Race action under the lights at the Daytona International Speedway. [credit Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
It’s the halfway mark of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, as the teams head back to the beach for the Coke Zero 400 at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night under the lights.
Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola Daytona International Speedway 400 miles (160 laps) Saturday, July 5 7:30pm ET TNT, 6:30pm ET MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90 The Coke Zero 400 is the third of four restrictor plate races on the schedule which means the outcome is virtually unpredictable with every team entered having a legitimate shot to win.
While it’s anybody’s guess who will be in victory lane Saturday night, here are some drivers we feel you should watch as the race unfolds…
Denny Hamlin
Dan Margetta: Denny Hamlin has proven to be the top restrictor plate racer so far this season, having won the last “plate” race at Talladega. Before that he won the Shootout at Daytona to open the season as well as a Daytona qualifying race, and then went on to finish second in the Daytona 500. Hamlin has been kind of quiet lately but this team should make some noise this week with the return to a restrictor plate track. He’s listed at 12-1 odds this week but three wins and a second place finish in four restrictor plate events in 2014, make him a strong favorite for the Coke Zero 400 Saturday night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr
John Wiedemann: Always a favorite at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr comes back to Daytona after winning the Daytona 500 in February to kick off one of his most successful seasons in quite a while. At 10-1 odds, Junior is also the favorite of the bookmakers. Bobby Allison, Fireball Roberts, LeeRoy and Cale Yarborough and Jimmie Johnson are names of drivers that have swept Daytona in a season. I predict that Dale Earnhardt Jr will add his name to the list of those greats with a win Saturday night on the high banks of Daytona.
Greg Biffle
DM: This could be Greg Biffle’s best shot to secure his place in the Chase as he’s driving the same car at Daytona that led the most laps at Talladega before finishing second. Earlier, he finished 8th in the Daytona 500 after racing with the leaders for most of the event. He opened at 20-1 odds but Biffle is a strong “plate” racer and time is running out to qualify for this year’s chase which means chances may have to be taken to get in. Biffle is a driver who can take those chances and still maintain car control and he will be gunning for his first victory of the season. He should be in the running for that victory at Daytona on Saturday night.
Tony Stewart
JW: Tony Stewart is arguably at the top of favorites this weekend for drivers yet to win this season. Stewart-Haas Racing has produced fast cars for all four of its drivers this season week in and week out. Also week in and week out the SHR drivers seem to find some misfortune along the way and Daytona is a track where misfortune is always present. In the Daytona 500 this year, Stewart was knocked out of contention with a fuel pump issue. At 15-1 odds this weekend, Stewart has never won the Daytona 500 but he has four victories in the Coke Zero 400 and has finished in the top two in the last two summer Daytona races. Stewart is currently out of the Chase but Daytona just might be the track to fire up a summer of Stewart and vault him right into the thick of the Chase lineup.
Brad Keselowski
DM: Brad Keselowski and the #2 team have really hit their stride in the last few weeks and are in championship form at the moment. Keselowski has had top three finishes in four out of the last five races which includes last week’s dominating win at Kentucky. The only non-top three result came at the road course at Sonoma and this week, Keselowski is back at a restrictor plate track, where he has had some success. He has two Talladega wins to his credit and he finished a strong third in this year’s Daytona 500. Keselowski cut his hand celebrating the Kentucky victory and will drive bandaged up on Saturday night. Anyone remember how he did the last time he drove injured? He just went out and won the race on a broken ankle. Keselowski‘s odds are at 12-1 this week and can’t be counted out for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
Ryan Newman
JW: Ryan Newman has 30-1 odds this weekend and there are several reasons why that may be a good bet. A winner of the 2008 Daytona 500, Newman has top ten finishes in three of the last four Daytona races. The power is there for him as well, teammate Austin Dillon scored the pole for the Daytona 500 and Newman qualified 6th at Talladega. With his best finish of the season coming last weekend with a third place run at Kentucky, Newman could get on a roll and climb even higher than his current spot of eighth in the standings. Newman is second behind Kenseth in the points for drivers that don’t have a win yet this season. Ten of the sixteen Chase berths are claimed by winners with nine races left till the cutoff. Newman is in for now but far from safe.
Matt Kenseth
DM: Matt Kenseth and the #20 bunch are probably the best team at the moment without a victory in 2014. Again, they should be strong this week at Daytona where earlier this year, Kenseth won a qualifying race and finished 6th in the Daytona 500. He ran strong at Talladega as well until being caught up in an accident. I feel if this team wants to be considered as a strong title contender, they need to score a win before the Chase and once again, the tools are there to make it happen. Kenseth is listed at 12-1 odds this week and he does have the plate track prowess to stay out of trouble and be there at the end. Top five and top ten finishes are nothing to scoff at, but this year is all about winning baby…and it’s time for Matt Kenseth and the #20 team to join the club.
Kasey Kahne
JW: Kasey Kahne went from the front to the back in the Daytona 500 after getting caught in a wreck. Then at Talladega he went from the back to the front and finished eighth. Such is the up and down rollercoaster of restrictor plate racing. Such is the up and down rollercoaster of Kahne’s season. Currently on the upswing, Kahne has three straight top eight finishes after finishing 42nd at Pocono. So, will Kahne continue the upswing this weekend? He has Hendrick power and technology which should get him to the front, but such is Daytona – you will need to watch to find out.
Danica Patrick
DM: Listed as a 50-1 long shot this week, Danica Patrick actually has better odds than normal heading into Daytona. If the long awaited and anticipated first victory is to occur, it most likely will come at a restrictor plate track like Daytona. The team is pulling out an older chassis to use Saturday night as Danica will drive the same car that she won the pole position with at Daytona in 2013 and finished a strong 8th. What some people seem to forget though is that she entered the white flag lap in third that year with a shot at the win, and with more drafting experience this year, a surprise Daytona Independence Day weekend win is not out of the question.
Martin Truex Jr.
JW: Martin Truex Jr. got the short end of the stick when he lost his sponsor and was shuffled out of Michael Waltrip Racing following the shenanigans at Richmond prior to the Chase last season. A feel good story started when he qualified for the front row of the 2014 Daytona 500 for his new team, Furniture Row Racing. When Truex wrecked in the Duel race, the story turned and became a nightmare when he lost an engine early in the Daytona 500 and finished last. Since that race, what looked to be a nice continuation of the success of the teams 2013 season has only resulted in three top ten finishes. Returning to Daytona could be what the team needs to hit the reset button and start over for the second half of the season.