Mind of Montgomery
A NASCAR BLOG BY Lee Montgomery
Wix Filters Pick 3 Stock Car Fantasy Racing picks: Coke Zero 400
NASCAR holds Sprint Cup Series restrictor-plate races at two tracks, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The Coke Zero 400 is at Daytona this weekend, and even though it’s similar in size and shape, Daytona is nothing like Talladega.
So when picking your drivers, lean a little more on results from Daytona. Because Daytona’s asphalt is older than Talladega’s and because Daytona is a little shorter than Talladega, Daytona becomes a handling track.
And teams that get it right at Daytona often stay right at Daytona. So, yes, history can tell the story of the future at the 2.5-mile track.
Tier 1
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch may be the best current driver yet to win a restrictor-plate race, though that distinction could end this weekend. Busch not only has scored the most points in the last three Daytona races – the three with the new-model Cup car – but he has also scored the most points in the last five. He’s a solid plate racer, having finished fourth or better in four of the last six Daytona races. Busch is clearly due at Daytona.
Tier 2
Kevin Harvick
OK, so Richard Childress is having a down year, but Harvick always seems to be up front at the end of races at Daytona. He was second in this year’s Daytona 500 and is third behind Busch and Tony Stewart for the most points in the three Daytona races with the new car. He should be able to wheel it up front again.
Tier 3
Elliott Sadler
Like Busch, Sadler is another terrific plate racer who hasn’t won at Daytona or Talladega. He was a few seconds away from winning the 500 in February – when a caution flag waved moments after he lost the lead to Matt Kenseth – and has finished sixth or better in five of the last seven Daytona races. Another good pick would be teammate Reed Sorenson, who has two top-10s in the three Daytona races with the new car.
Lee Montgomery
Lee Montgomery started covering NASCAR in 1989 and has been at NASCAR Scene since January 2005, covering what is now called the Nationwide Series.
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