NASCAR Weekly Preview: Daytona 500
This weekend we head to Daytona for the Daytona 500. The race is Sunday at 2pm EST on FOX. I decided to move the weekly preview article from my fantasy NASCAR package this season. I hope it helps everyone get started on their fantasy NASCAR research.
We were live at NASCAR Media Day on Wednesday and asked the top drivers how they would pick to win the Daytona 500.
Track Preview
Daytona International Speedway
2.5-mile tri-oval
- 500 miles
- 200 laps
- Surface – Asphalt
- Banking:
Turns: 31°
Tri-oval: 18°
Back straightaway: 2°
Comparable Restrictor Plate Tracks
Talladega
Stats from 2005-Present
Top 5 Driver Rating
Kyle Busch – 95.9
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 94.1
Denny Hamlin -91
Kurt Busch – 89.9
Matt Kenseth – 88.5
Top 5 Average Running Position
Kyle Busch – 12.817
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 13.851
Denny Hamlin – 14.341
Jimmie Johnson – 14.385
Kurt Busch – 15.476
Top 5 Average Finish
Austin Dillon – 11.7
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 13.8
Clint Bowyer – 15.7
Kurt Busch – 15.8
Kevin Harvick – 16.5
Top 5 Fastest on Restarts
- Average speed of first two laps under green.
1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr – 177.282
2 10 Danica Patrick – 175.991
3 13 Ty Dillon – 175.953
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 175.675
5 37 Chris Buescher – 175.137
July 2016 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 5 | 1 | 4 | #2 |
| Kyle Busch | 3 | 2 | 1 | #18 |
| Trevor Bayne | 13 | 3 | 10 | #6 |
| Joey Logano | 11 | 4 | 7 | #22 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 4 | 5 | -1 | #17 |
| Kyle Larson | 17 | 6 | 11 | #42 |
| Austin Dillon | 6 | 7 | -1 | #3 |
| Greg Biffle | 1 | 8 | -7 | #16 |
| Clint Bowyer | 31 | 9 | 22 | #15 |
| Michael McDowell | 37 | 10 | 27 | #95 |
| Cole Whitt | 35 | 11 | 24 | #98 |
| Casey Mears | 20 | 12 | 8 | #13 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 26 | 13 | 13 | #47 |
| Ryan Blaney | 12 | 14 | -2 | #21 |
| Aric Almirola | 14 | 15 | -1 | #43 |
| David Ragan | 38 | 16 | 22 | #23 |
| Denny Hamlin | 9 | 17 | -8 | #11 |
| Ryan Newman | 23 | 18 | 5 | #31 |
| David Gilliland | 28 | 19 | 9 | #35 |
| Michael Annett | 33 | 20 | 13 | #46 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 16 | 21 | -5 | #88 |
| Reed Sorenson | 39 | 22 | 17 | #55 |
| Kurt Busch | 10 | 23 | -13 | #41 |
| Bobby Labonte | 32 | 24 | 8 | #32 |
| Carl Edwards | 2 | 25 | -23 | #19 |
| Tony Stewart | 19 | 26 | -7 | #14 |
| Danica Patrick | 22 | 27 | -5 | #10 |
| Matt Kenseth | 7 | 28 | -21 | #20 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 15 | 29 | -14 | #78 |
| Kasey Kahne | 18 | 30 | -12 | #5 |
| Landon Cassill | 34 | 31 | 3 | #38 |
| Chase Elliott | 24 | 32 | -8 | #24 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 36 | 33 | 3 | #83 |
| Jamie McMurray | 29 | 34 | -5 | #1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 8 | 35 | -27 | #48 |
| Paul Menard | 27 | 36 | -9 | #27 |
| Brian Scott | 30 | 37 | -7 | #44 |
| Regan Smith | 40 | 38 | 2 | #7 |
| Kevin Harvick | 21 | 39 | -18 | #4 |
| Chris Buescher | 25 | 40 | -15 | #34 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Brad Keselowski – 115
Kyle Busch – 16
Carl Edwards – 8
