CONTENDERS and PRETENDERS: A look at the favorites, sleepers and longshots for the Daytona 500
Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart are two of the favorites to win the Daytona 500 after their 1-2 finish in the second Gatorade Duel Thursday. // Jeff Robinson, NASCAR Illustrated
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Gatorade Duel 150s Thursday were the best indications yet of who will run well in Sunday’s Daytona 500, separating the contenders from the pretenders.
Based on Thursday’s races, here’s a look at the favorites and the sleepers for Sunday’s race, and a look at who still has a lot of work to do before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opening event.
THE FAVORITES
Jimmie Johnson – Winning a Gatorade Duel was a huge confidence boost, and proves once again that he has the best team in NASCAR. “I hope this says we can win the Daytona 500, and to take us seriously.”
Kasey Kahne – He beat Tony Stewart for his first win in a restrictor-plate race. That speaks volumes. “I feel like we still have a few things we can do to make our car better. I’m excited for the race on Sunday.”
Tony Stewart – He didn’t have his best stuff Thursday and hung around the back for a while, but, like always, he was there at the end. “We’ve still got a little bit of work to do.”
Kevin Harvick – Backed up his Budweiser Shootout win by almost winning one of the Duels. He will challenge for his second Daytona 500 victory. “I didn’t start off that great but [crew chief] Gil [Martin] and the guys made some good adjustments and we were right in the hunt again.”
Kyle Busch – Led just two laps Thursday, but he was at the front all day. He missed chances to win the 500 the last two years. He will get another chance Sunday. “Our car was really good. I thought it was a lot better than everybody else’s, just by the way the cars were driving out there.”
Kurt Busch – Led 22 laps on Thursday and finished fourth. Pushed Ryan Newman to victory in 2008; could be there again. “I felt like we had a car capable of winning the race today. I’m really excited about this car’s potential.”
SLEEPERS
Greg Biffle – The Roush cars were strong Thursday. Biffle led 16 laps, outrunning Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon for awhile. He could be a factor. “I’m real happy. The car drove well.”
Juan Pablo Montoya – He led three laps and went from the back to the front before nearly pushing Stewart to victory.
Matt Kenseth – Led seven laps and proved he can stay at the front. “Everything was pretty good. You really just have to keep working on your handling.”
Ryan Newman – He won the 500 in 2008, so he knows how to work the draft. He was in the mix often on Thursday.
Mark Martin – Though he faded and finished 21st Thursday, Martin led 28 laps and starts on the pole. He has a fast car and should be in the mix at the end. “Our car handled good. It is fast.”
Brian Vickers – One of his two Cup wins came at Talladega. He was running at the front until slapping the wall Thursday.
COULD SURPRISE
Brad Keselowski – Last year’s Talladega winner led 15 laps on Thursday and proved he can mix it up in the draft. “I think we have a great idea on what we have to work on. We led some laps and ran up front and learned a lot.”
Sam Hornish Jr. – The Penske Dodges are fast, and Hornish ran in the top five before encountering a late problem. “The car was pretty good and we could put it pretty much where we wanted to.”
Elliott Sadler – He nearly won this race last year; finished fifth on Thursday. “I feel great. The car drove really good. I feel like we’ve got a pretty good piece for Sunday.”
Jamie McMurray – Backed up his third-place run in Budweiser Shootout with sixth-place finish Thursday. The top drivers have been talking about him all week. “Our car was OK. It wasn’t quite as good as the car we had in the Shootout. We certainly have a little bit more work to do.”
AJ Allmendinger – Finished third last year and was wicked fast on Thursday. Ran second before he slid through his pits, and then fought his way back to the front. “The car was really fast. The driver did a pretty decent job on the race track, but not very good in the pits.”
David Ragan – Pushed Biffle to the front and ran in the top five most of the race. He’s finished up front here before. “I think we’ll have a real nice race car on Sunday. “
HAS WORK TO DO
Jeff Gordon – Was fast, but lost the handle on his car and faded. Must go to a backup after getting caught up in Michael Waltrip wreck. “I was very pleased. We made some big gains. … Unfortunately, we tore the car up.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Led five laps, but faded after his car was damaged in a brief skirmish. Can’t seem to get his car to handle. “Hopefully we get plenty of practice and we can really work on the front end.”
Denny Hamlin – Ran mid-pack on Thursday and couldn’t seem to stay in the lead draft.
Jeff Burton – Fought a tight condition on Thursday, then blew a tire and crashed. Feels good about his car, but has some work to do. “I really believe we’re right on the edge of where we need to be.”
Carl Edwards – Got to the front Thursday, but couldn’t stay there. “I learned a lot, and that was good,” he said.
