NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who’s Favored For the 67th Running of the Daytona 500?
One race mere days away can change the course of one driver’s season and entire career. For the 67th time, the central Florida coast will come to life with the sounds of stock cars on the Daytona high banks. The Daytona 500 marks the beginning of NASCAR’s marathon season, with the most coveted prize up for grabs in week one. Anyone entered in Sunday’s race does have a pathway towards the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Who are some favored contenders in this ultimate race?
Kyle Busch
Few have the chance to write as universally-beloved a winner’s story than Kyle Busch. Mirroring Dale Earnhardt’s Daytona 500 trials and tribulations, Busch has gone 0-19 in The Great American Race. Can RCR recapture their 1998 magic? Busch has superspeedway Next Gen stats that have him pinned as a prerace favorite.
“Winning the Daytona 500 would be the ultimate,” Busch said. “I’ve pretty much done everything else there is to do in our sport, you know? That’s the only thing left. I’ve won at Daytona in a summer race, but I have not won there in the Daytona 500 in February. I’m looking forward to it. One of these days, I sure hope it comes true, I want it to come true, to become a Daytona 500 champion.”
“It’s Groundhog Day for me. This is 21 years, it’s the start of a new season. I’m ready to go, ready to get back after it. A lot of good things have seemed to happen behind the scenes over at RCR so I’m looking forward to a strong season and getting back to victory lane.”
A replay of ‘Twenty years of trying, twenty years of frustration..’ would be one of the most popular wins in recent NASCAR memory. Aside from merely echoing Earnhardt’s 1998 conquest, the No. 8 team has been among the best in recent drafting memory. Busch ranks in the top-five at Daytona in average running position, average finish, and laps led all since 2022. After leading the 500th mile last February, Busch was also within a fender of winning Atlanta the next week and runner-up at Daytona’s August race. Perhaps no stop is more perfectly aligned for the 8 to erase their 57-race losing drought. Should Busch capture this elusive win, his status as one of NASCAR’s most decorated drivers ever will gain its one missing gem.
Brad Keselowski
Almost as notable as Busch’s Daytona 500 chase is the same quest for Brad Keselowski. Second has been the 2012 champ’s best finish in the season opener, despite seven career drafting wins. Keselowski’s put himself within eyesight of this pinnacle win multiple times too, but circumstances have always gone against the 6.
“It would be a gap, for sure,” Keselowski said. “But I’m probably not looking at it from not having it, I’m looking at it from the more optimistic, positive side of having it. It’s a big race, certainly the biggest purse, the biggest media and fan attention and that makes it a race you just want to win, whether it’s once, twice, three times, it doesn’t get old.”
“I just see it as a prestige race. It’s not a season performance indicator. It’s probably the opposite of a season. The prestige is real. It’s one of those things that once you win, people remember it and it carries throughout your career.”
“When you’re here and in the moment and you want it really bad, those questions tend to come to light, but once the race is over you move on to the next task or challenge ahead, which when they load those haulers up Sunday night it’s gonna be all Atlanta. It’s over. Daytona doesn’t exist anymore and that’s some of the beauty to a NASCAR season. We talk about the hard part, which is the grind of thirty-some weeks, but one of the beauties of it is when you have a bad week there’s always another one right in front of you to recover from and there’s a chance to put it behind you and move on.”
Can a 16th time be the charm for the driver/owner from Michigan? In very similar form to Busch, BK has managed to collect every crown jewel win possible in NASCAR, except the Daytona 500. Laps led in all three Next Gen runnings of the Daytona 500 and added teammate help with Ryan Preece are both stats in the 6’s favor this Sunday. Aggression will not be any doubt from the cunning superspeedway ace. Whether or not he survives to see the checkered flag will determine his 500 fate.
Ryan Blaney
Another renowned superspeedway talent is also still hunting evasive Daytona 500 glory–Ryan Blaney. The four-time drafting winner and 2023 Cup champion has been runner-up in two of his 10 Great American Race starts, and has led a combined 189 laps. Team Penske is trying to remain undefeated in Daytona following last month’s Rolex 24 triumph. Learning his craft from two of the best drafters in Keselowski and Joey Logano, Blaney can never be counted out.
“Every single guy in here is gonna tell you it means a lot and means the world to them,” Blaney said. “I guess from my personal view I came up here a lot watching dad run here as a kid. It was something really neat I was able to experience and experience race day morning and stuff like that, the Fan Zone, the stage with dad. That was always pretty neat and then it was kind of surreal when I turned around and I did my first one in 2015. I think it would just mean a lot to me personally to have my family here because dad spent so many years trying to win it and stuff like that, and I’ve spent so many years so having all of that come full circle would be pretty neat.”
