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The NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for Sunday's Daytona 500. The event is the first of two Cup races there this season.
Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner.
Who Will Win?
Tony Stewart Stewart Tony Stewart: Only two major races have eluded Tony Stewart's grasp in his career. One he can't do much about right now (the Indianapolis 500). The other, he can – and will – do something about on Sunday when he not only earns his first career Daytona 500 victory, but also becomes the first driver to put Toyota into victory lane in a Sprint Cup event. – Jerry Bonkowski
• It will come down to Smoke and Dale Earnhardt Jr., but in a reverse of the Bud Shootout, Stewart will take the checkered flag and Earnhardt Jr. will take second. Junior needed help to win the Shootout, something Stewart didn't have. He will in the 500. – Jay Hart
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie Johnson will win his second Daytona 500 on Sunday. Johnson enters his seventh full season surrounded by the same familiar faces that helped carry him to 10 wins and a second consecutive NASCAR title last year. He finished third in the Bud Shootout in a backup car, which wasn't nearly as fast as the one he will start this Daytona 500 in from the pole. – Ricky Craven
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This is an easy pick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Bud Shootout was no fluke. The sport's best restrictor plate driver will be the first to take the checkered flag in the 50th edition of the Daytona 500. – Bob Margolis
Craven's Keys to Victory
Craven Craven 1. Turn, baby, turn: Handling will play a big role in who wins this year's Daytona 500. This is the second restrictor plate race for the Car of Tomorrow, but the first at Daytona, where a car's handling outweighs the importance of a car's straight-line speed. A fast car in qualifying does little good if the driver has to lift off the accelerator 20 laps into each fuel run. The car and driver most capable of running wide open laps on older tires will separate himself from the rest of the field at Daytona..
2. Don't be the pits: There are more ways to lose races than there are to win them, and pit road is one of them. A miscue on pit road looms large in the biggest race of the year. The greatest challenge for drivers comes during green-flag stops. It is very difficult to bring a car from roughly 190 mph down to pit-road speed from the exit of Turn 4 to the entry of pit lane. The hard tires complicate matters as they offer little stopping power and easily lock and slide, forcing the driver off the brakes and potentially exceeding the pit road speed limit. Some drivers must also navigate their way to an early pit stall. It is a tremendous advantage for the driver to pit three-quarters down pit road. It allows the driver to focus on a perfect deceleration to pit road, with minimal distraction of having to immediately locate an early pit stall, especially when there is congestion.
3. Lead by example: Leading laps or battling among the leaders throughout the race helps legitimize your chances of winning. Having the presence toward the front of the pack allows you to position yourself with other fast cars and determine which ones you draft well with. That could help push you to victory late in the race. Being aggressive enough to lead laps during the race qualifies you as having a fast car – a car other drivers are more likely to draft with late. Balancing that aggression is also key. Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch made the case for having the best chance of winning the 2007 Daytona 500, but neither finished the race, mostly because they raced each other too hard when it didn't matter.
Top Storyline
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr. • Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. bring closure to a storybook debut for Hendrick Motorsports by winning the Bud Shootout and the Daytona 500? To me, Dale Jr. has never appeared happier or more relaxed than he has been in the weeks leading up to this season. His Bud Shootout performance showed his level of focus and comfort with his new team. – Ricky Craven
• Dale Jr., of course.– Jay Hart
• This is the 50th anniversary Daytona 500. Not only is it a significant milestone, all the elements are in place for the event to go down in history as one of the most exciting races ever. This is the first time the new car has raced at Daytona; Dale Earnhardt Jr. is looking to back up his win in the Budweiser Shootout with a second 500 triumph; Jimmie Johnson is looking to pick up where he left off; Michael Waltrip is hoping to pull out another big surprise like he did in qualifying; and Joe Gibbs Racing is seeking to upend Hendrick Motorsports' dominance. That's just for starters.– Jerry Bonkowski
• The 50th edition of the Great American Race will be one of the most memorable in years with record-setting numbers of passes for the lead, a couple of "big ones" that will see the race finish with less than half a field and a race-winning finish that will feature the use of the slingshot move for the winner. – Bob Margolis
Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner.
