BACK TO GALLERIES
Six candidates to win at Daytona Road Course
By Staff Report | Published: August 11, 2020 7
1 of 7
While it's true the NASCAR Cup Series has never raced on the Daytona Road Course, we can use key stats of a driver's recent history to give our best projection on who is primed to excel when history is made this weekend. We rank our top six candidates, with some help from Racing Insights.
2 of 7
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
6. Kurt Busch
Busch is a wheelman with lots of experience on a ton of different tracks. He has six top-10 finishes in the last eight road-course races.
3 of 7
Michael Reaves | Getty Images
5. Erik Jones
The free agent seems to have found some speed lately. (His fall to the back late Sunday was due to a mechanical problem in the car.) Jones also has top-10 finishes in five of the last seven-road-course races.
4 of 7
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4. Kevin Harvick
It's almost unfair that Harvick is here, but he's simply good at everything. In the midst of what may be an all-timer of a season, Harvick is a two-time road-course winner. He has finished in the top five for nine consecutive races and swept the doubleheader at Michigan.
5 of 7
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
3. Ryan Blaney
Blaney has finished in the top eight in the last four road-course races, and he won the inaugural race in 2018 at the Charlotte Roval.
6 of 7
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2. Martin Truex Jr.
Like our No. 1 driver, Truex Jr. has won three of the last seven road-course races, with runner-ups in two of the other seven. He was primed to win in 2018 at the Charlotte Roval before a mistake by Jimmie Johnson took both drivers out.
7 of 7
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
1. Chase Elliott
The Hendrick Motorsports driver has won three of the last five road-course races, including the last two. He has just one finish worse than sixth in the last six road races.