Coke Zero 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
This Saturday night the NASCAR Sprint Cup series goes under the lights for restrictor-plate racing at high speeds in Daytona for the Coke Zero 400. There have been a few other sponsors other the years, but the summer Daytona race will always remain the Firecracker 400.
While spending a holiday weekend with family and friends celebrating the United States Independence and Freedom, there isn’t anything much more of an American tradition than turning on a stock car race from Daytona.
This Fourth of July, Daytona will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Richard Petty’s last and final win of his career, win number 200, a nice round even number that stands out among all others drivers in the history of NASCAR. On that day in 1984, NASCAR royalty and “The King” were cheered by the thousands of followers. That day also marked the first time an acting U.S. President visited a NASCAR race.
Ronald Reagan was on a re-election campaign and thought it might be a good idea to see if they could win some NASCAR dads over, a republican trademark that continues to this day.
The way Richard Petty sees it, this event marked a major stepping stone to where NASCAR is today in mainstream America.
“I always figure that we went upstairs, and we’re still going upstairs,” Petty said of NASCAR.
“You know, we got the president of the United States on the sports page, and the president of the United States got us on the front page. So it was a pretty good tradeoff.”
The favorite to win this week’s race is Kyle Busch, who won this race last year. Ever since joining Joe Gibbs racing in his Toyota, no one has been better than Kyle Busch at Daytona. We could be discussing how he’s won three in a row there, but has had trouble in each of the last two Daytona 500’s.
Last season in the Daytona 500, while Busch and teammate Tony Stewart were jostling for late positioning and battling for what seemed to be their race to win, Ryan Newman and his teammate Kurt Busch worked together pushing Newman to the win. This season in the Daytona 500, Kyle Busch led the most laps and was cruising to what looked to be a well deserved win for the Las Vegan, but then some thing got in the way. A lapped car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. got over-aggressive on the re-start causing a giant wreck up front where many of the leaders, including Busch, had their day finished.
This week’s race may not have that type of pile up on a restart, at least caused by a lapped car, because of the new double file restarts which puts the leaders side by side up front. We’ll still have some aggression early on, but consequences are much more damaging for a leader than a lapped car which is taken into consideration before making a move like Junior did in February.
Speaking of Junior, this could be a race where he gets himself going in the right direction after getting a new crew chief. So far, the new marriage hasn’t reaped any rewards yet, but things looked encouraging last week at New Hampshire as Junior was competitive for a change running in the top-10 frequently in that race.
In this race last season, Junior led the most laps before finishing eighth. He has two wins all time at Daytona to go along with his five restrictor plate wins at Talladega. His first win at Daytona came in this race in 2001. It was Junior’s first win following his father’s passing and was on the same track where he died. It was a one the great moments in NASCAR and solidified Junior’s fan base to a plateau that no one may ever get to.
Junior’s other Daytona win came in the 500 in February of 2004. I remember the race vividly because I watched most of it stuck on the concourse by the beer stand. Another President winning favor of NASCAR dads made the visit that day. George W. Bush and a brigade of about 30 black Chevy Tahoe’s came rolling up through the concourse and everyone had to freeze as he was going to the television booth.
The race had just started and I was in line again for another Ice Cold Bud Light when all these Tahoe’s pinned me in and we were told not to move. We couldn’t go to our seats or anything as sharp shooters dressed in black SWAT gear peered through the cracks of the windows in the cars. It wasn’t all bad; I mean I had beer I could I buy, a monitor to watch the race in front of me, and I could still hear the cars, and smell the fuel and burnt rubber from the track.
Luckily I didn’t have to go to the restroom until they left. Unluckily, however, is that GW didn’t even flip me a drink ticket or a sawbuck for the inconvenience. He could have bought me a beer, right?
In the last two Daytona 500’s we saw a lot of different occurrences than we have from the past. Generally, Chevy has had the dominant teams in restrictor plate racing led by Hendrick, DEI, Childress, and Joe Gibbs when they drove Chevy’s. They weren’t a lot of intruders to the Chevy bow-tie part in plate races over the last 8 seasons. That all changed last year when Newman won in a Dodge with only one Chevy making the top-10.
