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Daytona 500 Driver Rankings - Daytona International SpeedwayTrack Info:
Length: 2.500 miles
Shape: Tri-Oval
Type: Superspeedway
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
The Bud Shootout was won by Kevin Harvick Saturday night, starting Speed weeks off with a bang and giving fans a sneak peak at the strength of the Chevrolets on the restrictor plate tracks. There were several Chevy's that looked much stronger than Harvick all night, but he was there at the end when it counted. As always, the finishing order reminded us of why they run the race. Drivers that did not deserve a spot in the event under the old format (Robby Gordon, Paul Menard, and David Stremme) caused wrecks that took out some of the top contenders. On the plate tracks, all you can do is pick the strongest drivers and realize that even if they wreck they gave you a better chance at a win or a top 5 than some of the shocking finishers in the top 10 at the end of the day. Many variables are used by fantasy players to determine which drivers to play this weekend. I'll rank the criteria I am using, with the most important variable ranked first. 1. Strength shown during the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night and during the Twin 150 Qualifying races (which will be occurring Thursday). Drivers that did not get a chance to compete in the Shootout are at a disadvantage with the current mandate banning testing. However, the Twin 150's will mark the first time the drivers will be piloting their 500 cars and will give better insight into which drivers will have the most horsepower. Keep an eye on tire wear. Anybody on fresh tires during the Shootout had a distinct advantage. Tire wear during the 500 should be an even bigger issue, because the track should be a little warmer and the teams will have to deal with starting the race under the sun and finishing under the lights. The track will tighten up later on, but in order to stay with the lead pack and avoid the big wrecks, the crews will have their hands full trying to build flexibility into their cars. 2. Overall performance on restrictor plate tracks in 2008. With no testing during the winter months, the data accumulated from the last couple of plate races is important, as is any successful research and development over the past couple months (like Ford's new motor). 3. Overall plate performance since the fall of 2000 when the current aero package was introduced, creating the "43 car packs." Kyle Busch, #18 M&M's, Joe Gibbs Racing [Yahoo Class A]Busch dominated at Daytona last February, as he led 86 laps and finished 4th. He won at Talladega in the spring and at Daytona in July, and will be eager to show that his second half disappearing act was a fluke. The Gibbs teams looked competitive in the Shootout, but we know he doesn't need the best car to win. Tony Stewart, #14 Office Depot/Old Spice, Stewart-Haas Motorsports [Yahoo Class B]This is a fantasy Nascar column, and I'm supposed to give you solid facts so you can make the best choices possible based on the available data. I would never rank a new team this high, nobody should. There is an exception to every rule, and Tony Stewart (of Stewart-Haas Motorsports) driving Hendrick equipment is it. He finished 3rd in the debut run on Saturday night, and Stewart would love to get the win he thought he deserved in the 500 last season this year. He was 3rd in last season's 500 and the winner at Talladega in the fall. Lock him in, he's in the CLASS B GROUP! Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #88 Mountain Dew Amp Energy, Hendrick Motorsports [Yahoo Class B]Restrictor plate races during the regular season have not been the showcase events for Earnhardt they were for several years in the early part of the decade. He has 4 top 10's in his last 7 plate starts, but has led double digit laps in his last 5 starts. Take out an engine failure at Talladega and a couple crashes and he may have a win in there as well. Saturday night, Jr. looked very strong early and led often before he was involved in a crash by Paul Menard, who lost control of his car coming out of turn 4. Like Stewart, he is in the class B group; lock him in on your roster this weekend. Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont, Hendrick Motorsports [Yahoo Class A]Gordon had a dismal 2008 season at both Daytona and Talladega, although he ran better than he finished. He led 46 laps at Daytona last July, and had two plate wins in 2007. His car looked solid in the Shootout, but he was better pushing other cars to the front than he was staying there. He should still be a factor at the end on Sunday. Kevin Harvick, #29 Shell/Penzoil, Richard Childress Racing [Yahoo Class A]Harvick may be a shocking inclusion in the top 5, but he has a Daytona 500 victory and Bud Shootout win from Saturday night on his resume. He won the Shootout much as he did the 500 a couple of years ago. Nobody heard from him throughout the race, and with a couple of laps to go he was suddenly in the fight. Harvick has scored more points at Daytona and Talladega over the past 10 races than anyone except Kurt and Kyle Busch, but he hasn't finished in the top 10 since the spring 2007 race at Talladega. Regardless, I think he will be a valuable class A choice this weekend. Clint Bowyer, #33 General Mills, Richard Childress Racing [Yahoo Class A]Bowyer scored top 10's in the last 3 plate races last season. He was 9th at Talladega and Daytona, and 5th at Talladega in the fall. He also led 4 laps in the Daytona 500, but had a run in with Montoya at the end of the race. He should be a strong selection, even in that class A group this weekend after the owner points transaction between Richard Childress and Bobby Ginn guaranteed him a starting place. Jamie McMurray, #26 Crown Royal, Roush Racing [Yahoo Class B]This could possibly be another one of those picks where everyone just collectively scratches their head. Look back at the race Saturday night, anytime there was a battle for the lead, it seemed like the #26 car was involved somewhere. Nobody other than the combination of Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson finished 2008 hotter, and McMurray had a win at Daytona in the summer of 2007. He is an interesting class B choice this weekend. Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite, Penske Racing South [Yahoo Class B]Busch has scored more points over the past 10 plate races than everyone but his little brother. Over that stretch, he has 7 top 10's. One of those other three races was the 2007 Daytona 500. Busch led 95 laps and he and Tony Stewart were obviously in a league of their own. They crashed racing for the lead. He pushed Ryan Newman to the win last season; maybe he can get one of his own this weekend. Much like Stewart and Earnhardt, Busch should be on your class B roster. That leaves one spot to play with. Jimmie Johnson, #48 Lowe's, Hendrick Motorsports [Yahoo Class A]The first half of the season isn't usually where the three time champion wastes his time. Such trivial races that are not part of the Chase aren't really his game. Seriously, Johnson will be a factor this weekend. He and his teammates all looked fast on Saturday night, and if he can avoid the scrapes with other cars that he could not avoid during the Shootout, he should have a shot at the win. David Ragan, #6 UPS, Roush Racing [Yahoo Class B]Ragan is my sleeper pick in the class B group this weekend. He only had one finish last year outside of the top 5 on a plate track: a 42nd after a crash in the Daytona 500. He is a prime candidate to fill out your class B roster. He also scored a top 5 in the 2007 Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth, #17 DeWalt, Roush Racing [Yahoo Class A]Kenseth is a guy who is always on the outskirts of the drivers you should actually have on your roster at Daytona and Talladega. If you go back to Saturday night, he once again was fast enough to run with the leaders and move people into the lead, but never showed that type of muscle himself. He is capable of a top 10 and even a top 5, but doesn't lead enough laps to give himself a shot at the win. Ryan Newman, #39 US Army, Stewart-Haas Motorsports [Yahoo Class B]Newman would be ranked higher coming back to the site of his win last year in the 500, but he did not qualify for the Shootout under the new format and thus missed out on a test session that a dozen other top contenders took part in. Newman is typically strong on the plate tracks, and has scored top 10's in 2 of his last 3 starts at Talladega as well.
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