Picks/Daytona 500/SunAfternoon
Picks/Daytona 500/SunAfternoon
Intro and Congratulatory Remarks
Remember, this is your first points paying race of the season! Brent (JuniorCar) will be leading us to the green flag, and Devin (MnteCrloSS47) won the Sprint Unlimited.
Rundown
CHEVROLET
Hendrick
Dale Jr is the only Hendrick car showing a lot of promise this year. Johnson didn't qualify well, and while he ran well in the Unlmiited, his restricter plate luck of previous years seems to have revisited him. Kasey Kahne was snakebit last year and hasn't started out well this year. Jeff Gordon seems to do a lot better at Talladega these days than at Daytona... seems like he and Johnson have similar bad luck.
Childress
The Childress cars really fast. Ryan Newman ran well, but Newman is traditionally really fast and has really bad luck. He just seems to unlucky. Dillon ran well at Talladega but made a bad rookie move that got him in trouble last year. Then there is Menard and this Brian Scott kid... who knows about those two.
Stewart Haas
This seems to be the dream team... tehy ran alright in the Unlimited, but they were all wiped out in the crash. All of these drivers have some restricter plate prowess. Kurt Busch has run 2nd more times than anyone. Stewart is desperate to add a Daytona 500 to his racing resume. It's just a matter of them putting the race together!
Earnhardt Ganassi
McMurray is one of the greats at restricter plate racing, and Kyle Larson is still young. McMurray won't make the rookie mistake, but Larson could get lucky like Bayne did.
FORD TEAMS
They had some speed in qualifying and the Penske cars ran well in the Unlmited...
Roush
The flagship Ford team used to be good with Kenseth/Biffle working together... Edwards doesn't seem to have the prowess at Daytona he does at Talladega, but Biffle has won Daytona before too.... and Stenhouse's only top 5 was in a restricter plate race too! The yran well in qualifying and Edwards was good in the draft until he crashed in the unlimited. It's hard to say what will happen with them.
Penske
These two cars ran really well in the Unlimited and I think they're both getting to be good restricter plate drivers. Tehse cars could be a set to look out for.
Petty
These two never seen to run wlel on these tracks, and Almirola admitted in an interview they don't focus on this race like they would others since they don't make up much of the full schedule.
Wood Bros
These guys tested in Daytona and Talladega to prepare the car, and didn't show speed in practice or qualifying. I don't know if the Cinderalla moment will happen again unless that car is magic in the draft.
Whoever the 34 and 38 are
Ragan and Gilliland aren't practicing and qualifying fast... so the likelihood of them roaring to the front seems low. But it's plausible I suppose...
TOYOTA TEAMS
Slow in practice and qualifying....
Gibbs
These cars really raced well. Hamlin won the Unlimited, Busch was fast, Kenseth was up there until he crashed...
Michael WAltrip Racing
These cars haven't had an opporutnity to race until the Duels and it's hard to say how they'll run.
My Picks
1) Brad Keselowski
2) Greg Biffle
3) Joey Logano
Remember, this is your first points paying race of the season! Brent (JuniorCar) will be leading us to the green flag, and Devin (MnteCrloSS47) won the Sprint Unlimited.
Rundown
CHEVROLET
Hendrick
Dale Jr is the only Hendrick car showing a lot of promise this year. Johnson didn't qualify well, and while he ran well in the Unlmiited, his restricter plate luck of previous years seems to have revisited him. Kasey Kahne was snakebit last year and hasn't started out well this year. Jeff Gordon seems to do a lot better at Talladega these days than at Daytona... seems like he and Johnson have similar bad luck.
Childress
The Childress cars really fast. Ryan Newman ran well, but Newman is traditionally really fast and has really bad luck. He just seems to unlucky. Dillon ran well at Talladega but made a bad rookie move that got him in trouble last year. Then there is Menard and this Brian Scott kid... who knows about those two.
Stewart Haas
This seems to be the dream team... tehy ran alright in the Unlimited, but they were all wiped out in the crash. All of these drivers have some restricter plate prowess. Kurt Busch has run 2nd more times than anyone. Stewart is desperate to add a Daytona 500 to his racing resume. It's just a matter of them putting the race together!
Earnhardt Ganassi
McMurray is one of the greats at restricter plate racing, and Kyle Larson is still young. McMurray won't make the rookie mistake, but Larson could get lucky like Bayne did.
FORD TEAMS
They had some speed in qualifying and the Penske cars ran well in the Unlmited...
Roush
The flagship Ford team used to be good with Kenseth/Biffle working together... Edwards doesn't seem to have the prowess at Daytona he does at Talladega, but Biffle has won Daytona before too.... and Stenhouse's only top 5 was in a restricter plate race too! The yran well in qualifying and Edwards was good in the draft until he crashed in the unlimited. It's hard to say what will happen with them.
Penske
These two cars ran really well in the Unlimited and I think they're both getting to be good restricter plate drivers. Tehse cars could be a set to look out for.
Petty
These two never seen to run wlel on these tracks, and Almirola admitted in an interview they don't focus on this race like they would others since they don't make up much of the full schedule.
Wood Bros
These guys tested in Daytona and Talladega to prepare the car, and didn't show speed in practice or qualifying. I don't know if the Cinderalla moment will happen again unless that car is magic in the draft.
Whoever the 34 and 38 are
Ragan and Gilliland aren't practicing and qualifying fast... so the likelihood of them roaring to the front seems low. But it's plausible I suppose...
TOYOTA TEAMS
Slow in practice and qualifying....
Gibbs
These cars really raced well. Hamlin won the Unlimited, Busch was fast, Kenseth was up there until he crashed...
Michael WAltrip Racing
These cars haven't had an opporutnity to race until the Duels and it's hard to say how they'll run.
My Picks
1) Brad Keselowski
2) Greg Biffle
3) Joey Logano
Last edited by Cowboy6622; Feb 21, 2014 at 05:56 AM.
Keep in mind that this is the first major poitns paying race of the year.... make it a good one! Lets get to picking this one too!
Bear in mind as you do that GOONYER has not won a points paying restricter plate race in GOING ON 10 YEARS!!!! But he has finished 2nd 3 out of the last 4 years.... probably still won't win though
Bear in mind as you do that GOONYER has not won a points paying restricter plate race in GOING ON 10 YEARS!!!! But he has finished 2nd 3 out of the last 4 years.... probably still won't win though
Last edited by Cowboy6622; Feb 18, 2014 at 08:42 PM.
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,635
From: Central Oklahoma
Dale Jr
McMurray
Harvick
I may put someone else in for Harvick. We'll see after the Duels. Guess we'll see if I can defend my win from last year. I don't need Jr to win, I just need him in the top 5. Helped me big time last year (although I didn't participate in the duels or unlimited last year)
McMurray
Harvick
I may put someone else in for Harvick. We'll see after the Duels. Guess we'll see if I can defend my win from last year. I don't need Jr to win, I just need him in the top 5. Helped me big time last year (although I didn't participate in the duels or unlimited last year)
1) Denny Hamlin
2) Kevin Harvick
3) Matt Kenseth
2) Kevin Harvick
3) Matt Kenseth
Last edited by MnteCrloSS47; Feb 22, 2014 at 07:33 PM. Reason: Not 100% on Austin Dillion so took him out.