This year, Matt Kenseth won in a Ford and only two Chevy’s cracked the top-10. Four Dodges, three of which run for Richard Petty made the top-10 also. Couple all that with Kyle Busch having the most dominant car in a Toyota, and it’s clear to see that Chevy is no longer a serious player in the restrictor plate race any more. Some of the best in plate racing, like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, haven’t even cracked the top-10 at Daytona in their last three starts. Johnson hasn’t even sniffed a top-20 in that span. The best Chevy team right now may be the Childress drivers, who are struggling everywhere else currently.
Despite the lack of Chevy success recently in plate races other than Brad Keselowski at 100 to 1 odds winning at Talladega, I’ll go with the fan favorite this week in Dale Jr and hope that he gets things back on track. He finished 2nd at Talladega and saw enough of him in that race to believe between his desire, struggles, and legacy on the line, he’ll show up for a big performance.
No President this week, however. Though a great sports fan, he sticks to football and basketball and hasn’t warmed up to NASCAR yet. Maybe in 2012 he’ll make a visit on the campaign trail.
TOP 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (8/1)
2) #2 Kurt Busch (12/1)
3) #18 Kyle Busch (5/1)
4) #14 Tony Stewart (8/1)
5) #29 Kevin Harvick (20/1)
I got zero faith in Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I still say he can't complete a race mentally. He may be good at these kind of tracks but I don't think he can handle the pressure for 400 miles.
That price makes him even less attractive. I would at least wait until after qualifying.
I can definitely see Kurt, Kyle and Tony all finishing in the top 5 though. gonna be a tough fantasy week for me. I might have to pull out some scrubs since it's such a crap shoot
Kurt Busch is gonna be my " Bet Of The Year " in this race. ;D
Odds To Win Coke Zero 400
Kyle Busch +675
Tony Stewart +675
Jeff Gordon +750
Dale Earnhardt Jr +750
Jimmie Johnson +850
Denny Hamlin +1100
Carl Edwards +1100
Kurt Busch +1400
Matt Kenseth +1400
Mark Martin +1400
Ryan Newman +1700
Kevin Harvick +1850
Brian Vickers +2350
Joey Logano +2850
Jeff Burton +2850
Juan Montoya +2850
David Ragan +3350
Clint Bowyer +3350
Greg Biffle +3350
Jamie McMurray +3350
David Reutimann +3350
Martin Truex Jr +3350
Kasey Kahne +3350
Field +1200
Driver Highlights - Daytona
By VI News
VegasInsider.com
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Daytona International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last eight races at Daytona. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios Chevrolet)
# One top five, five top 10s
# Average finish of 11.1
# Average Running Position of 15.8, 11th-best
# Driver Rating of 87.0, ninth-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.098 mph, 11th-fastest
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
# Eight top fives, nine top 10s
# Average finish of 17.9
# Average Running Position of 15.5, ninth-best
# Driver Rating of 90.8, seventh-best
# 1,006 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8%), eighth-most
# 1,014 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota)
# One win, four top fives, four top 10s
# Average finish of 18.4
# Average Running Position of 11.7, third-best
# Driver Rating of 100.1, second-best
# Series-high 1,203 Laps in the Top 15 (75.1%)
# 1,108 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
# Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.3
# Average Running Position of 13.6, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 91.9, fifth-best
# 46 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.118 mph, 10th-fastest
# 1,091 Laps in the Top 15 (68.1%), sixth-most
# 1,031 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
# Six wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 15.1
# Average Running Position of 11.6, second-best
# Driver Rating of 95.6, third-best
# 34 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.238 mph, second-fastest
# 1,126 Laps in the Top 15 (70.3%), fourth-most
# 1,014 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
# One win, five top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 15.0
# Series-best Average Running Position of 11.0
# Driver Rating of 91.8, sixth-best
# 1,553 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.201 mph, fifth-fastest
# 1,172 Laps in the Top 15 (73.2%), second-most
# 1,131 Quality Passes, second-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Carhartt Ford)
# One win, three top fives, eight top 10s
# Average finish of 18.4
# Average Running Position of 14.1, sixth-best
# Driver Rating of 95.1, fourth-best
# 47 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.203 mph, fourth-fastest
# 1,128 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), third-most
# Series-high 1,167 Quality Passes
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
# Nine top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 17.7
# Average Running Position of 15.8, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 85.7, 10th-best
# 1,003 Laps in the Top 15 (62.6%), ninth-most
# 976 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
# One win, two top fives, three top 10s
# Average finish of 21.0
# Average Running Position of 15.4, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 89.1, eighth-best
# 37 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
# 1,595 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.212 mph, third-fastest
# 1,026 Laps in the Top 15 (64.0%), seventh-most
# 1,077 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet)
# Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 17.2
# Average Running Position of 12.8, fourth-best
# Series-best Driver Rating of 104.4
# 46 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 185.134 mph, eighth-fastest
# 1,119 Laps in the Top 15 (69.9%), fifth-most
Coke Zero 400 PreQ
It is hard to imagine a better start to a career for a driver as Brad Keselowski has had, especially this season. In seven total starts at the Cup level, five this season, Keselowski has one win and three top 10s. What is even more impressive is that all three of those top 10s have come in his last three starts (Talladega, Darlington, and New Hampshire). It has been very infrequent when a rookie driver heads into a race as the favorite and it is doubtful that Keselowski will be in victory lane this weekend but it is just plain fun to talk about. He has yet to make a start at Daytona International Speedway in his career but a lot of people will be paying attention to the youngster in the Coke Zero 400 – so should you.
