Daytona 500 2012: Top Tandems to Watch in Great American Race

Auto racing is generally thought of as a sport for individuals, but at this Sunday's Daytona 500, it will take great teamwork to take home the prize. I'm not talking about pit crews, although that's important as well, rather drafting between two drivers will be absolutely paramount.

Last year at Daytona and Talladega, drivers paired up throughout the race and worked together in the latter stages particularly. The only way to excel at restrictor plates at this point is to work in two-man teams on the track. Because of that, at least 20 cars will have a chance to win late in the race on Sunday.

If all goes according to plan, here are three tandems that are likely to be working together in the closing laps on Sunday and are sure to be a force to be reckoned with.

Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle

Sunday's qualifying session produced a clean sweep for Roush Fenway Racing as Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will start on the first row in the Daytona 500. While neither has ever won "The Great American Race," they have each had plenty of success over the course of their respective careers. They're also no stranger to working together on the track, so they figure to be a rock-solid team on Sunday.

Since they'll be starting next to each other, they will have the benefit of being drafting partners from the onset. Obviously, it's impossible to tell what is going to happen over the course of the race, but if both are still in contention late, then the odds are that they'll be pushing each other to the finish. Edwards finished second last season, so he and Biffle will be hungry to get Roush Fenway into victory lane.

Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon

While they have had their disagreements over the years, there may be no more potent duo in racing than Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports.

Johnson and Gordon have nine Sprint Cup titles and four Daytona 500 wins between them, so other tandems will be hard pressed to keep up with them. What it really comes down to, though, is if Johnson and Gordon are willing or able to draft together near the end of the race.

It's no secret that Johnson and Gordon each have their own agendas in terms of wanting to win the race. Since one of them will be pushing and one of them will be getting pushed if they work together, only one of them will be in a position to win.

With that said, it wouldn't be surprising to see them peel off and work with Hendrick teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne respectively. If they want to work together and battle it out on the last lap, though, Johnson and Gordon might pair off.

Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman

Despite the fact that Tony Stewart is the defending Sprint Cup champion and that Ryan Newman is a former Dayton 500 winner, few are talking about the Stewart Haas Racing compatriots heading into Sunday.

Since Danica Patrick is driving for the team this weekend there is a distinct possibility that one of Stewart or Newman will help her along if she's around late, but there is no guarantee that she will be.

Stewart Haas is a burgeoning team with two excellent drivers, and a Daytona 500 win would only bolster their resumes. While Newman is certainly good enough to make the Chase, he isn't a championship contender like Stewart. Because of that, I expect Newman to try and push Stewart to his first career Daytona 500 victory on Sunday.