Daytona Coke Zero 400: Deadline Post Practice “Top Tier Elite” Picks

Matt Kenseth

What I said about him earlier this week:

Kenseth won this years “Great American race” in impressive fashion. When his car was out front leading nobody could pass him. He led 50 laps and started in fourth courtesy of his win in his respective Gatorade Duel Race. One thing that needs to be noted about Kenseth though is that around lap 70 his car was having overheating problems on pit road and looked like old faithful. His pit crew had to pump water into his car to cool his engine. After this problem was resolved he drove his way up through the field to the lead (Yahoo! Race Chart). Last summer at Daytona Kenseth finished 2nd and pushed David Ragan to victory lane. Since the summer 2008 race at Daytona Kenseth is the only driver in the series with a single digit average finish (9.0). At Talladega this year Kenseth finished 3rd.

Starting Position:

1st

Chassis Selection:

Matt Kenseth’s Daytona winning chassis is a museum piece for a year and as a result the points leader will be using his Talladega chassis. Earlier this year at Dega this car led 73 laps and finished 3rd.

Pit Stall Location:

Matt Kenseth will be pitting in pit stall #1. He has a clear exit out of his pit box and Mike Bliss is pitting behind him. The combination of his quick pit crew and the best box will be a big plus for him.

What to expect / Areas of concern:

Although qualifying means little at Daytona I think Kenseth has now positioned himself as the favorite to win the Coke Zero 400. In February when he was leading he was unstoppable. On the starting grid he’ll be in very close proximity to Greg Biffle. Look for these two to work together again. If you look at the pit road map I think their intentions are clear.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.

What I said about him earlier this week:

I think Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be considered a favorite by many experts to win the Coke Zero 400. In this years Daytona 500 Earnhardt Jr. finished 2nd to Matt Kenseth. If he got any help from Greg Biffle then he probably could’ve won the “Great American Race”. In twenty-five Daytona races Junior has two wins and 9 top five finishes. I think the factor that will push him towards being many people’s fantasy pick is his consistency on the track this season and his recent win at Michigan. At Talladega this year Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 9th.

Starting Position:

24th

Chassis Selection:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be piloting his 2nd place Daytona 500 chassis.

Pit Stall Location:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is pitting in pit stall #40. Terry Labonte is pitting behind him and Stephen Leicht is pitting in front of him. Leicht could potentially cause problems in an early pit stop.

What to expect / Areas of concern:

The “Pied Piper” of Daytona will be starting mid pack but he’ll be in the front when it counts. Now that he’s finally gotten a “W” he could very easily get win #2 of the season Saturday night.

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