Another youngster that may surprise this weekend is Marcus Ambrose. Ambrose, in his first full season in the series, has posted four top 10s on the season as he sits 18th in the point standings. What has been even more impressive is that Ambrose has finished outside the top 30 just four times this season and has failed to finish a race just once, which was to do an engine failure. Ambrose has run very well on the restrictor plate tracks in his short career averaging a 10th place finish in two career starts. He ran 17th in the season opener at Daytona and followed that up with a 4th place run at Talladega. Ambrose may not be consistently running with the big boys but has already displayed the talent to have a long career in NASCAR. Don’t forget about the #47 Little Debbie Toyota when looking at drivers for your lineup.
For some reason Denny Hamlin has just not been able to figure Daytona out in his career. He frequently has a solid car but always has some sort of problem that relegates him to a poor finish. In seven career starts at Daytona he has posted just two top 20 finishes, both of which where 17th position, with an average finish of 27th place. Hamlin has been running much better as of late posting two top 10s in the last three races as he sits in the 6th position in the point standings. With Daytona looming on the schedule it is doubtful that he will be there at the end of the night this Saturday. It would be a prudent decision to leave Hamlin out of your lineup for this race.
profantasysports.com
Coke Zero 400 Driver Rating
One week down, nine more to go in the “Race to the Chase” which serves as the prelude to NASCAR’s “playoffs” – the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.” The top 12 is thus the main focus as the schedule rolls on, with the start of the Chase, set for Sept. 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Race to the Chase features some of the most historic tracks in all of racing: Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, Bristol – and this week, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR’s premier facility in terms of both history and prestige.
Restrictor-plate racing throws a wild card into the deck that’s sure to be stacked with excitement for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola. Tony Stewart is the series points leader – and a two-time winner of Daytona’s summer race. Stewart leads Jeff Gordon by 69 points but an even more intense battle rages further down in the top 12. From eighth place to 14th, the separation is only 71 points. From 10th to 14th, the gap is merely 17 points. “The heat is really on in that range,” said 11th-place Mark Martin.
In the middle of that maelstrom is none other than Juan Pablo Montoya, holding down the tenuous 12th-place position for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, somewhat surprisingly. Montoya, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion and former Formula One star, is in his third NASCAR season and appears to be acclimating. This is the first year of a merger between the former Chip Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates organization and Dale Earnhardt Inc. “When I came here my expectations were not that high,” Montoya said. “I think the ability is there [now] and the momentum is there ... we’ve just got to keep the ball rolling.”
profantasysports.com
Top 6 Nascar Drivers to win Daytona Saturday night!!
by Rocky Atkinson
The Sprint Cup boys move to Daytona this Saturday night for the 18th race of the season. Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5 mile Tri-Oval Restrictor Plate Track located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Here are my Top 5 drivers to win in Daytona this weekend. We still have to wait for Qualifying and Happy Hour before finalizing our Head to Head matchups. Daytona is normally a very good money track for us!! We are now 67% this year with our Head to Head Nascar matchups.
For starters, I think Jeff Gordon has the best shot of winning this race. Gordon has 6 wins, 11 Top 5 finishes and 17 Top 10 finishes in his 33 starts here in Daytona. Gordon has an average finish of 15.1 here in Daytona. Jeff Gordon's average finish over the past 3 races is 4.3. In 3 races, he has 0 wins and 3 top 10 finishes, which is best among all drivers.