Denny Hamlin – 7
Joey Logano – 6
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Michael McDowell +27
Cole Whitt +24
Clint Bowyer +22
David Ragan +22
Reed Sorenson +17
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Jimmie Johnson -27
Carl Edwards -23
Matt Kenseth -21
Kevin Harvick -18
Chris Buescher -15
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 2 Brad Keselowski – 2.13
2 18 Kyle Busch – 6.23
3 22 Joey Logano – 6.27
4 13 Casey Mears – 10.43
5 11 Denny Hamlin – 11.75
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 32 Bobby Labonte – 8.2% – 10
2 15 Clint Bowyer – 6.6% – 8
3 31 Ryan Newman – 5.7% – 7
4 35 David Gilliland – 5.7% – 7
5 21 Ryan Blaney – 4.9% – 6
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 21 Ryan Blaney – 329
2 13 Casey Mears – 304
3 22 Joey Logano – 287
4 42 Kyle Larson – 241
5 11 Denny Hamlin – 240
February 2016 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | 11 | 1 | 10 | #11 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 28 | 2 | 26 | #78 |
| Kyle Busch | 4 | 3 | 1 | #18 |
| Kevin Harvick | 9 | 4 | 5 | #4 |
| Carl Edwards | 10 | 5 | 5 | #19 |
| Joey Logano | 5 | 6 | -1 | #22 |
| Kyle Larson | 14 | 7 | 7 | #42 |
| Regan Smith | 27 | 8 | 19 | #7 |
| Austin Dillon | 21 | 9 | 12 | #3 |
| Kurt Busch | 8 | 10 | -2 | #41 |
| Ryan Newman | 38 | 11 | 27 | #31 |
| Aric Almirola | 34 | 12 | 22 | #43 |
| Kasey Kahne | 13 | 13 | 0 | #5 |
| Matt Kenseth | 2 | 14 | -12 | #20 |
| Michael McDowell | 39 | 15 | 24 | #59 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 26 | 16 | 10 | #48 |
| Jamie McMurray | 6 | 17 | -11 | #1 |
| Paul Menard | 37 | 18 | 19 | #27 |
| Ryan Blaney | 7 | 19 | -12 | #21 |
| Brad Keselowski | 25 | 20 | 5 | #2 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 30 | 21 | 9 | #47 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 19 | 22 | -3 | #17 |
| Landon Cassill | 24 | 23 | 1 | #38 |
| Brian Scott | 35 | 24 | 11 | #44 |
| Ty Dillon | 12 | 25 | -13 | #95 |
| Brian Vickers | 18 | 26 | -8 | #14 |
| Michael Annett | 22 | 27 | -5 | #46 |
| Trevor Bayne | 23 | 28 | -5 | #6 |
| David Ragan | 29 | 29 | 0 | #23 |
| Michael Waltrip | 36 | 30 | 6 | #83 |
| Bobby Labonte | 33 | 31 | 2 | #32 |
| Casey Mears | 32 | 32 | 0 | #13 |
| Clint Bowyer | 31 | 33 | -2 | #15 |
| Greg Biffle | 15 | 34 | -19 | #16 |
| Danica Patrick | 16 | 35 | -19 | #10 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 3 | 36 | -33 | #88 |
| Chase Elliott | 1 | 37 | -36 | #24 |
| Robert Richardson Jr. | 40 | 38 | 2 | #26 |
| Chris Buescher | 17 | 39 | -22 | #34 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 20 | 40 | -20 | #93 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Denny Hamlin – 95
Matt Kenseth – 40
Kyle Busch – 19
Jimmie Johnson – 18
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 15
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Ryan Newman +27
Martin Truex Jr. +26
Michael McDowell +24
Aric Almirola +22
Regan Smith +19
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Chase Elliott -36
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -33
Chris Buescher -22
Matt DiBenedetto -20
Greg Biffle -19
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 11 Denny Hamlin – 3.65
2 18 Kyle Busch – 3.87
3 78 Martin Truex Jr – 4.85
