NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Are Favorites for the 65th Running of the Daytona 500?
A long offseason now has mere days left before the biggest race of the NASCAR season. The 75th-anniversary year for American stock car racing will kick off on the grandest stage: The Great American Race. While any of the 40 starters in Sunday’s Daytona 500 truly do have a path to victory lane, a few favorites do stand out. Who can define their season and career by hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy high as 2023 Daytona 500 champion? Here are a few drivers to watch out for in the 65th running of NASCAR’s biggest race.
Austin Cindric
Back-to-back Daytona 500 triumphs are rare, only happening four times before. 2022 winner Austin Cindric however was especially stout in the closing laps 12 months ago. The Penske deuce was up front for much of the final Stage, totaling 21 laps led including the final eight circuits. While Cindric had incredible teammate help, Penske cars have historically been winning contenders in many recent years at Daytona.
“I’ve only been doing this for a year now in the Cup Series, but you look at guys who have worked here for 10-20 years and what something like [a Daytona 500 win] means,” Cindric said. “It’s a career achievement for a lot of the people on my team and to be able to deliver that given the opportunity, for me, there’s nothing cooler than being able to do that.”
Should Cindric pull off another Daytona 500 win, he would join Sterling Marlin (1994, 1995) as the only drivers with a Daytona 500 as their first and second career victories.
Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Menards/Sylvania Boy Ford Mustang ahead of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24th. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Bubba Wallace
Mixing it up for many laps last year with Cindric was the 23 of Bubba Wallace. The two-time Cup Series winner is also a three-time runner-up at Daytona, including 2018 and 2022’s season-opener. If not for some fender damage, Wallace could have potentially beaten Cindric to the line. Coming off his best year yet in 2022, Wallace is poised for a possible breakout year and hopes to start it off right in Daytona.
“I relieved [last year’s race] for probably six months after climbing out of the car,” Wallace said. “I have seen like the last 10 laps and what we could have done different. What (Austin) Cindric could have done different is put (Ryan) Blaney in the fence a little bit harder. That way it would have hooked him in the fence, and we would have won. We were there. It just wasn’t in the cards for that night. We just have to do better.”
“We were pretty boxed in there. It’s not like we could have made a move. I was pretty content with pushing Blaney. I think we have to go back to another restart before that to get position better. But like I said – it just wasn’t in the cards. I was content to finish second, and we actually did. I just wasn’t expecting it to be that way. I thought it was going to be on the bumper of somebody, not a fender behind. It is what it is.”
Wallace’s career-year in 2022 saw five top-fives, 10 top-10s, and a 19th-place points finish. Wallace does want to better these stats and be a contender in his first-ever Playoff appearance. There is no better spot to secure a berth than the Daytona 500.
Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry ahead of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24th. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Brad Keselowski
One of the all-time winningest superspeedway drivers, Brad Keselowski has yet to claim a Daytona 500. The past two years alone show just how talented BK is when it comes to drafting; he was within a mile of victory when wrecked in 2021, and led the most laps in 2022.
After an adjustment in his first year as driver/owner at RFK Racing, Keselowski hopes to recapture some of their 2022 Speedweek magic. Both Keselowski and Buescher won their Duel race, and the 6 went onto a top-10 run.
“It was a little bit of a shock,” Keselowski said about Speedweeks 2022. “I didn’t expect us to have that level of success that quick, and we quickly got humbled in the weeks to come, but it was not what we expected at all. Sometimes you get shocked in bad ways. Sometimes you get shocked in great ways, and it’s nice to get shocked in a great way.”
With an 0-13 Daytona 500 record, Keselowski is one veteran and past champion hungry and perhaps best-positioned to rewrite history. If Keselowski can survive to the end again, he may be positively surprised once more.
Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang ahead of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 28th. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Denny Hamlin
Today’s version of the Pied Piper of Daytona is without question Denny Hamlin. While Hamlin does boast three Daytona 500 wins, his list of ‘what if’ victories he had within eyesight puts him in rarified air. In recent years alone, Hamlin had four-straight top-fives before his first ever Daytona 500 DNF last season.