Next in line I would go with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt has two wins, 6 Top 5 finishes and 11 Top 10 finishes in 19 starts here in Daytona. Earnhardt has an average finish of 14.3 here in Daytona, which is 3rd best among all active drivers. Past 2 years, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s average finish at track type - RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACK is 14.0. In 6 races, he has 0 wins and 4 top 10 finishes.
Then, back in my 3rd spot, I have to go with a sleeper in AJ Allmendinger. Allmendinger has no wins, 1 Top 5 finishes and 1 Top 10 finishes in his 2 starts in Dayton. Allmendinger has an average finish of 22.5 here in Daytona. Allmendinger finished 3rd back in the Daytona 500, which was the first race of the season.
Looking at my pick for the 4th spot we turn to Kurt Busch. Busch has no wins, 8 Top 5 finishes and 9 Top 10 finishes in his 17 starts in Daytona. Busch has an average finish of 17.9 in Daytona. Past 2 years, Kurt Busch's average finish at track type - RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACK is 13.7. In 6 races, he has 0 wins and 4 top 10 finishes. Kurt Busch's average finish over the past 3 races is 8.7. In 3 races, he has 0 wins and 2 top 10 finishes.
Rounding out my Top 5 and sitting tied in the 5th position is David Ragan. Ragan has no wins, two Top 5 finishes and three Top 10 finishes in his 5 starts in Daytona. Ragan has an average finish of 14.0 in Daytona, which is 3rd best among all active drivers. Past 2 years, David Ragan's average finish at track type - RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACK is 12.0. In 6 races, he has 0 wins and 4 top 10 finishes, which is the best among all drivers.
My final driver, which tied for 5th place in my ratings, is Kyle Busch. Busch has 1 win, 4 Top 5 finishes and 4 Top 10 finishes in his 9 races in Daytona. Kyle Busch knows only one way to do it and that is mash it to the floor. Kyle Busch has an average finish of 18.4 here in Daytona. Kyle Busch's average finish at track type - RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACK is 14.5. In 6 races, he has 2 wins and 3 top 10 finishes.
The odds for these drivers to win in Daytona currently at Bodog are:
#24 Jeff Gordon 7 to 1
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 to 1
#44 AJ Allmendinger 100 to 1
#2 Kurt Busch 12 to 1
#6 David Ragan 30 to 1
#18 Kyle Busch 6 to 1
Driver Handicaps: Daytona
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday's Coke Zero 400. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 160-lap event.
Who's HOT at Daytona
• Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with six wins, with three coming in the Coke Zero 400.
• Defending event winner Kyle Busch has finished fourth or better in three of his last four starts.
• Tony Stewart has 11 top 10s and led a combined 237 laps en route to consecutive Coke Zero 400 victories in 2005 and 2006.
• Clint Bowyer leads all drivers with a 11.1 average finish.
• Matt Kenseth's Daytona 500 win was his second consecutive top five.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished ninth or better in eight of his last 12 starts.
• Kurt Busch has the best average finish (5.3) with the COT at Daytona.
Keep an Eye on at Daytona
Restrictor-plate races can be a crapshoot, so anyone in the starting field could be considered in this category, but here are a few...
• Jimmie Johnson has the best average running position (11.0) over the past nine Daytona races.
• Along with Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman is the only other winner at Daytona with the new car.
• Carl Edwards scored his best restrictor-plate finish (second) in this event last year.
• Mark Martin leads all drivers with 37 top 10s on superspeedway restrictor-plate tracks.
• Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya won the two restrictor-plate poles in 2009.
Track Performers
Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in wins (12) and laps led (1,376) on restrictor-plate tracks. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second with seven wins and has the best average finish of 14.7 (including NHMS in 2000) among drivers with 11 or more starts. Brad Keselowski, who is entered in the No. 09 Chevrolet this weekend, is first in finishing average (1.0), thanks to his win at Talladega. Mark Martin is the leader in top 10s, with 37 at Talladega and Daytona. In 2008, Kyle Busch became the ninth driver to win back-to-back restrictor-plate races, with his wins in the Aaron's 499 and Coke Zero 400.
