Daytona 500 Preview and Fantasy Line-Up

The 2016 Daytona 500 is set to kick-off on Sunday at 1:00 pm ET on FOX. NASCAR’s busiest race weekend will conclude with the first and most prestigious race of the year. It’s every drivers’ dream to win the Daytona 500 and this year the field is as stacked as ever. Victory will almost guarantee a spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase playoff and that is incentive enough for these competitors to lay it all out on the line.

Now that the Can-Am Duels and qualifying are completed, the starting grid has been finalized. As of 12 pm ET this Saturday, the final practice has been wrapped up. Let’s take a look at the drivers that have shown speed over the course of these events and which drivers have the best shot to coast into their car into victory lane.

Chase Elliot:
Rookie Chase Elliot, who now drives the beloved #24 of the retired legend Jeff Gordon, drove his way to the pole position in qualifying (45.845 sec). Over the course of the week, the youngster has proved to have ice water in his veins. Not only did he have the top qualifying speed, but he won the Xfinity race by half a car in Dale Earnhardt Motorsports Taxslayer #88. Remember, Elliott is a rookie, so carrying that momentum over to attain victory might be a bit of a stretch.

Matt Kenseth:
Matt Kenseth had a great year for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015 and picked up right where he left off by qualifying second (45.910 sec). He had a top three car for most of the second Can-Am Duel race, but got caught up in a last lap wreck. Kenseth is no stranger to victory lane and his 2009 and 2012 victories in this race prove just that. I fully expect the #20 Dollar General Toyota to be in contention in the final laps.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
There are very few drivers that can guide their restrictor plate rocket-ship like Dale Earnhardt Jr. He won the first session of the Can-Am Duels which will place him in the third starting position behind the two fastest qualifiers. Earnhardt Jr. won the the second race here in July and finished the fastest in the last practicing round. He is the clear cut favorite to win the race on Sunday.

Kyle Busch:
NASCAR’s reigning and defending Sprint Cup Cup Champion hasn’t missed a beat since his return from injury at the mid-way point of the 2015 season. Kyle Busch claimed yet another victory, winning the second session of the Can-Am Duels and will be starting in the fourth spot right next to Dale Jr. He has shown plenty of consistent speed in practice and one of Vegas’s favorites to bring home the bacon.

Joey Logano:
Joey Logano is becoming a mainstay at the front of the pack in restrictor plate races. Logano is the defending Daytona 500 Champion and took home the glory at Talladega last fall. He finished second in the first session of the Can-Am Duels and will be in the fifth starting spot. The #22 Penske Racing Team is Vegas’s second favorite option to drive away with a victory yet again.

Jimmy Johnson:
Although starting in 26th, the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion and Hendrick Motor Sports leader will certainly have a say in Sundays Daytona 500. Jimmy Johnson Swept the two races here in 2013 and has five top fives in his last six races at the 2.5 mile oval. Johnson has shown considerable speed in practice and if not for getting walled in the last session of the Can-Am Duels, could very easily be starting in the top five. Never count out the #48 Lowes Chevrolet, he will lead some laps and be a factor if he stays out of trouble.

Brad Keselowski:
At first glance, Brad Keselowski might not look like a fashionable pick to win here on Sunday, due to his stats at this track alone. Do not be fooled, Keselowski has claimed victory three times at Daytona’s sister superspeedway Talladega and knows how to guide his Miller Lite #2 quite effectively in the draft. In the Sprint Unlimited a week earlier he led 26 of the 79 laps and was in contention all night. He is as good as a dark-horse as there will ever be for this race on Sunday.

Kevin Harvick:
Kevin Harvick has been one of the most consistent superspeedway drivers on the circuit. Daytona is no exception. The Freaky Fast Jimmy Johns #4 Chevrolet drove his car to victory twice at Daytona, including a opening day Daytona 500 win in 2007. He was the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion and backed that up as runner-up in 2015. Harvick finished in the top five twice here last year and I fully expect that to be the case again in the opening race of 2016.

Denny Hamlin:
The #11 is starting in the 11th position and has shown the most speed besides Dale Earnhardt Jr. throughout the race week.If it weren’t for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin would have led the most laps. The Tampa Florida native won his third Sprint Unlimited race a week ago and was very fast in the first stage of the Can-Am Due reeled in two top fives here last year and is a vital part to 2015’s most successful team, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin could be a steal if your willing to take that chance, but it should be noted that he still is win-less here.

Others:
Ryan Blaney and the #21 Woods Brothers Racing team, Carl Edwards, another Joe Gibbs Racing stand-out, Kurt Busch who has been one of the most consistent performers here for the last 10 years and Kasey Kahne who has the luxury of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmy Johnson as teammates, all deserve to be mentioned as mid-pack drivers that could find themselves in the mix at the end.

Erik the Hun’s Fantasy Picks:

A Driver:
Joey Logano

B Drivers:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Matt Kenseth   Kasey Kahne

C Driver:
Ryan Blaney

Starting Line-Up for the 2016 Daytona 500:

1. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
4. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
6. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
7. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
8. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
9. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
10. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
11. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12. Ty Dillon, No. 95 Circle Sport-Leaving Racing Chevrolet
13. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
14. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
15. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
16. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
17. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
18. Brian Vickers, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
20. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 93 BK Racing Toyota

21. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

22. Michael Annett, No. 46 HScott Chevrolet
23. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
24. Landon Cassill, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
25. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
26. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
27. Regan Smith, No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Chevrolet
28. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota
29. David Ragan, No. 23 BK Racing Toyota
30. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
31. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
32. Casey Mears, No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet
33. Bobby Labonte, No. 32 Go FAS Ford
34. Aric Almirola, No. 43 RPM Ford
35. Brian Scott, No. 44 RPM Ford
36. Michael Waltrip, No. 83 BK Racing Toyota
37. Paul Menard, No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
38. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
39. Michael McDowell, No. 59 Circle Sport-Leavine Racing Chevrolet
40. Robert Richardson Jr., No. 26 BK Racing Toyota