Track Smack: Daytona

Who will win the Daytona 500?

Ryan Smithson: I am sure everyone is going to say Earnhardt Jr., and rightfully so, but Dodge has been solid. I'll go with Sterling Marlin. Experience, car, drive. Good combo.

Lee Montgomery: The way it looks right now, my money's on a fella named Earnhardt. He looked pretty dominant in the Shootout, and I don't see anyone any better this week. Sure, the RCR cars were fast, and you can't forget about Michael Waltrip, but this looks like Junior's year.

Dave Rodman: Limbs are made to be sawn off, but how about a Junior sweep -- of the races at least? He is not head and shoulders the best car, but there is no denying how good he is, here. There's a lot that can happen, but I like a sweep.

Marty Smith: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the best car, hands down, but at Daytona the best car has as much chance of surviving the insanity as the worst car. He'll lead a ton of laps, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and go with Matt Kenseth.

Dave Rodman: Dang! Let me get my saw out and spit on my palms!

Lee Montgomery: But can Sterling stay in his car this year?

Send us hate mail MartDawg Ryan Lee Dave

Ryan Smithson: Matt Kenseth is definitely out on a limb, Marty. None of Roush's cars have ever won the 500. In how many tries -- nearly a hundred?

Lee Montgomery: That's a shaky limb, my boy.

Marty Smith: You guys suck. Wusses.

Ryan Smithson: Thank you, Lee. Come on, MartDawg!

Marty Smith: Let's go with the obvious, everybody! Dale Jr.! Dale Jr.!

Lee Montgomery: Hey, I was asked who would win. Who got the Super Bowl right?

	Ahhhhhh! I can't get out! Credit: AP

Marty Smith: You guys are two of, what, 7000 journalists who will pick him?

Dave Rodman: Well, 6,898 of us picked Big E about annually, too. The kid is gonna win, and I don't think it will take 20 years to do it. There is so much that can happen -- but if the cards fall right he and his car's package would be tough to beat.

Ryan Smithson: Well, it looks pretty obvious. Boy didn't even have fenders last year and still was passing cars.

Marty Smith: IT'S DAYTONA, SMITHSON! He could puke the motor on the third lap or hit the wall on the fourth.

Ryan Smithson: Highly unlikely he would go out like that. I am going to stick with Marlin. Ganassi brought a good car down.

Dave Rodman: So what, now we're debating "who could win" versus "who should win?"

Lee Montgomery: I just hope that if he wins, there are no "CONSPIRACY!" cries.

Dave Rodman: That junk was being spouted yesterday when each RCR car went out: "I guess they didn't get the memo." That's as ridiculous as any July 2001 conspiracy theories were. I guess that's why Junior has won four of the last eight plate races?

	They said in class that you hold the wheel at 10 and 2! Credit: AP

Ryan Smithson: Oh, Lee, you know there will be -- twice as bad as the Pepsi 400 crap in 2001.

Lee Montgomery: OK, let's all pick a No. 2 guy, just for fun.

Dave Rodman: From the yo-yo run he had in the Bud Shootout, Rusty is still too star-crossed. Tony's tenacity makes me think he could make some noise, but his engine funk in qualifying tells me he might have an Earnhardt-esque Daytona jinx! Given his history, my backup would be Gordon -- Jeff.

Ryan Smithson: I'll tell you who else is really good -- Rudd! It's quite a shocker, too. Rudd's never really been great at Daytona, but boy, what a week he has had already.

Lee Montgomery: Junior the favorite -- Kurt Busch the dark horse. And I think Kyle Petty might surprise some folks.

Marty Smith: There's no question Junior's got the best car. But it's not that cut-and-dried, boys. Gordon had the best car hands-down last year, and he was gone at halfway.

Ryan Smithson: Well, you're right, it's always a crapshoot -- and crapshoot is a very good way to put it, too.

	Yawning helps relieve pressure. Especially for rookies. Credit: AP

Lee Montgomery: Who would've picked my man Ward last year?

Ryan Smithson: Not me.

Dave Rodman: Considering how well he ran the year before, somebody should've -- but that's the perfect example of how no one remembers who finishes second, or gets a potential winning car wiped out in a "big one."

Marty Smith: I certainly hope Monty's prediction that Kyle turns some heads comes true.

Lee Montgomery: Me, too. It'd be too sweet to see Kyle and the 45 in Victory Lane.

Dave Rodman: If I was him I would almost be tempted to retire on the spot if he did. Put Steve Grissom in the car for the rest of the year and go build a kick-butt camp.

Marty Smith: Kenseth's as smooth as Angie Harmon's skin. He'll elude the inevitable pileup and smooch his wife in Victory Lane.