Who Will Win?
Tony Stewart Stewart Tony Stewart: Only two major races have eluded Tony Stewart's grasp in his career. One he can't do much about right now (the Indianapolis 500). The other, he can – and will – do something about on Sunday when he not only earns his first career Daytona 500 victory, but also becomes the first driver to put Toyota into victory lane in a Sprint Cup event. – Jerry Bonkowski
• It will come down to Smoke and Dale Earnhardt Jr., but in a reverse of the Bud Shootout, Stewart will take the checkered flag and Earnhardt Jr. will take second. Junior needed help to win the Shootout, something Stewart didn't have. He will in the 500. – Jay Hart
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie Johnson will win his second Daytona 500 on Sunday. Johnson enters his seventh full season surrounded by the same familiar faces that helped carry him to 10 wins and a second consecutive NASCAR title last year. He finished third in the Bud Shootout in a backup car, which wasn't nearly as fast as the one he will start this Daytona 500 in from the pole. – Ricky Craven
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This is an easy pick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Bud Shootout was no fluke. The sport's best restrictor plate driver will be the first to take the checkered flag in the 50th edition of the Daytona 500. – Bob Margolis
Craven's Keys to Victory
Craven Craven 1. Turn, baby, turn: Handling will play a big role in who wins this year's Daytona 500. This is the second restrictor plate race for the Car of Tomorrow, but the first at Daytona, where a car's handling outweighs the importance of a car's straight-line speed. A fast car in qualifying does little good if the driver has to lift off the accelerator 20 laps into each fuel run. The car and driver most capable of running wide open laps on older tires will separate himself from the rest of the field at Daytona..
2. Don't be the pits: There are more ways to lose races than there are to win them, and pit road is one of them. A miscue on pit road looms large in the biggest race of the year. The greatest challenge for drivers comes during green-flag stops. It is very difficult to bring a car from roughly 190 mph down to pit-road speed from the exit of Turn 4 to the entry of pit lane. The hard tires complicate matters as they offer little stopping power and easily lock and slide, forcing the driver off the brakes and potentially exceeding the pit road speed limit. Some drivers must also navigate their way to an early pit stall. It is a tremendous advantage for the driver to pit three-quarters down pit road. It allows the driver to focus on a perfect deceleration to pit road, with minimal distraction of having to immediately locate an early pit stall, especially when there is congestion.
3. Lead by example: Leading laps or battling among the leaders throughout the race helps legitimize your chances of winning. Having the presence toward the front of the pack allows you to position yourself with other fast cars and determine which ones you draft well with. That could help push you to victory late in the race. Being aggressive enough to lead laps during the race qualifies you as having a fast car – a car other drivers are more likely to draft with late. Balancing that aggression is also key. Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch made the case for having the best chance of winning the 2007 Daytona 500, but neither finished the race, mostly because they raced each other too hard when it didn't matter.
Top Storyline
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr. • Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. bring closure to a storybook debut for Hendrick Motorsports by winning the Bud Shootout and the Daytona 500? To me, Dale Jr. has never appeared happier or more relaxed than he has been in the weeks leading up to this season. His Bud Shootout performance showed his level of focus and comfort with his new team. – Ricky Craven
• Dale Jr., of course.– Jay Hart
• This is the 50th anniversary Daytona 500. Not only is it a significant milestone, all the elements are in place for the event to go down in history as one of the most exciting races ever. This is the first time the new car has raced at Daytona; Dale Earnhardt Jr. is looking to back up his win in the Budweiser Shootout with a second 500 triumph; Jimmie Johnson is looking to pick up where he left off; Michael Waltrip is hoping to pull out another big surprise like he did in qualifying; and Joe Gibbs Racing is seeking to upend Hendrick Motorsports' dominance. That's just for starters.– Jerry Bonkowski
• The 50th edition of the Great American Race will be one of the most memorable in years with record-setting numbers of passes for the lead, a couple of "big ones" that will see the race finish with less than half a field and a race-winning finish that will feature the use of the slingshot move for the winner. – Bob Margolis