Qualifying Tidbits
The pole position has produced the most winners of any starting position at Daytona Int'l Speedway (23). Tony Stewart was the last driver to win from the pole, when he won the summer race in 2005. Eleven current pole winners are among the qualifying field for this weekend's race, including Jeff Gordon, who leads all active drivers with three poles at the track. Qualifying has only been cancelled once at Daytona due to weather - for this event in 2007.
RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kurt Busch
Pete Pistone: Tony Stewart
Rachael West: Carl Edwards
Kym Opalenik: Kyle Busch
Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings
1. Tony Stewart: Stewart's bid to join David Pearson as the only drivers to win three consecutive Coke Zero 400s, came up short in 2007 after he was involved in an accident with his teammate Denny Hamlin. His 38th-place finish in that event put a cap on a terrible season at Daytona after placing 43rd in the 500 when he took himself out. He bounced back in 2008 by putting himself in contention to win the Daytona 500, but wound up third after getting shuffled out of the draft from first on the last lap. His last two starts at the track have resulted in finishes of 20th (2008 Coke Zero 400) and eighth (2009 Daytona 500).
2. Jeff Gordon: Gordon is seeking his fourth win in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He led a presonal track best 72 laps at Daytona in his first 400 win. He followed up his last Coke Zero 400 win in 2004 with his third Daytona 500 win the next season. Overall, in 33 Daytona races, Gordon has six wins (most among active drivers), 17 top 10s and has led 571 laps. His fourth and last DNF at Daytona came in the 2008 Daytona 500.
3. Jimmie Johnson: Since winning the Daytona 500 in 2006, Johnson has posted an average finish of 27.0 at Daytona International Speedway. His 10th-place finish in the 2007 Coke Zero 400 was his eighth top 10 in 15 starts. His best finish in the 400 came in 2004 when he came home second to his teammate Jeff Gordon. This weekend, Johnson will debut chassis No. 547 in the Coke Zero 400.
4. Kurt Busch: Busch's best finish with Penske Racing at Daytona International Speedway came in the 2008 Daytona 500 when he took the checkered flag in second. It was his fifth top-10 finish in the last six races at DIS. He probably could have made it six in-a-row, but Busch was caught up in an accident with Tony Stewart after leading 95 laps in the 2007 Daytona 500. Busch's first 10 starts at DIS came with Roush Fenway Racing. His best finish in that span was a pair of seconds in the 2003 and 2005 Daytona 500. This weekend, Busch will return in the same car (chassis PSC-572) that finished fourth in last year's Coke Zero 400.
5. Carl Edwards: Edwards's only top 10s at Daytona International Speedway have come in the last two Coke Zero 400s. His second-place finish in this event last year helped lower his overall finishing average to 21.4 in nine starts. This weekend, Edwards will debut a brand new chassis (RK-650) in the Coke Zero 400.
6. Denny Hamlin: Since winning the Budweiser Shootout in 2006, Hamlin has yet to post a top-15 finish in seven career points paying races at Daytona International Speedway. Hamlin appeared to be on his way to his first top 10 in the 2008 Daytona 500 when he led 32 laps, but contact on pit road damaged the aerodynamics on the car relegating him to a 17th-place finish. Hamlin, however, started that weekend by posting another non-points win in the Gatorade Duel. This weekend, Hamlin will debut a new chassis (No. 244) in the Coke Zero 400.
7. Ryan Newman: Newman scored his first win in 26 restrictor-plate starts in last year's Daytona 500. The win was his third top 10 in 15 starts at Daytona. Newman's best finish in the 400-mile race was an 11th in 2006. His last two starts at Daytona International Speedway, including his first start with Stewart-Haas, have resulted in 36th-place finishes.
8. Kyle Busch: Busch's streak of three consecutive top fives at Daytona International Speedway came to an end in this year's Daytona 500 after a crash took him out of contention. Busch is the defending Coke Zero 400 race winner. Busch's win came after he was edged at the line by Jamie McMurray in the 2007 July race. In the past three Daytona races, Busch has combined to lead 205 laps.
9. Greg Biffle: Since winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in the 2003 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Biffle has gone on to post an average finish of 22.6. His sixth-place run in this event in 2007 is his best finish in the 12-race span.
10. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth is coming off his first win at Daytona International Speedway after winning the rain-shortened Daytona 500. Four of his eight top 10s at DIS have all come in the last consecutive Coke Zero 400s. The previous three Daytona 500s, Kenseth has had a top-10 car, but accidents not of his doing in each, took him out of contention. The victory in the Daytona 500 lowered his finishing average to 18.4 in 19 starts.
