Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2026 Autotrader 400

I don’t know about you folks but I sure could use a week or two to recover from that insane finish of last weekend’s Daytona 500. So much drama, so much heartbreak, so much triumph can be exhausting but there’s no rest for the weary.

It’s already round two for the NASCAR Cup Series, and it’s time for more drafting and questionable blocks at EchoPark Speedway.

Formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, this track has put on some really great racing since its reconfiguration a few years ago. A who’s who of Cup Series elite will be ones to watch here, including Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and last year’s winner Christopher Bell.

I do strongly recommend that you not ignore the dark horses this weekend. Anything can happen in a race like this, so don’t be afraid to take a few chances along the way.

Booms and Busts: 2026 Daytona 500

Right on the Money	Lick Your Wounds
Brad Keselowski: finished fifth	Kyle Larson +1200 to win
Bubba Wallace: finished 10th	Austin Dillon: involved in first crash of the day, finished 37th
	Ryan Preece: finished 25th

Yeah, there wasn’t a whole lot for me to celebrate last week. That’s just how it goes with drafting tracks though. One second it’s looking like you got it all wrapped up, and the next thing you know you’re clobbering the outside wall.

I definitely think we’ll do better this weekend though.

Fantasy Forecast

Joey Logano $10,000

With all the hoopla and drama surrounding the end of the Daytona 500, something got lost in the shuffle.

Logano, like Keselowski and Elliott, was right there with a chance to win it all, and wound up walking away third at the end. And, not to beat a dead horse here, but it is an even year.

I know the format has changed and that history does not favor him under it. Heck, I also know that it’s only been one race.

None of that matters. Logano wins this Sunday (Feb. 22) and solidifies that he is still a force to be reckoned with, playoffs or no playoffs.

Chase Elliott $9,900

Good lord, the pain that I felt for Elliott when I saw his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro careening into the wall coming to the checkered flag was immeasurable.

I truly don’t know when, or if he is ever going to win a Crown Jewel event. I do know this though: nothing heals you like returning home.

Of course, that is what Elliott is doing this weekend. He’s won here twice on the new configuration and has the best average finish of any active driver here since then as well.

I don’t know if he’ll win this race, but I do think he’ll be in the mix for sure, and bring home another solid top five to start the year.

Chase Briscoe $8,400

Briscoe had his bid to win last week end very early. However, he’s a good candidate to rebound this weekend.

He also won last year at Talladega Superspeedway and looked really strong before taking a wild ride with Austin Dillon through the infield.

One major red flag though is his abysmal 25.3 career average finish here at EchoPark since the reconfiguration. Despite this, I think there’s a good chance he leads some laps and scores you a good haul of points with a top-15 finish.

Carson Hocevar $7,900

As devastating as things were for Elliott and his fans have been since we left Daytona, it’s been pretty hard to swallow for Hocevar too, I’m sure.

He had the lead at the line when the white flag came out, and he went spinning through the infield shortly after.

He’s going to have a big bounce-back race at EchoPark though. He showed a lot of maturity and growth through Speedweek, and that will serve him well again this time.

He’ll lead early and often, and if he can play his cards correctly, he’ll walk away with a podium run for his troubles.

Alex Bowman $7,300

I don’t remember seeing much of Bowman at all last week, so I understand his price tag coming in so low.

I also don’t think they’re paying attention to what Bowman did here last summer. People may have forgotten, but he was a stellar teammate the last time we were here, pushing Elliott to a huge win over Keselowski and company.

I think he’ll shock some people this weekend, and remind us why they call him the Showman.

Zane Smith $6,100

I’ve been telling anybody that will listen to me over the offseason (there isn’t many) that I think Smith will have a breakout year in 2026. Lo and behold what does he do at Daytona?

He brings his No. 38 Ford Mustang home in sixth, and he plays a huge role in that crazy finish.

I think he’ll continue that upward trajectory this week as well, because he finished 11th and seventh respectively here at EchoPark last season.

Best Bets and Dark Horses

1. Daytona Do-Over Parlay: Bell and Ross Chastain +1097 to finish in the top five

Y’all know how much your boy loves a good parlay. It’s a solid choice for a few reasons, but chief among them is Bell being the defending winner and Chastain’s pretty stellar record here. A low amount gets you paid big with this one and I’m all about it.

2. Elliott +900 to win

As I said earlier, I believe in the power of comfort and being home in a dark time. And while I know he took what happened in stride, what happened at Daytona will eat at Elliott for a very long time. I do think he will get a measure of redemption again this weekend in his home state and at his home track, and he’ll get his first win of 2026.

Dark Horse of the Week: Daniel Suarez +4000 to win

Sure, Suarez is not with Trackhouse Racing anymore, but on this type of track, team affiliation doesn’t matter very much. What’s more is that his teammates are both very good at drafting tracks. It’s going to take the right scenario for him to contend this weekend, but I think you could take a flyer on worse things. Look for Suarez to find some mojo and be a factor late in this race on Sunday.