Daytona Coke Zero 400 Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions

Brian Vickers – Through the first 120 laps of this season’s Daytona 500 I would estimate Brian Vickers had about an 8th place average running position. Then between lap 120 and 160 he ran between the mid-teens and the low twenties. His race wasn’t without incident. With 39 laps to go he was involved in an accident and damaged his car. The damage wasn’t DNF devastating but it dropped him 8 laps down. When the checkered flag waved he finished in 30th. The last time Vickers had seat time in a Sprint Cup car prior to this seasons Daytona 500 was in 2011. In five of his seven races prior to the Daytona 500 he had a result between 7th and 15th. In that stretch of races minus the events he finished off the lead lap his average finish was 11.4. At Talladega this spring Vickers had one of his best performances of the season. At that “Wild Card” track he finished 4th and led 6 laps. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Jamie McMurray – Jamie McMurray is a high risk / high reward driver on restrictor plate tracks. He’s won four races on this track type but you can’t overlook the fact that he’s finished outside the twenty 55.3% percent of the time. Between the two plate venues he’s fared worse at Daytona. In 23 races at Daytona he has 2 wins, 5 top tens but has only finished in the top twenty 39% percent of the time. At Daytona in February he had a quiet performance but avoided trouble. In the race he started in 22nd, had a 22nd place average running position and finished 14th. In July 2013 at Daytona McMurray had a very good race. He earned the 2nd best driver rating, finished 7th, had an 8th place average running position and led 10 laps. The strength of his car was that it handled well. McMurray really liked his car and he wanted to pass Johnson for the lead but his crew chief advised him to be patient. In the 2013 Daytona 500 McMurray had a disappointing race. He finished 32nd and was taken out in the carnage of the Kyle Busch / Kasey Kahne bump drafting “Big One”. Prior to his 7th last July his next most recent top ten was in his 2010 Daytona 500 win. In 2007 McMurray won the July race at Daytona. At Talladega this spring McMurray was involved in an early wreck and finished 29th. Last fall at Talladega he went to victory lane. (Yahoo B Driver)

Recommended Reading – Daytona Top Tier Elite Picks, Daytona Front Runner Rankings,  Yahoo C List Preview, Daytona Scouting Report, Who will win the Daytona Coke Zero 400

Marcos Ambrose – Daytona has been a tough track for Marcos Ambrose. He’s only finished in the top ten once and has a 23.2 average finish. His lone top ten was in 2009. Since then he has four finishes in the teens and five results of 26th or worse.  Last summer at Daytona Ambrose was a contender for the win. With a few laps remaining he was running three-wide for the lead. Then Johnson bumped into him and he got into Kahne. Ambrose then had to come in for a pit stop to change tires and rearrange some sheet metal. In this season’s Daytona 500 he had an up and down day and ran well in some portions of the event and not well in others. When the checkered flag waved he finished 18th, had an 18th place average running position and earned the 16th best driver rating. In the 2013 Daytona 500 he also finished 18th. In that race he had a 16th place average running position and earned the 15th best driver rating. (Yahoo B Driver)

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