11. Mark Martin: Martin recorded his 17th top 10 in 48 starts at Daytona International Speedway in this event last year. This year's Daytona 500 was Martin's first start with Hendrick Motorsports. In that event, he scored the outside pole position and finished 16th. This weekend, Martin will pilot a new chassis (No. 548) in the Coke Zero 400.
12. Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya will be making his sixth start at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. The two-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner is looking for his first top-10 finish on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. His best finish at DIS was a 14th in this year's Daytona 500. This weekend, Montoya will pilot the same car (chassis No. 902) that won the pole at Talladega and finished 20th after an accident took him out of contention.
13. Kasey Kahne: Kahne's 29th-place finish in this year's Daytona 500 ended a streak of four consecutive top 10s at Daytona International Speedway. His pair of seventh-place finishes in the 2007 and 2008 Daytona 500s and 2008 Coke Zero 400 are his best in 11 career starts at the track. Prior to Kahne's string of top 10s, he posted an average finish of 23.3 in his first six starts.
14. David Reutimann: Reutimann has yet to finish in the top 10 at Daytona International Speedway. His best finish in five starts came in this year's Daytona 500 in 12th. This weekend, Reutimann will drive a new car (chassis No. 631) in the Coke Zero 400.
15. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer is coming off consecutive top-10 finishes at Daytona International Speedway. His fourth-place run in this year's Daytona 500 is his best finish, and fifth top 10, in seven starts. Bowyer's best finish in the Coke Zero 400 is a seventh in 2007. In the 2008 Daytona 500, Bowyer was leading with 17 laps to go when he was spun out by another competitor. As a result, Bowyer was left with a 24th-place finish. This weekend, Bowyer will be racing that same car (chassis No. 260) that he drove in this year's Daytona 500.
16. Jeff Burton: Burton's lone win in 31 career starts at Daytona International Speedway came in this event in 2000 with Roush Fenway Racing. In his nine starts at DIS with Richard Childress Racing, Burton has only finished in the top 10 once, a third-place finish in the 2007 Daytona 500. He also won the 2006 Daytona 500 pole with the team. His best finish with RCR in the Coke Zero 400 came in 2005 when he took the checkered flag in 11th. This weekend, Burton will return in the same car (chassis No. 217) that most recently finished 10th at Talladega after battling back from going three laps down to the leader after electrical issues forced the team to change an alternator.
17. Brian Vickers: Vickers has made four starts with Team Red Bull, posting an average finish of 22.8. His best finish, of 11th, came in last year's Coke Zero 400. Vickers' first six starts at DIS came with Hendrick Motorsports. He finished in the top 10 twice.
18. Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose made his Sprint Cup debut at Daytona International Speedway in this year's Daytona 500 where he started 23rd and finished 17th.
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Earnhardt Jr. will be making his 20th start at Daytona International Speedway, where he has two wins and 11 top 10s and an average finish of 14.3. His first Daytona victory came in the 2001 Coke Zero 400 after leading a career-best 116 laps at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Saturday's race will be Dale Jr's 39th superspeedway restrictor-plate race. His plate resume consists of 1,038 laps led, 22 top 10s and seven wins. This weekend will mark Earnhardt Jr's seventh plate race with Hendrick Motorsports. Last year in this event, Earnhardt finished eighth. His second-place finish at Talladega in the spring is his best plate finish with HMS. This weekend, Junior will return in the same car (chassis No. 478) that raced at Talladega.
20. Casey Mears: Mears has competed in 13 races at Daytona International Speedway and his two top 10s came in 2006 with Chip Ganassi Racing. In the season opener, Mears finished 15th in his Daytona debut with Richard Childress Racing. This weekend, Mears will pilot a new chassis (No. 242) in the Coke Zero 400.
Daytona Practice Notes
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
In 32 of the 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup series races, the practice and happy hour sessions prior to the race are pivotal and telling to who will do well on race day. Average lap times over a distance and finding out exactly what a team was trying to accomplish in those practices go a long way into sifting through the legitimate candidates to win.