4 20 Matt Kenseth – 7.41
5 22 Joey Logano – 10.99
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 47 AJ Allmendinger – 10.3% – 16
2 83 Michael Waltrip – 8.3% – 13
3 59 Michael McDowell – 6.4% – 10
4 46 Michael Annett – 5.1% – 8
5 15 Clint Bowyer – 5.1% – 8
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 1 Jamie McMurray – 368
2 4 Kevin Harvick – 338
3 5 Kasey Kahne – 292
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 292
5 41 Kurt Busch – 280
July 2015 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 1 | 1 | 0 | #88 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 12 | 2 | 10 | #48 |
| Denny Hamlin | 35 | 3 | 32 | #11 |
| Kevin Harvick | 34 | 4 | 30 | #4 |
| Kurt Busch | 28 | 5 | 23 | #41 |
| Jeff Gordon | 23 | 6 | 17 | #24 |
| Austin Dillon | 2 | 7 | -5 | #3 |
| Ryan Newman | 17 | 8 | 9 | #31 |
| Trevor Bayne | 5 | 9 | -4 | #6 |
| Clint Bowyer | 3 | 10 | -7 | #15 |
| Casey Mears | 15 | 11 | 4 | #13 |
| David Ragan | 8 | 12 | -4 | #55 |
| Landon Cassill | 22 | 13 | 9 | #40 |
| Tony Stewart | 31 | 14 | 17 | #14 |
| Jamie McMurray | 9 | 15 | -6 | #1 |
| Paul Menard | 4 | 16 | -12 | #27 |
| Kyle Busch | 13 | 17 | -4 | #18 |
| Justin Allgaier | 21 | 18 | 3 | #51 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 30 | 19 | 11 | #17 |
| Greg Biffle | 25 | 20 | 5 | #16 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 7 | 21 | -14 | #47 |
| Joey Logano | 33 | 22 | 11 | #22 |
| Matt Kenseth | 20 | 23 | -3 | #20 |
| Alex Bowman | 37 | 24 | 13 | #7 |
| Cole Whitt | 29 | 25 | 4 | #35 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 41 | 26 | 15 | #83 |
| Brett Moffitt | 14 | 27 | -13 | #34 |
| Brendan Gaughan | 43 | 28 | 15 | #62 |
| Brad Keselowski | 32 | 29 | 3 | #2 |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | 11 | 30 | -19 | #9 |
| Josh Wise | 42 | 31 | 11 | #98 |
| Kasey Kahne | 10 | 32 | -22 | #5 |
| J.J. Yeley | 39 | 33 | 6 | #23 |
| Aric Almirola | 36 | 34 | 2 | #43 |
| Danica Patrick | 27 | 35 | -8 | #10 |
| Jeb Burton | 40 | 36 | 4 | #26 |
| Michael Annett | 18 | 37 | -19 | #46 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | 38 | -19 | #78 |
| Kyle Larson | 16 | 39 | -23 | #42 |
| David Gilliland | 6 | 40 | -34 | #38 |
| Carl Edwards | 24 | 41 | -17 | #19 |
| Brian Scott | 26 | 42 | -16 | #33 |
| Bobby Labonte | 38 | 43 | -5 | #32 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 96
Jimmie Johnson – 35
Denny Hamlin – 10
Austin Dillon – 8
Kasey Kahne – 5
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Denny Hamlin +32
Kevin Harvick +30
Kurt Busch +23
Jeff Gordon +17
Tony Stewart +17
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
David Gilliland -34
Kyle Larson -23
Kasey Kahne -22
Sam Hornish Jr. -19
Michael Annett -19
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr – 2.72
2 48 Jimmie Johnson – 3.93
3 11 Denny Hamlin – 8.13
4 24 Jeff Gordon – 8.14
5 27 Paul Menard – 8.40
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 22 Joey Logano – 8.07% – 13
2 18 Kyle Busch – 5.59% – 9
3 20 Matt Kenseth – 5.59% – 9
4 13 Casey Mears – 4.97% – 8
5 16 Greg Biffle – 4.97% – 8
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 3 Austin Dillon – 246
2 24 Jeff Gordon – 234
3 11 Denny Hamlin – 228
4 27 Paul Menard – 211
5 1 Jamie McMurray – 209