NASCAR Weekly Preview: Daytona 500
This weekend we head to Daytona, Florida for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
The race is Sunday at 2:30 PM EST on FOX. I’ve decided to move the weekly preview article from my fantasy NASCAR package this season. Hopefully it helps everyone get started on their fantasy NASCAR research.
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 – 93.4
Kurt Busch – 90
Denny Hamlin – 89
Jimmie Johnson – 87.6
Joey Logano – 86.4
Top 5 Average Running Position
Kyle Busch – 13.7
Ryan Blaney – 13.9
Jimmie Johnson – 14.5
Denny Hamlin – 14.6
Kurt Busch – 15.4
Top 5 Average Finish
Darrell Wallace Jr – 15
Austin Dillon – 15.2
Brendan Gaughan – 15.3
Kurt Busch – 15.7
Clint Bowyer – 15.8
Top 5 Fastest Laps
Kevin Harvick – 108
Clint Bowyer – 102
Kyle Busch – 101
Ryan Newman – 95
AJ Allmendinger – 95
February 2017 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Busch | 8 | 1 | 7 | #41 |
| Ryan Blaney | 36 | 2 | 34 | #21 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 38 | 3 | 35 | #47 |
| Aric Almirola | 13 | 4 | 9 | #43 |
| Paul Menard | 33 | 5 | 28 | #27 |
| Joey Logano | 15 | 6 | 9 | #22 |
| Kasey Kahne | 26 | 7 | 19 | #5 |
| Michael Waltrip | 30 | 8 | 22 | #15 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 25 | 9 | 16 | #32 |
| Trevor Bayne | 11 | 10 | 1 | #6 |
| Brendan Gaughan | 39 | 11 | 28 | #75 |
| Kyle Larson | 16 | 12 | 4 | #42 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 35 | 13 | 22 | #78 |
| Chase Elliott | 1 | 14 | -13 | #24 |
| Michael McDowell | 22 | 15 | 7 | #95 |
| Landon Cassill | 27 | 16 | 11 | #34 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 17 | -13 | #11 |
| Cole Whitt | 17 | 18 | -1 | #72 |
| Austin Dillon | 10 | 19 | -9 | #3 |
| Elliott Sadler | 40 | 20 | 20 | #7 |
| Ryan Newman | 14 | 21 | -7 | #31 |
| Kevin Harvick | 5 | 22 | -17 | #4 |
| Joey Gase | 29 | 23 | 6 | #23 |
| Corey LaJoie | 31 | 24 | 7 | #83 |
| David Ragan | 20 | 25 | -5 | #38 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 32 | 26 | 6 | #33 |
| Brad Keselowski | 7 | 27 | -20 | #2 |
| Jamie McMurray | 3 | 28 | -25 | #1 |
| Daniel Suarez | 19 | 29 | -10 | #19 |
| Ty Dillon | 18 | 30 | -12 | #13 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 23 | 31 | -8 | #17 |
| Clint Bowyer | 6 | 32 | -26 | #14 |
| Danica Patrick | 12 | 33 | -21 | #10 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 24 | 34 | -10 | #48 |
| Chris Buescher | 37 | 35 | 2 | #37 |
| D.J. Kennington | 28 | 36 | -8 | #96 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2 | 37 | -35 | #88 |
| Kyle Busch | 21 | 38 | -17 | #18 |
| Erik Jones | 34 | 39 | -5 | #77 |
| Matt Kenseth | 9 | 40 | -31 | #20 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kevin Harvick – 50
Chase Elliott – 39
Kyle Busch – 18
Joey Logano – 16
Kyle Larson – 16
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
A.J. Allmendinger +35
Ryan Blaney +34
Paul Menard +28
Brendan Gaughan +28
Michael Waltrip +22
Martin Truex Jr. +22
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -35
Matt Kenseth -31
Clint Bowyer -26
Jamie McMurray -25
Danica Patrick -21
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 42 Kyle Larson – 8.12
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr – 8.44
3 24 Chase Elliott – 8.53
4 21 Ryan Blaney – 9.86
5 22 Joey Logano – 11.50
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 15 Michael Waltrip – 9.5% – 14
2 21 Ryan Blaney – 7.5% – 11
3 22 Joey Logano – 6.1% – 9
4 27 Paul Menard – 5.4% – 8
5 78 Martin Truex Jr – 5.4% – 8
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 42 Kyle Larson – 262
2 22 Joey Logano – 243
3 21 Ryan Blaney – 240
4 95 Michael McDowell – 228
5 41 Kurt Busch – 181
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
Paul Menard +19
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Chase Elliott -36
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -33
Chris Buescher -22
Matt DiBenedetto -20
Greg Biffle -19
Danica Patrick -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