Despite always having a lightning-quick Ford Mustang, just finishing Daytona would be a nice change of pace for Blaney. The 12 has three-straight crashes in Florida and no result better than 29th. When Blaney does outlast the carnage, he’s always in the mix among the remaining contenders. Following a close championship loss in November, a Daytona 500 ring would be a fitting way for Blaney to start a new season.
Joey Logano
Speaking of Team Penske, it’s been a decade since Joey Logano’s lone Daytona 500 win. Coming into Sunday as the defending series champion, Logano seemingly has the wind at his back chasing more history and another major win. Laps led in 12-straight Daytona trips show the 22 as always a threat. Luck has not been on his side, however. Since winning 2015’s Great American Race, Logano is batting .500 in top-fives, with a best result of second in 2023.
“Your confidence is higher, but that’s the only thing that’s different,” Logano said. “You’re coming off a good year, so you obviously feel solid about it, but we don’t have a lead on anyone anymore. We’re back to zero. The goal is no different. Our mission is still to win the championship. That doesn’t change, so I don’t see much different.”
“It’s definitely one that everyone wants to have a Daytona 500 on their resume. It’s been a long time. There have been a lot of close finishes since then to get it, but, overall, this race is one of the big pillars that’s built our sport. It’s the Daytona 500. The Great American Race and being part of it is always special. It never goes away for me. It’s always nice just to be a part of it, but being able to say you’ve won it has been nice, but I really want to do it again. It’s been a long time.”
“It doesn’t waver for me. It’s the same as winning the championship. It doesn’t change. I want to do it every year. What’s the point of showing up? What’s the point of leaving home and coming down here if you’re not gonna try with everything you’ve got? Between that and the fear of not being fully prepared, that keeps me pretty driven.”
Already only the tenth man with three NASCAR Cup titles, Joey Logano has a chance to join a few elite clubs. He would only be the 12th multi-time Daytona 500 winner, as well as the sixth reigning champ to pull off this feat. Winning the pole a season ago, the 22’s speed should be of little doubt come Sunday.
Bubba Wallace
Few have been closer to a Daytona 500 greatness than Bubba Wallace, who’s hoping to turn a new corner in 2025. Now with a new crew chief who’s a Cup rookie, 23XI Racing’s flagship team hopes to leave a lasting impact in their first showing together. Charles Denike led his past Truck Series team to a deep postseason run. Having made the jump to Sundays, he gives team 23 a renewed energy in chasing down the sport’s biggest win.
“After coming home second a couple times, seeing the stats for how we perform here at Daytona, it’s an incredible race,” Wallace said. “Something really cool to be a part of. When (Jerry) Baxter came over and crew chief’ed for me in 2020, I said, ‘Hey man, take 15 minutes to yourself to be a fan of the spectacle that you’re a part of for the 500. And, I told Charles (Denike, crew chief), I said, ‘Take 10 to 15 minutes when you get a break in your schedule to just walk around and see how many people are here and just the environment that you’re in.’ It’s totally different than a Truck race. And, being here in Daytona, it’s a massive facility and they always do a great job putting on a great show here for the fans. It’s cool. We’ve come close too many times but I’ll take second. That pays better than some other spots.”
Drafting prowess has been a tool in Wallace’s arsenal for years. This was shown with a runner-up in his maiden Daytona 500. The 2021 fall Talladega winner has another pair of Daytona second-places, including 2022’s season opener. Sunday’s race will see added Toyota strength in numbers, possibly giving Wallace a leg up on the competition. Thursday’s Duel win will only increase Wallace’s confidence in going after his biggest win yet.
Alex Bowman
Had the caution flown a second later in last year’s Daytona 500, Alex Bowman would have been the winner. The man with a record six Daytona 500 front row starts saw his best season opener result 12 months ago. Bowman will try and make it back-to-back February triumphs for Team Hendrick, with his recent results trending upward.
“It’d be super cool, obviously, to win,” Bowman said. “The 500 is really special and important. So, hopefully we can make it happen. It’s a tough race to win. We’ve been close now a couple times, so, the last two years we’ve been really good there in the race and excited to get back there.”
“A button push. I mean for me honestly it doesn’t change much. But I have continued to improve my racing stuff on the superspeedways. I feel like we have done a better job lately. Our race cars have gotten better, so looking forward to another 500.”
Bowman’s 11.2 average finish at Daytona in the Next Gen Car is third-best of drivers with all six starts. Second last year only continued a steady forward progression for driver 48, with fifth and sixth-place results from 2023. Bowman was a true contender down to the wire in last year’s 500 as well. Should the 48 avoid chaos and be up front again, Bowman the Showman may end up on the biggest stage.
One driver will cement their place in NASCAR history this weekend. The 67th Running of The Great American Race (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has the potential to solidify a star as a racing legend. Who gets the checkered flag after 500 hard fought miles remains to be seen. The journey to get there will surely be a drama-filled Sunday drive for everyone.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
