Daytona 500 Starting Lineup: Mid-Pack Sleepers Who Will Be in Contention

After more than a day of delays, it appears that the Daytona 500 will finally get underway just after 7:00 p.m. ET tonight. Once the green flag waves, there will be plenty of lead changes, as has become to norm at Daytona in recent years.

That opens up opportunities for those drivers starting deep in the pack to become contenders quicker than at most other tracks. Here are three sleepers who will be in the mix before the night is over.

Kasey Kahne

Kahne is one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, but the results haven't matched that popularity quite yet. That said, he's had some success at Daytona in the past, including a second-place finish at the track's summer race.

He's not one of the young faces anymore. It's time for him to take that next step to become a consistent contender every year. There's no better way to start building that momentum than a strong finish at Daytona when people aren't expecting much.

There will be no shortage of drivers looking to race in a tandem with him after his change of cars, which should help him be right there when the checkered flag flies.

Mark Martin

In a wild race like Daytona, it's always smart to lean toward savvy veterans like Martin. He's seen literally everything during his career, so he'll be ready for whatever the track or his competitors are going to throw his way.

Even though he's starting in the muddled middle, his car is fast. Once the pack starts to spread out, he should start making up ground at a pretty good rate. If his team can make the right adjustments, he'll be extremely dangerous.

Since he's not the most exciting driver, he'll be one of those guys who you don't notice until the final 20 laps when he's suddenly in contention to pull out the victory.

David Ragan

Ragan is another driver with a car capable of making a big push. In five career Daytona 500 starts, he gains more than 10 positions on average, which is a nice track record for somebody with as little experience as him.

The biggest key for him is to establish a good speed early to attract drafting partners. Since he doesn't have any marquee teammates, he'll need to rely on other drivers wanting to work with him in order to move up in the tandem style.

If it weren't for a shaky run in his Gatorade Duel, a lot more people would be talking about him as a threat. Look for him to right the ship with a memorable performance tonight.