NASCAR Power Rankings: Daytona (Week #1)
Welcome to week #1 of, “The Power Rankings!” These are not fantasy rankings for the Daytona 500. These are written for entertainment and to show you how I think a driver ranks among his peers at a point in time.
1. Kyle Busch – Two-time, defending series champion Kyle Busch needs a Daytona 500 trophy on his mantle to complete his career. He’s getting up there in years and is currently 0 for 14 in the “Great American Race.” Busch came close last year and finished 2nd and was the leader at the time of the final restart, but Denny Hamlin prevailed.
2. Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick will be able to dodge the “when will you retire” questions for a few years. He started the season with a contract extension through 2023. Daytona hasn’t been kind to Harvick recently and over the last seven races he’s finished 19th or worse and has a 28.4 average finish.
3. Joey Logano – Joey Logano has been Mr. February at Daytona and over the last five “Great American Races” he’s finished in the top six every race and has a 4.2 average finish. With a very friendly early season schedule for the #22 team, look for him to get off to a fast start with new crew chief, Paul Wolfe.
4. Denny Hamlin – Defending Daytona 500 champion, Denny Hamlin will be a favorite to win the Daytona 500. Over the last six “Great American Races” he’s led the most laps and has a series best 4.7 average finish. Hamlin is really happy with his Daytona 500 car so you can be confident he’ll be good.
5. Martin Truex Jr. – The biggest question about Martin Truex Jr. this season is how big of an impact will Cole Pearn’s absence be. We won’t learn at Daytona, but during the west coast swing we should start to get a good idea just how important he was to Martin Truex Jr.’s success.
6. Chase Elliott – 2020 will mark Chase Elliott’s 5th full-time season in NASCAR’s top series. NASCAR would be really thankful if their annual “Most Popular Driver” until 2035 wins the “Great American Race”. Elliott nearly won the 2017 Daytona 500 (sputtered on fuel while leading at the end), but overall it statistically ranks as his worst track. He’s crashed in the last four and his overall average finish is 28th.
7. Kyle Larson – Kyle Larson should just sign the dotted line to drive the #48 in 2021 to save himself a season of questions. In the Daytona 500 he’s been respectable and in 3 of the last 4 he’s finished in the top twelve. Last year he finished 7th.
8. Erik Jones – Erik Jones started 2020 in a big way having raced his way to victory lane in the Daytona Crash Clash. In order to keep the #20 past 2020, he needs to have a big year but he’s off to a fast start.
9. Brad Keselowski – Speedweeks has been tough for Keselowski. He’s mounted quite a repair bill for Roger Penske and there’s a great chance he’ll add to the tally since he’s had a DNF because of an accident in 5 of the last 6 Daytona races. Technically speaking, he’s actually 6 for 6 over that span in terms of crashing, but one of those wasn’t a DNF.
10. Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney might have a big 2020 and it could all start in the Daytona 500. He’s been a serious contender to win this race in 2 of the last 3 years. He’s also the most recent superspeedway winner and his new crew chief is a past Daytona 500 champion.
