Daytona Coke Zero 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Greg Biffle – Greg Biffle is the top ranked “Front Runner Rankings” driver for the Daytona Coke Zero 400. In February he had a strong showing in the Daytona 500. Over the final 50 laps I would say he ran within the top five nearly 80% percent of the time. When the checkered flag waved he finished 8th. One weakness of his on restrictor plate tracks that continues to plague him is that he doesn’t seem to make the right decision late in races that would allow him to challenge for the win. That was the circumstance for him in this year’s Daytona 500. In 2013 in the Daytona 500 he had a good performance. He nearly pushed Brad Keselowski to victory lane but their undoing was when a late caution came out at a favorable time for Johnson. When the checkered flag waved he finished 6th. Also in that event last season he earned the third best driver rating and had a 7th place average running position. In the preliminary events leading up to the 2013 Daytona 500 he finished 2nd in both the Sprint Unlimited and his Duel 150. In the July 2013 Daytona race he had a solid car but got collected in the final “Big One” coming to the checkered flag. In the 2012 Daytona 500 Biffle had the best driver rating, led 44 laps and finished 3rd. In July 2012 he had a top five car but collected in the last lap “Big One”. At Talladega in May Biffle finished 2nd, led 58 laps and earned the 2nd best driver rating. Between the two plate races this season Biffle has scored the 2nd most points, has the 2nd best average finish (5.0), and is one of only three drivers who have finished in the top ten every race. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Denny Hamlin – At Daytona in February Denny Hamlin was trying to achieve history. No driver has ever won all three major events of Speed Weeks. He was entering the Daytona 500 in contention to pull off the sweep because he won the Sprint Unlimited and his Duel 150. In the Great American Race Hamlin arguably had the strongest car. He just didn’t get the chance to show how good he truly was because he drove conservatively due to radio issues with his spotter. With 6 laps to go he was running in 6th but over the final few laps he executed some strong power moves that probably had Earnhardt Jr. nervous. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 9th place average running position and led 16 laps. At Talladega in May Denny Hamlin went to victory lane. In that event he earned the best driver rating, led 12 laps and had a 9th place average running position. Between the two plate races this season he’s the only driver who’s finished in the top five twice and is one of three drivers who have finished in the top ten both races. In 2013 Denny Hamlin’s results at Daytona were misleading. In both races he was much better than his end result. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he finished a misleading 14th. In the race he started deep in the field (35th) but still managed to have a 10th place average running position and lead 33 laps. What happened to him is that late in the race he got scuffled out of line by Joey Logano while he was running near the front. It’s important to note that he was the driver who helped push Jimmie Johnson into the lead. In the summer 2013 Daytona race he looked like a driver who had top ten potential. That race wasn’t incident free for him. He was involved in a minor wreck around the mid-point and then late in the race he was involved in another wreck and that time the damage was fatal. Before he had problems he led 20 laps. At Daytona in summer 2012 he was running in the top five late but got caught up in the wreck of his making. In the 2012 Daytona 500 he finished 4th and led the most laps (57). (Yahoo B Driver)

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Kasey Kahne – Recent races at Daytona haven’t been the friendliest for Kasey Kahne. Over the last three races he’s failed to complete 64 laps and has a 33rd place average finish. In this season’s Daytona 500 he ran a solid race until trouble found him. On lap 74 he had miscommunication during a pit stop and as he was leaving pit road he spun out and no caution came out. He never really recovered from that incident and it dropped him down to about 40th. Also later in the race he got caught speeding on pit road while he was trying to avoid a spinning Michael Annett. Then with 39 laps to go he got swept up in one of “The big one’s”. Prior to his pit road problem on lap 74 he was a driver who consistently ran in the top ten. In July 2013 at Daytona Kasey Kahne was a serious contender for the win. With about 5 laps to go the front of the field was three-wide and Kasey Kahne was leading the inside groove. Then Johnson who was up in the top groove got into Ambrose who was in the middle groove and then the 9 car came down and got into Kasey Kahne. As a result of the contact Kahne got heavy damage and was done for the day. In the 2013 Daytona 500 Kahne had a short race. He was running near the front early but Kyle Busch took him out with a bump draft gone bad. One attribute that needs to get noted about Kahne at Daytona is that he typically performs better in the July race. He ran good last July until a late wreck, in July 2012 he finished 7th, in July 2011 he finished 4th and in July 2010 he finished 2nd. At Talladega this spring Kasey Kahne snapped his bad luck streak on restrictor plate tracks. In that event he finished 8th. (Yahoo A Driver)

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