Contacts to Call
Jeff Gordon is the active, all-time winner for this race amongst his full-time competitors. Winning this race on three occasions in 1995, 1998, and 2004, the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet just has a love of the slick track conditions that are so conducive to the month of July at Daytona.
Pretty much locked into the Chase, Gordon would love to win on Saturday night to trim his somewhat lengthy defecit from "Chase leaders" Mark Martin and Kyle Busch, who have won three times this season.
Kyle Busch would like nothing more but another win at "The World Center of Racing," especially with his somewhat inconsistent season.
Either enjoying a feast or experiencing a famine, the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota team are in a position where a win is obviously important, but starting a streak of top fives and tens are probably more paramount than anything else for this bunch.
Tony Stewart, who currently leads the Sprint Cup points standings, absolutely enjoys racing in the summer at DIS. Having won the 400-miler in 2005 and 2006, the driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet would love to give his new sponsor another dip into Victory Lane (having previously been there with the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. during his Daytona 500 win in 1998).
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is traditionally a pick at these plate tracks, having won this event in 2001 and the Daytona 500 in 2004.
Seemingly having some of his father's skills at the plate tracks, a good finish or a win would certainly ease the pain and heartaches that this team has experienced in 2009.
Don't forget to keep an eye on guys like Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Elliott Sadler. Fantasy race owners, any of these five drivers are pretty good sleepers for the victory on Saturday night.
In the case of Kenseth and his No. 17 team, a Daytona sweep would certainly be a huge confidence booster for this organization, which hasn't had much reason to talk about this season.
Top 10 In Points
1) Tony Stewart: 2524
2) Jeff Gordon: 2455
3) Jimmie Johnson: 2355
4) Kurt Busch: 2254
5) Carl Edwards: 2157
6) Denny Hamlin: 2132
7) Ryan Newman: 2127
8) Kyle Busch: 2108
9) Greg Biffle: 2106
10) Matt Kenseth: 2054
Rob's Rant...
Both the N'wide Series and the Cup gang have reached their halfway points of their seasons. While it is safe to say that the N'wide title is pretty much Kyle Busch's to lose, on the Cup side, it's anyone's race.
While media pundits have already dubbed Stewart, Gordon, and Johnson as the "Big Three," don't count your favorites out of challenging them for the Chase.
If guys like Kyle Busch or Mark Martin grab a few more wins and stay safely within the top 12 in points, they may mount a respectable charge on the No. 14, 24, and 48 teams come Chase season.
While I do feel sorry for what happened to Bill Weber and I will not comment further about his deal with TNT, I will say it was a breath of fresh air listening to Ralph Sheheen calling the race last Sunday at Loudon.
He has an enthusiastic voice without going too overboard, and talks like one of us—the fans.
Sheheen was a heckuva pit reporter during CBS Sports' last years covering NASCAR, getting his first break with the network and sport in the 1997 Daytona 500. He was diligent, informative, and easily understandable to any one watching the race at home.
The same can be said about his performance for TNT Sports last Sunday in the booth with Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach.
Perhaps Sheheen's gig as Weber's replacement for the rest of their races in 2009 may serve as a huge sign of things to come for that network or for any media partner who's looking for a stout personality.
Lastly, and I'm probably going to get a lot of hatin' about it (and undoubtedly cast an unpopular view among the writers and fans) but seriously people, get over the hate and bitterness over a foreign automobile manufacturer competing in NASCAR.
Yes, I know, NASCAR is all-American and should showcase the GM models, the Ford Motor Company, and Dodge line of vehicles in the sport. Yeah, I've heard that case made several times.
But Toyota is here to stay, people. And yes, they're based in Japan.
However, the last time I checked, of all the four manufacturers competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, only the Toyota Camry is assembled right in the good ol' United States in Lafayette, Ind.
The Chevrolet Impala is made in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, while the Ford Fusion is assembled in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
How about the Dodge Charger? Try Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
So the next time you wanna go off on me or another race fan who may drive or support the Toyota brand of cars, on and off-the-track, you may want to see where these cars are made.
Get over the history, the hatred, prejudice and preconceived notion of what's supposed to be ONLY in NASCAR or your sport.
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