Lee Montgomery: There we go again, talking about hot women.

Ryan Smithson: You really think he will kiss his wife, Marty? Not sure about that one.

	Tony, your regular bodyguard has the flu. I'll walk you to the hauler. Credit: AP

Marty Smith: Yeah, he will. That dude on motorsportstv always talks about how they kiss with their eyes open. If Matt wins, count on the smoocher.

Ryan Smithson: I was kidding anyway. And yeah, that list on motorsportstv is great.

Marty Smith: I agree with Lee that Busch is a contender. He was all over Junior in the Shootout. Well, until Junior put his foot on the floor.

Dave Rodman: I hope Kurt was in Shootout mode in the Shootout. If he drives like that in the 500 he'll be stuffed in the wall before halfway and I hope he doesn't take anyone else with him.

Ryan Smithson: If Kenseth wins, I hope he gets right in the camera and goes: "Who's the man, who's the man?" boy needs some serious celebration -- some serious braggin'! Again, another Stifler reference.

Lee Montgomery: Ryan, you need to get out of the backwoods of Tennessee once and for all.

	Conspiracy Theory Credit: ASP

Dave Rodman: You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy, Lee.

Marty Smith: I wonder if he'll give out free drills to every fan if he wins?

Lee Montgomery: Who's the official tool of NASCAR?

Ryan Smithson: Sure, they get a $5 coupon off a $150 drill.

Marty Smithson: Ryan Smithson is the official tool of NASCAR.

Lee Montgomery: NOW you're talking.

Who is the man to beat in the Busch Series this year?

Marty Smith: Ron Hornaday, no question. He's long been an amazing driver, but now he's got the best car in the game under his butt.

Ryan Smithson: Seems like everyone has forgotten Scott Riggs. He's still there, people. And he will regain that consistency.

	Harold Holly, with mullet Credit: ASP

Lee Montgomery: You guys seem to be forgetting about a fella named Keller. Jason, that is. Busch Series champion, 2003.

Dave Rodman: Lee, you type quicker than me and that's OK. I don't see how anyone could overlook Jason. True, if Ron hits it off with Ricky and the boys at RCR they will put up a tough fight, but Keller's been there for years, now.

Ryan Smithson: Ron Hornaday -- truck champ at 35, Busch champ at 45, Winston Cup champ at 55.

Dave Rodman: Wake up and go back to sleep, Ryan.

Ryan Smithson: I was kidding. Jeez.

Lee Montgomery: Riggs will find some tough sledding without Harold Holly, don't you think?

Dave Rodman: I wonder what terms Harold left on? Whoever he hooks up with has some potential to at least win races.

	Harold Holy, post mullet Credit: Autostock

Ryan Smithson: Very good point. I guess we will see. Riggs can drive hard, though.

Marty Smith: I think you're wrong, Lee.

Lee Montgomery: Riggs is my homeboy, more or less.

Ryan Smithson: You are from the Bahamas?

Lee Montgomery: No, but I know how to pronounce it. Buh-HEY-ma (Bahama, N.C.) .

Marty Smith: Doug Randolph has those boys refocused and reinvigorated. When I talked to Scott at the Busch Preview, he was so confident that they needed to go a different direction. Sure, Harold is a genius, but sometimes change is good.

Lee Montgomery: Doug Randolph is the man. But he ain't got a mullet like Harold Holly.

Marty Smith: Harold cut his mullet off, son. When was the last time you were at the track?

Lee Montgomery: He needs to grow it back. I think we've talked about mullets three weeks in a row now.

	Chris Rice -- the funniest man in NASCAR. Or so Marty Smith says. Credit: BillDavisRacing.com

Dave Rodman: As long as they don't introduce a mullet template.

Ryan Smithson: Speaking of tough sledding, let's see how Wimmer does without Bootie Barker. The price is wrong.

Dave Rodman: I'll bet you Wimmer wins more races than Riggs.

Marty Smith: Wow, I forgot about Wimmer. That kid will be a contender, too. His new crew chief, Chris Rice, is the funniest man in NASCAR.

Ryan Smithson: Why? What kind of jokes?

Marty Smith: He sounds like Elliott Sadler and acts like Kenny Wallace. He's the man. I'm stoked Bill Davis gave him that opportunity.

Ryan Smithson: Well that is better than sounding like Kenny Wallace and acting like Elliott Sadler.

Lee Montgomery: And a whole lot better than sounding like MartDawg and acting like Ryan.

Dave Rodman: As long as we don't have to all go to hair gel and dye jobs.

Ryan Smithson: I got the raw deal on that combo.

Marty Smith: Yeah, I have an awful accent -- I'll admit that.

Track Smack appears every Wednesday on NASCAR.com.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the participants.