The four races where the practice sessions should be looked at and treated with little fan fare to any equation in determining who should win the race are at Talladega and Daytona. The times mean very little and are heavily clouded from teams that were spending lots of time in and out of the draft. When cars are in the draft, their speeds are drastically higher than out of the draft. Usually, I like to post what I saw in the practices that could lead to finding some drivers to do well for either your fantasy team or betting, but this is one of those weeks where practice means little.
However, a few observations couldn’t hurt. I came into this week’s Coke Zero 400 feeling really good about the Roush Fords, the Dodges, the Chevy’s of Childress and DEI, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
A major shift in plate racing has occurred over the last two seasons where the only Chevy to win, after a seven year dominant stretch, was driven by Brad Keselowski for a single car team; no Team Hendrick, Childress, DEI, or Stewart/Haas. Since last years Daytona 500, we have seen every manufacturer win a plate race.
Even though Matt Kenseth doesn’t have his winning car from the Daytona 500 because it’s on display for a year at the Daytona Experience, he looks pretty fast in and out of the draft. The Roush Ford’s should all be fast Saturday night as Ford looks to get it’s first sweep of Daytona since 2000. If looking at the speed charts as a normal week, we’d be salivating over David Ragan and Jamie McMurray’s first practice times where they both finished in the top three. Casey Mears and Kevin Harvick switched teams a few weeks ago with Mears team responding a little better than Harvick’s, but both will excel Saturday night. For whatever it’s worth, Mears was second fastest in both practice sessions driving a new chassis. I bring up the new chassis, because Harvick had his best 2009 finish in the Daytona 500 with second place and if there might be one race to use the Harvick stuff, it would be this one.
Kyle Busch has had the best restrictor plate car on the track for the six plate races he’s run for Toyota. He only has two wins to show for it, but is easily the favorite to win this week.
Dale Jr led the most laps in this race last season and in the last plate race run at Talladega, Junior took second. Each and every sign out there points to Junior getting the win Saturday. I don’t choose him to win much, but the last time I had a feeling about Junior winning after a slump was in this race back in 2001.
First Practice: Top Five Speeds
1) #6-Ragan 190.714
2) #07-Mears 190.666
3) #26-McMurray 190.460
4) #20-Logano 190.166
5) #83-Vickers 189.398
Slowest: #64-Wallace 181.965 & #37-Raines 180.926
Happy Hour: Top Five Speeds
1) #00-Reutimann 192.135
2) #07-Mears 192.061
3) #29-Harvick 192.029
4) #83-Vikers 191.980
5) #42-Montoya 191.591
Slowest: #66-Blaney 183.760 & #64-Wallace 182.994
Notes: #77-Hornish and #16-Biffle were involved in Turn 2 late in the session. Both drivers will go to a backup car. The session started over an hour late after a rain shower move across the track.
Daytona qualifying rained out, Stewart awarded pole
Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Rain washed out Friday's qualifying session for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
A thundershower moved over the 2.5-mile track shortly before the start of qualifying. Track drying efforts could not be completed in time to fit the session in before Friday night's 250-mile Nationwide race at Daytona.
According to the rule book, the starting lineup for Saturday's 400-mile event will be set by owner points, which puts Tony Stewart on the pole for the second straight race. Last weekend, Stewart was awarded the pole at New Hampshire after qualifying was rained out there.
Stewart currently holds a 69-point lead over Jeff Gordon, who will start on the outside pole.
Jimmie Johnson will roll off third, followed by Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards.
Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth will start sixth through 10th, respectively.
Max Papis and Mike Wallace did not make the field.
Saturday's race is scheduled to start just after 8:00 p.m. (et).
Coke Zero 400 at Daytona - Preview and Predictions
By Smooth44
Tony Stewart was awarded the pole position for the 3rd time in 5 races, and 2nd in as many weeks, as the qualifying round was washed out by rain! Daytona International Speedway is the same track that kicks off the start of the season every February with the Daytona 500. However, what is different about this race is that it's 100 miles less in distance and it's a much warmer season making the track conditions more slick than in February! Also making the track more challenging is the time of the evening this race kicks off; drivers will have to contend with the changing conditions of the track as a result of a shift in temperatures as the sun goes down. And of course let's not forget the double-start rule NASCAR has been using the past few races. This new rule has made an exciting sport even more exciting. As we approach the midway point of the season the chase for the championship is heating up!
Today I like:
Clint Bowyer at 30-1: It is tough to ignore this price especially after Bowyer won the Nationwide Series last night. With the win Bowyer and RCR have momentum on their side so it's worth taking a stab at them today!
