denny Hamlin said in his weekly podcast after the Daytona 500 that he feels as though Cindric is one of the best “drafting track” drivers in the sport. Coming from a guy as prolific at it as Hamlin, not only is that high praise, it’s a hint. Take Cindric with me this week and let’s get back on the winning side of things.
2. Corey LaJoie (+650) to finish top five: Possibly the biggest surprise coming out of the Daytona 500 was just how well LaJoie ran. I mean, at times, he did seem reckless and impatient, but he walked away with a great finish. Like Suarez, this is his best track, and likely his best shot to win. After all, he almost did back in 2022.
3. Shane van Gisbergen (+1000) to finish in the top five: SVG had a tough go in his first Daytona 500 start, but I have reason to believe he’ll be better at Atlanta. Again, this could be a product of Suarez’s success on this track, as his teammates should be able to perform at or near the same level. Interestingly enough though, he had one of his best career runs on an oval at this very track last season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Check out my X account for my picks for the Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series each week, @Cook_g9!