The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400, the final race of the regular season and one of the most unpredictable races on the NASCAR DFS calendar. This FanDuel lineup takes a balanced approach by combining three expensive drivers with two value selections, leaving just $300 in salary.
The lineup features Joey Logano, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Zane Smith, and Chris Buescher. It is a roster built around superspeedway experience, finishing-position upside, and drivers who have demonstrated the ability to run near the front at Daytona.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is scheduled for Saturday night, August 29, and will cover 400 miles at Daytona.
Joey Logano — $13,500
Joey Logano is the highest-priced driver on this FanDuel roster and one of the strongest superspeedway options available.
Logano has been especially impressive at Daytona recently. He finished third in the 2026 Daytona 500 and has led at least one lap in each of his last 15 Daytona races. That consistency is extremely valuable in DFS because Logano has multiple ways to generate fantasy points.
The Team Penske driver also enters the Coke Zero Sugar 400 with plenty of momentum. Penske has been one of the stronger organizations on superspeedways, and Logano’s drafting ability makes him a legitimate candidate to contend for the win.
At $13,500, FanDuel players need a strong performance from Logano. However, his combination of finishing-position upside and potential laps led makes the investment worthwhile.
William Byron — $12,000
William Byron is another premium driver with tremendous Daytona upside.
Byron has already proven that he can win at this track, capturing consecutive Daytona 500 victories in 2024 and 2025. He also remains one of the top contenders entering this year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, with current odds making him the race favorite.
The biggest appeal with Byron is his ceiling. Daytona races can be decided by a handful of laps at the front, and a driver who finds himself leading during the final stage can rack up valuable fantasy production.
The downside is obvious: superspeedway racing is unpredictable. Even the fastest drivers can get caught in an incident that has little to do with their own performance.
Still, Byron has enough Daytona history to make him one of the best high-priced tournament plays on the board.
Denny Hamlin — $10,500
Denny Hamlin gives this roster another elite driver without pushing the salary cap too far.
At $10,500, Hamlin is considerably cheaper than Logano and Byron, which makes him an important part of this particular lineup construction. His experience at Daytona is another major advantage.
Hamlin’s FanDuel value comes from his ability to finish near the front while remaining involved in the drafting pack throughout the race. He doesn’t necessarily need to dominate the event to justify his price.
A top-five or top-10 finish could be enough to make Hamlin an excellent value relative to the two drivers priced above him.
For a race where experience and positioning can be critical during the final 20 laps, Hamlin is an attractive veteran play.
Chris Buescher — $8,200
Chris Buescher may be the most appealing value selection on the entire roster.
At just $8,200, Buescher provides significant salary relief while still possessing legitimate top-five upside. His recent Daytona record is particularly impressive: he has six top-10 finishes in his last seven Daytona starts, including a victory.
Buescher also finished seventh in the 2026 Daytona 500 after starting 41st. That result demonstrates both his ability to navigate the pack and his place-differential potential.
That combination makes him an excellent FanDuel play.
Buescher doesn’t need to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 for this selection to work. If he finishes inside the top 10 again while gaining positions throughout the race, he could substantially outperform his $8,200 salary.
Zane Smith — $5,500
Zane Smith is the key salary-saving selection.
At $5,500, Smith allows this lineup to roster three premium drivers while still maintaining a strong value option. More importantly, Smith isn’t simply being selected because he is cheap.
He has demonstrated strong superspeedway ability throughout the 2026 season. Smith finished sixth in the Daytona 500 after leading nine laps and has also produced strong results at other drafting tracks.
That makes Smith one of the more intriguing low-priced drivers on the FanDuel slate.
His biggest challenge is avoiding the inevitable Daytona chaos. If Smith can stay out of trouble and finish in the top 15, he could provide a tremendous return at $5,500.
Overall FanDuel Strategy for the Coke Zero Sugar 400
The biggest thing DFS players need to understand this week is that Daytona is different from almost every other track on the NASCAR schedule.
At a short track or intermediate track, teams can often separate themselves through raw speed. At Daytona, drafting partners, positioning, manufacturer alliances, pit strategy, and avoiding accidents can be just as important.
That makes place differential particularly valuable. Drivers starting deeper in the field have more opportunities to gain FanDuel points, while front-running drivers have greater potential to collect finishing-position and lead-related production.
This lineup takes advantage of both concepts.
Logano and Byron provide race-winning upside. Hamlin brings veteran experience and top-five potential. Buescher is the value cornerstone, while Smith provides the salary relief and superspeedway upside needed to complete the roster.
Buescher deserves particular attention. His recent Daytona results make him one of the strongest mid-priced plays on the board, while Smith’s recent success on drafting tracks gives this lineup another potential difference-maker.
One final piece of advice is to avoid overreacting to practice and qualifying. Daytona is a drafting track, so starting position matters, but a fast single-car lap doesn’t necessarily translate into race-winning performance.
Instead, focus on superspeedway history, starting position, manufacturer strength, teammates, and the ability to survive late-race chaos.
This FanDuel lineup checks several of those boxes. With Logano, Byron, and Hamlin providing the ceiling and Buescher and Smith supplying value, it is a balanced roster designed for the unique volatility of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. In a race where one wreck can completely change the fantasy leaderboard, surviving the final laps may be just as important as having the fastest car.