Who Will Win?
Johnson
Dale Earnhardt Jr: Hey, why not? The guy's got restrictor-plate skills, and this is as good a place as any for him to put all that crew chief ugliness of earlier this season behind him once and for all. He's been out of the news for a few weeks, and that's good news, so to speak. So, yeah, roll with me, Junior Nation. – Jay Busbee
Jimmie Johnson: Did you know that no one has led more laps this season than Jimmie Johnson? Not even points leader Tony Stewart, who's 737 down to JJ in the laps led category. It's all about wins now for three-time (as in defending champ) and he and Chad Knaus will find a way to get another one Saturday night. That is what they do. – Jay Hart
Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch is very successful in two areas – winning races and creating controversy. Last week in New Hampshire it was the latter, as Busch was criticized for forcing the issue, making contact with Martin Truex Jr. during a restart and creating a multi-car incident. He took some heat, acknowledged the mistake, and now he wins. – Ricky Craven
Three drivers I'll be watching, by Ricky Craven
Craven
1. Joey Logano … should be as confident as ever after winning his first Sprint Cup Series race. But Daytona in July is not just another event. It's Saturday night restrictor-plate racing under the lights. Confidence is key to any race, but being over-confident or over-aggressive in this contest can lead to a lot of trouble. Still, I expect another strong performance from Logano.
2. Matt Kenseth … won the Daytona 500 to start the new year and followed with a win the next week in California. But Kenseth has been relatively quiet since. Can he use his most recent Daytona success as a springboard for a late-summer charge toward the Chase?
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. … has had a frustrating 2009 season that began at this track five months ago. Pit-road miscues, followed by an incident with Brian Vickers that wiped out several lead-lap Daytona 500 contenders, established the poor trend for Earnhardt in the 500 and, perhaps, the new year. To find Dale's last top-five finish, you have to go back to Talladega in April. Likewise, Dale Jr. has had much success at this superspeedway, so it would seem this race serves as a great opportunity for a strong performance.
Top storyline
Earnhart Jr.
• It's all about Dale Earnhardt Jr. If he's going to make a run at the Chase, it will either start or end here. Show strength and Earnhardt could very well set himself up for a rally; falter, and it's the end, because if he can't succeed in Daytona, he won't anywhere else. – Jay Hart
• Double-file restarts make their restrictor-plate racing debut Saturday night. Having proven successful and exciting at Pocono, Michigan, Infineon and New Hampshire, double-file restarts now get tested at Daytona in a unique type of racing.
Drivers may find themselves separated from a teammate or cooperative drafting partner because of the two lanes created from the new rule. It will change the race, and perhaps the finish. – Ricky Craven
• Rain, rain, stay away. Current projections set the chance of rain at Daytona this weekend at 40 percent. Great. And this is Florida, where it always rains in the afternoon. After the Lowe's and Loudon rainouts in recent weeks, another weather-shortened delay – which would be the second one at Daytona this year – and NASCAR fans are going to start clamoring for drivers to settle it with potato-sack races. – Jay Busbee
From The Source
Mark Martin: "The 400, in my opinion, is better than the 500, although the 500 is the one you want to win so badly. This race really comes down to the actual racing. There's not as much pressure, and you can actually have fun and enjoy it."