Matt Kennseth at 15-1: Kennseth won here in February but nothing has really gone right for him and Rousch Fenway since. Despite his recent struggles Kennseth is still one of the best drivers on the circuit. Kennseth is looking to become the first driver since 1982 to sweep the Daytona events so I am going take a shot with him today to right the ship.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 8-1: Dale was involved in a controversial crash here in February that dashed his hopes of winning the Daytona 500. One of the best ways to get revenge for such a controversial event is to win today so I will take my chances!
Coke Zero head-to-head betting picks
By NASCAR JACK
The forecast for Daytona tonight is as follows: temperature- hot, tires-hot, tempers- hot.
Hot tempers cause wrecks and we will see some of that tonight. But we hope it happens back among the no-chancers in what used to be called the Firecracker 400. World Sports Exchange has Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all as 7-1 favorites. In 124 Daytona races the winner has come from the top five starting positions 64 times.
Here are my matchup picks:
Tony Stewart (-120) vs Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-110)
Tony starts in first, Junior in 19th. Last night in the Nationwide Junior got knocked out on lap 59 continuing the Year Of Bad Luck but that short stint might help him prepare for this race. If Junior and Tony can hook up they will draft together for a while which causes problems for everyone else while helping each other into good positions. Towards the end it’s every man for himself. As skilled as they are, luck will play a role and Junior’s will change. Pick Earnhardt.
Kyle Busch (-125 vs Jeff Gordon (-105)
Kyle was second last night, won this race last year and was second the two previous years. You might say he and this track are going steady. But Jeff has won six times here which is more than any active driver. I like his patience over Wild Man’s temperament, so I take Gordon over Kyle.
Jimmie Johnson (-120) vs Kurt Busch (-110)
Jimmie and Daytona really don’t make a good match lately. Although his career FA is 15th here, it is 27th over the past six races. Kurt has run well in his last few races and was faster in both practices, so I am going with Kurt.
Denny Hamlin (-115) vs Carl Edwards (-115)
In his young career Denny has a poor report card at Daytona. Restrictor plate racing has not been kind to him. Carl has two Top 5 placings and looked good finishing third last night. Give the nod to Edwards.
Coke Zero 400 PostQ
Kyle Busch has been relatively quiet as of late recording just three top 10s in the last nine races with five of those finishes coming outside the top 20. He did get a top 10 finish last weekend at New Hampshire and is looking at building on that momentum at Daytona International Speedway this Saturday night where he ranks as our No.1 driver on the PostQ forecast. He jumps to the top of the PostQ in large part to his No. 2 rank in NASCAR’s Driver Rating category. It also doesn’t hurt that he is the defending race champion. Busch has run well at Daytona since the inception of the COT car (with the exception of this season’s Daytona 500). It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the #18 M&Ms Toyota in victory lane in the Coke Zero 400.
Another driver that could use a good run sits in the 3rd position on our PostQ forecast in Clint Bowyer. Bowyer moves up quite a bit after running very well in the practice sessions ranking 2nd quickest on our Speed chart. He also ranks in the top 10 in NASCAR’s Driver Rating category. He has a solid average finish in his career boasting an 11th place finish in seven starts. For how poorly the Richard Childress Racing drivers have been running as of late Bowyer has been a lone bright spot. He is just outside the top 12 and is lurking to make a third consecutive bid to compete in the Chase for the Championship. With just nine races remaining before the start of the Chase Bowyer needs a big run this weekend and looks poised to get his #33 Cheerios Chevrolet up front at Daytona.
Not that it should surprise anyone but Brad Keselowski did not retain the top spot on the PostQ forecast. He actually fell all the way out of the top 30 as he sits in the 31st position on the PostQ forecast. Keselowski will be making his first career start at Daytona and although he won at Talladega, the series’ other restrictor plate track, he has not looked as good this weekend. After qualifying getting rained out he will be starting at the tail end of the field in the 43rd position (he will move up a few spots with other drivers falling to the back of the field) but has not looked good in the practice sessions either ranking just 42nd on our Speed Chart. Of course with zero career starts at Daytona he also is dead last in NASCAR’s Driver Rating category. That all means that Keselowski drops out of the top 30 but that doesn’t mean he will finish there. It would not be much of a surprise to see him in the top 20 at the end of the day – just not in victory lane.
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