NASCAR: Daytona 500-Practice
John David Mercer / USA TODAY Sports

Before the main event roars to life Sunday afternoon to kick off the NASCAR season, the field and lineup will be set Thursday night with the 2021 Bluegreen Vacation Duels at Daytona International Speedway. The twin 2021 Duels at Daytona begin at 7 p.m. ET from the famed Daytona International Speedway, with drivers racing 60-lap, 150-mile segments to set the field behind pole-winner Alex Bowman and fellow front-row qualifier William Byron. After qualifying Wednesday night, several top drivers are scattered in the two-race Daytona Duels lineups -- but how will their hot-lap efforts the night before effect their NASCAR DFS performance in a crowd Thursday?

Bowman leads the field to the green flag in Duel No. 1, with Byron atop the pole for Duel No. 2. How do you pick the optimal NASCAR DFS lineups for the 2021 Duels at Daytona based on where traditionally fast drivers start in their respective qualifying races? Before finalizing your NASCAR DFS picks for the 2021 Duels at Daytona on Thursday, be sure to check out the optimal Daytona 500 NASCAR DFS strategy and advice from SportsLine's Mike McClure.

McClure has won almost $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 dominated NASCAR DFS at the 2020 Daytona 500, turning a 4x ROI after rostering four of the top seven drivers. 

He then crushed the 2020 Real Heroes 400, with his top three picks -- Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. -- all finishing in the top eight. He also had Truex Jr. at No. 1 in his DraftKings value rankings for his win at Martinsville and then had Kevin Harvick at No. 1 for his win at Indianapolis. Anybody who has followed his picks has seen huge returns. 

Now, he's turned his attention to Thursday's twin 2021 Duels at Daytona. He's only sharing his picks and NASCAR DFS driver pool here.

Top 2021 Duels at Daytona NASCAR DFS picks

For the twin 2021 Duels at Daytona, McClure is high on Joey Logano at $10,100 on DraftKings and $13,000 on FanDuel. The 2015 Daytona 500 champion certainly knows the fastest groove around DIS, recording five finishes inside the top six in his past six attempts at the Great American Race. Logano has also been fast in qualifying, too, starting fifth or better in those same six Daytona 500s.

Logano, who captured the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series points title, made a deep run at a second series championship last season -- winning three times, including a playoff race at Kansas -- en route to a third-place finish. The Team Penske veteran starts 11th in Duel No. 1, and with a hot qualifying lap of 187.723 mph should be in prime position for a big NASCAR DFS finish in the Duels at Daytona.

Part of McClure's optimal NASCAR DFS strategy includes rostering Kyle Busch at $9,500 on DraftKings and $11,000 on FanDuel. The 2015 and 2019 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Busch has won four Duels in his storied career -- claiming Duel No. 2 in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016 for the fourth overall starting position in the Daytona 500 those seasons.

Busch has always been plenty fast around Daytona International Speedway, winning the 2008 Coke Zero 400 summer race and finishing second in the 2019 Daytona 500. Busch is also eager to better his No. 28 starting position and 34th-place finish in last year' Great American Race. With a 188.363 qualifying time earlier in the week, McClure knows that Busch is in a prime spot to move up from his No. 8 starting position in Duel 2, and recommends him in all NASCAR DFS formats.

How to set 2021 Duels at Daytona NASCAR DFS lineups

McClure is also targeting an overlooked driver set to return plenty of value. He's in prime position to make a run at the checkered flag and comes at a price that won't break the bank. This pick could be the difference between cashing huge in your NASCAR DFS tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can see every pick here.

So what are the top NASCAR DFS picks for Thursday's 2021 Duels at Daytona? And which value driver is a must-roster? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure's complete driver pool for DraftKings and FanDuel, and cash in big on NASCAR at Daytona.