“I think you’ll see a great race,” Hamlin said. “The 500 is always such a great atmosphere and the racing is always great because everyone wants to put their name on the list of winners of this race. For us, we want to do it for a fourth time. That would mean a lot to me personally to move up that list. I feel very good about it. Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and my team do an unbelievable job, especially at this race, to give me a great opportunity, so I feel confident we’ll have a great chance on Sunday.”
Richard Petty (7) and Cale Yarborough (4) are the only drivers to ever win the Daytona 500 four times. On Sunday Hamlin will try and join this elite list of greatest Daytona 500 winners.
Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry ahead of the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 2nd. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Ryan Blaney
Similar to Hamlin, Ryan Blaney also has many potential Daytona 500 winning moments, but he has yet to win. Blaney’s time for a Daytona 500 triumph appears to be well past due. Blaney was second in 2017, led the most laps in 2018, took second again in 2020, and pushed his teammate to last year’s win. Should the 12 be in a similar position Sunday, Blaney may take no prisoners between him and the ultimate prize.
“I have always enjoyed speedway racing in general,” Blaney said. “I didn’t the first couple of years that I did it and then I just came to understand that there are things that I can’t control at these places and I might get destroyed in a wreck that I have nothing to do with and I have accepted that. If it happens, it happens, and I can’t be upset about it for too long. I think once I kind of finally came to terms with that I have enjoyed speedway racing and accept the possibility of something happening to you that is not in your control. It is a fun kind of game you play throughout the speedway races. It is so different than anywhere else. I have always enjoyed it. I have enjoyed learning the new things that it takes. Whether the rules change or the cars change, you have to relearn your skillset. Just like any other track but these are so different. I enjoy the 500 and I enjoy racing in the 500 a lot more than I enjoy the buildup to it. The buildup is a lot. It is really special being here. Watching dad do it for so many years it is cool to be a part of it. The buildup is a lot. You finally feel like you are in your safe space when you can finally strap in and finally go run this race and try to win it. Yeah, I always enjoy it. We have been close a few times and it would be nice to finally win one. That would feel good. I think that would feel pretty great knowing you have been so close to something multiple times and then if you can finally pull it off it makes it very gratifying.”
After a banner year despite no victories in 2022, the 12 team is hungrier than moat to find victory lane again. As one of the best drafting drivers out there today, Blaney should be a player in Sunday’s closing laps.
Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang ahead of the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 2nd. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Joey Logano
Defending Cup champion Joey Logano is also one of the best on superspeedways. The 2015 Daytona 500 champion had four-straight top-10s after his win, but has seen none in the past three years.
Logano will surely be in the mix late if he does survive the seemingly-inevitable carnage. Surviving is much easier said than done for the Penske driver in recent memory though. Despite four wins between Daytona and Talladega, the 22 has only seen one top-10 from either track since 2019.
“Everyone has a chance to win that race and it is truly career changing when you’re able to do it,” Logano said. “Everyone wants to have that on their resume and say they’ve won the Daytona 500 and then obviously the great things that come along with that, so it’s a big one you want to get.”
Should Logano win his second Daytona 500 Sunday, he would join some very exclusive company. He would become only the 13th driver with multiple Daytona 500 victories. Likewise, he would be the fifth defending Cup champion to claim The Great American Race, and join Bobby Allison (1981-1982) as the only driver to consecutively win a season finale and then a Daytona 500. He would also be the fourth Ford driver to take a blue oval to multiple Daytona 500 wins.
Joey Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang ahead of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 28th. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Across qualifying, the Duels, and practice in the coming days, the image will become clearer for Daytona 500 favorites. Be sure to not miss a moment of Speedweek action, all ending with the 65th Daytona 500, Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. One driver will start NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season off in the best way possible. It could very well be one of the contenders mentioned above.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter
Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
