Daytona 500 2011: 15 Early Favorites for the Great American Race
Even though there's just four more days until Christmas, an even bigger countdown is also taking place for NASCAR fans.
As of Dec. 21, there are 61 days until the 53rd running of the "Great American Race," the Daytona 500. While the 2010 season ended about a month ago, it's never too early to anticipate the first official green flag of the 2011 campaign.
Can Jamie McMurray duplicate last season's success and prove victorious again? Will Richard Childress Racing continue its string of restrictor-plate victories? Could Jimmie Johnson start yet another championship season with his second Daytona 500 victory?
Those questions will not be answered until the checkered flag flies Feb. 16, but here's a look at 15 names that could make history in Daytona Beach.
Jamie McMurray
1 of 15
The defending champion of the "Great American Race," McMurray had the best season of his career in 2010, winning three races—including the Brickyard 400—and finishing 14th in the Sprint Cup points standings.
With Kevin "Bono" Manion returning as crew chief of the No. 1 Chevrolet, it seems possible that McMurray could use a second consecutive Daytona 500 win to springboard himself into the Chase for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
Jimmie Johnson
2 of 15
The five-time defending champion earns a place on this list because...well, he's the five-time defending champion.
Johnson won the Daytona 500 in 2006 under the tutelage of acting crew chief Darian Grubb, after Chad Knaus was suspended prior to the race.
With that in mind, there's always extra incentive to give Knaus his first Daytona 500 victory. It would also give the No. 48 team a huge momentum push to pursue a sixth straight Sprint Cup title.
Kevin Harvick
3 of 15
Harvick enters the 2011 Daytona 500 as the winner of the last Sprint Cup event at the track, surviving a crash-filled 400 miles to win the July race at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Prior to the win, Harvick also took the checkered flag in the April race at Talladega, an event which featured a NASCAR-record 88 lead changes.
After finishing second in a photo finish at Talladega in October, Harvick may have restrictor-plate momentum on his side as he pursues his second Daytona 500 victory in five years.
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Clint Bowyer
4 of 15
Bowyer defeated his Richard Childress Racing teammate Harvick in the photo finish at Talladega in October, and he'll look to win another restrictor-plate race in February.
After a post-race penalty following a win at New Hampshire to start the Chase crippled his chances of winning a Sprint Cup title, Bowyer and the No. 33 may be looking for revenge to start the 2011 season.
Jeff Gordon
5 of 15
Gordon will enter the 2011 campaign in the midst of a 66-race winless streak, the longest of his career.
With crew chief Alan Gustafson coming on board from the No. 5 Chevrolet of Mark Martin, it would be a perfect start to the Gustafson-Gordon partnership if the No. 24 team broke the drought with Gordon's fourth win in the "Great American Race."
Kyle Busch
6 of 15
Kyle Busch struggled down the stretch last season, going without a top-10 finish in the final four races of the 2010 campaign. His success in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series once again failed to translate in a relative sense to the Chase.
The Las Vegas native has had plenty of experience out front in the "Great American Race," leading the most laps in 2008 and 2009. The No. 18 Toyota may be a team to watch when Speedweeks rolls around.
Kurt Busch
7 of 15
The photo finish between Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin in the 2007 Daytona 500 could have been between Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, if it wasn't for an incident between the two taking both out of contention on lap 153—while the two were battling for the lead.
Busch hasn't come close to the Harley Earl Trophy since a runner-up finish in the 2008 event. However, a slight change of scenery at Penske Racing leaves Busch as driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge for next season while keeping the same crew as last season in the No. 2's colors.
Kurt Busch could be the first Busch brother to reach Victory Lane in the Daytona 500.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 of 15
The start of what could be the most pressure-packed season of Junior's career begins at the sport's most prestigious event.
Steve Letarte comes over from the No. 24 Chevrolet to take over the crew chief reins from Lance McGrew, in hopes of reviving the career of NASCAR's Most Popular Driver.
Earnhardt Jr.'s second Daytona 500 victory would be a great sign that Hendrick Motorsports' moves of desperation may prove to be beneficial in 2011.
Kasey Kahne
9 of 15
It would be huge for Red Bull Racing if Kasey Kahne could assist in giving the team its first Sprint Cup win since August 2009 at the "Great American Race."
The Enumclaw, Washington native has struggled at the Daytona 500, failing to finish in the top 10 since a seventh-place mark in 2008.
A win at Daytona in the No. 4 Toyota would be a remarkable start to the next chapter of Kahne's career.
Carl Edwards
10 of 15
Edwards finished off the 2010 season in grand style, breaking a 70-race winless streak by claiming victories in the final two races of the campaign at Phoenix and Homestead.
It would be quite a sight to see Edwards celebrate his third straight victory by doing a backflip at Daytona's start-finish line for the first time in Sprint Cup competition.
Tony Stewart
11 of 15
Tony Stewart may very well be the best active driver to remain winless at the Daytona 500.
"Smoke" is a three-time winner in the July event at Daytona and has six top 10s at the Super Bowl of stock car racing.
As always, it could be just a matter of time before he reaches victory lane in February.
David Ragan
12 of 15
The darkest of horses on this list, David Ragan has struggled throughout his four-year career on the Sprint Cup level.
However, Ragan has three top-five finishes at Daytona, including a fifth-place mark in 2006—his rookie season.
The scenario of Ragan shocking the world and winning the "Great American Race" seems about as likely as Jamie McMurray's chances in 2010. Of course, we all know how that turned out.
David Reutimann
13 of 15
Reutimann had a fifth-place finish in February and an 11th-place finish in July at Daytona in 2010.
Even though he dropped two positions in the Sprint Cup points standings from 2009 to 2010, Reutimann won his first career race not affected by rain at Chicagoland in July.
It could be a matter of time before the No. 00 Toyota wins the "Great American Race."
Matt Kenseth
14 of 15
The 2009 Daytona 500 champion has notched a top 10 finish in five of the last eight Sprint Cup races at Daytona, including an eighth-place finish last season.
Only time will tell if Kenseth can win two "Great American Races" in three seasons.
Denny Hamlin
15 of 15
After coming just short of winning the Sprint Cup title in 2010, it seems logical that Hamlin and the No. 11 crew may be determined to start off the 2011 season in victorious fashion.
Despite one career top-10 at Daytona, Hamlin memorably won the 2006 Budweiser Shootout in his first race at the track.
Thoughts? Comment below.
Ryan Papaserge is a junior journalism/mass communication student at St. Bonaventure University and a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.
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