- HMS teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin will start at the front of this year's Great American Race. Having a good starting position means there is less likelihood they will get caught in The Big One early.
- The other HMS drivers look stout. Jimmie Johnson won Race 1 of the Twin 150s and was in contention in the Bud Shootout. Jeff Gordon was also in contention in the Shootout.
- Keep an eye on the Fords, particularly Kasey Kahne. Kahne won Race 2 of the Twin 150s and appears poised to win his first Daytona 500.
- While the RCR cars struggled in qualifying, they have been stout ever since. Kevin Harvick won the Shootout and narrowly got nipped by Johnson in Race 1. Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton also look strong.
- Thinking of you: Richard Petty.
- Weather could be a factor come Sunday. Rain is in the forecast for Friday, and chilly, partly cloudy weather is in the forecast for race day, with temperatures in the low 50s at the drop of the green flag, with a high of 58 at some point in the race.
- Also keep an eye out for Kyle Busch, who's been stout throughout Speedweeks. IF he exhibits patience, something he's not well-known for, he may be in Victory Lane.
- If the racing in the Twin 150s is any indication, the 500 should be a VERY exciting race.
Predicted Race Winner: Kevin Harvick. Happy breaks his LONG winless streak by edging Jimmie Johnson at the line to win his second Daytona 500. Happy's been stout, and since Atlanta last year, he's been one of the best drivers, despite not having a points win to show for it.
Surprise Top Ten: Brad Keselowski. He is a surprise in the sense this is his first Daytona 500. He has taken to restrictor plate tracks like a fish to water. With a few breaks, he could finish in the top 5.
10 comments:
An approaching winter storm will track along the Gulf Coast, spreading light to moderate snow across much of north and central Georgia on Friday. I bet Daytona gets some of that cold air!
Bev, it's supposed to dip below freezing the night before the race. Look for several drivers to blow engines in the last 50 miles of the race. The cold creates more horsepower, and more horsepower over a longer period of time puts greater stress on the engine.
Excellent G&G, Jon.
I'm calling it here....Keselowski WILL start the big one (and probably still get that top-10).
Gene, thanks. Wouldn't it be funny if Kes started that Big One and took out Hamlin in the process? He would tap a driver, then the driver hits the wall, careens across the track and takes out about a dozen drivers. Meanwhile, Keselowski drives by harmlessly.
it can't rain tomorrow night or the truck race will be postphoned :(
as much as I didn't like him around this time last year for taking out my man at Texas, Mr E. Sadler might be a rather good dark horse here....
sorry, it was Las Vegas, not Texas....apologies to Sadler and Ambrose for muddling it up, lol
Tez, hopefully the rain will stop well before the scheduled start of the race. Better yet, the rain doesn't come!
Nice G&G Jon. Not too sure about the Harvick pick; just remember the stat about how rare it is for the shootout winner to go and win the Daytona 500...
Bad weather better not affect the outcome for the second year in a row. Hopefully, the earlier start time will help prevent that...
Ah the Daytona G&G...season is finally started now!
A lot of back up cars starting the 500 it seems. Racing in the Duels was excellent and I only hope it remains so in the 500.
Penske Dodges were impressive and I think Kurt has something for the field this time and I would also look for Cupcake and Mr. Juanderful to perhaps do something exciting together...
Should be fun!
Gonger, thanks. Good insight re the Shootout winner not winning the 500. The last time that happened was in 1997, when Jeff Gordon accomplished the feat. I was reading the weather report for Daytona and the rain was supposed to clear out later today.
Kristen, the Penske Dodges looked strong in the 150s and in the Shootout. If Kurt doesn't get punted, he could well be a factor. (But don't worry, because he has the Polish Pummeler, Keselowski, as his enforcer in the event Hamlin takes him out.) I thought of Jamie Cupcake as a dark horse, especially if he and JPM work together. I think it's going to come down to handling and tire wear; more specifically who has the least amount of tire wear on long runs.
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