Dropping the Hammer: NASCAR Beaching It Up at Daytona

Surefire Claims to Victory Lane

The man who'll probably be on the top of most race fans' list with Victory Lane material is most likely Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has won at this facility on five occasions (three in the spring, twice in the summer).

While he has experienced quite the season of struggles in the Sprint Cup series, nothing says homecoming and home-cooking like Daytona for the 34-year-old Kannapolis, N.C. native.

Driving his JR Motorsports' No. 5 Fastenal Chevrolet for the Friday night race, look for Junior to flex some of his plate muscle amongst the leaders and possibly for that checkered flag.

While Roush Fenway Racing and restrictor plate competition may not get along most of the time, there are occasions when this Ford team's performance at these tracks are absolutely phenomenal.

David Ragan showcased his emerging skills as a future NASCAR star when he drove his No. 6 Discount Tires Ford Fusion to a sounding victory at Talladega in April, a race that saw plenty of moments of excitement and heart-pounding crashes.

Topping the speed charts this evening, don't be surprised to see Ragan's white and black Ford claw and might his way to the front.

You may also want to keep an eye on Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. Busch has shown his worth on the plate tracks, winning in the top two NASCAR series at these facilities and his fearlessness to mix it up with the veterans up front.

Meanwhile, Logano has to be still be absolutely floored about his first Cup win last Sunday at his "hometown" track in Loudon, NH. You can't blame the kid, who probably is feeling an emotional high about his christening as a winner.

Now, Logano must show that he is "as good as he was in his last race," which was a win at Loudon in the Cup car and a runner-up at the hands of his teammate Busch in the N'wide race last Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Then there's the usual but reliable agents, who may not get all the glitz and glamor of their fraud counterparts. However, they must not go unnoticed.

Mike Bliss, Brendan Gaughan, and Jason Leffler are all potential candidates to upstage their Cup cousins if they look to make some headway in the points picture as well as for the trophy on Friday night.

And last but not least, watch for Brad Keselowski to showcase and audition for a Cup ride next season starting with this event—can anyone say Hendrick satellite operation?

Top 10 In Points

1)  Kyle Busch           2581
2)  Carl Edwards        2419
3)  Brad Keselowski    2338
4)  Jason Leffler        2261
5)  Joey Logano        2040
6)  Mike Bliss            1910
7)  Justin Allgaier       1864
8)  Brendan Gaughan  1844
9)  Steve Wallace      1823
10) Jason Keller         1810

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