Coke Zero 400 Betting News and Notes

Daytona - Driver Tale of the Tape

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 RK Motors Charlotte Toyota)

· Three top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 16.4
· Average Running Position of 17.3, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.5, ninth-best
· 77 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 189.524 mph, fourth-fastest

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

· 10 top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 18.0
· Average Running Position of 16.1, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 88.9, sixth-best
· 70 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 3,692 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· 2,072 Laps in the Top 15 (60.3%), fifth-most
· 2,585 Quality Passes, third-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota)

· One win, five top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 18.6
· Series-best Average Running Position of 12.6
· Series-best Driver Rating of 97.1
· 84 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 3,851 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 189.532 mph, second-fastest
· Series-high 2,413 Laps in the Top 15 (70.2%)
· Series-high 2,743 Quality Passes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet)

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.4
· Average Running Position of 14.0, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.0, third-best
· 85 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 4,036 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 189.528 mph, third-fastest
· 2,245 Laps in the Top 15 (65.3%), second-most
· 2,710 Quality Passes, second-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Subway Ford)

· Four top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 18.1
· Average Running Position of 17.6, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.1, 12th-best
· 72 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 4,026 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· 1,815 Laps in the Top 15 (52.8%), eighth-most
· 2,549 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Pepsi Real Sugar Chevrolet)

· Six wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 16.3
· Average Running Position of 14.5, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.0, seventh-best
· 3,664 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· 2,030 Laps in the Top 15 (59.1%), sixth-most
· 2,333 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)

· Three top fives, three top 10s
· Average finish of 20.4
· Average Running Position of 16.1, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 85.5, eighth-best
· 79 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 189.471 mph, eighth-fastest

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Folds Of Honor Chevrolet)

· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.8
· Driver Rating of 82.4, 11th-best
· Series-high 87 Fastest Laps Run
· 3,578 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 189.509 mph, sixth-fastest
· 1,990 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Patriotic Chevrolet)

· Three wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.0
· Average Running Position of 13.9, third-best
· Driver Rating of 89.0, fifth-best
· 2,194 Laps in the Top 15 (63.8%), fourth-most
· 2,372 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota)

· Two wins, six top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.1
· Average Running Position of 13.8, second-best
· Driver Rating of 92.9, second-best
· 77 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 3,566 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· 2,228 Laps in the Top 15 (64.8%), third-most
· 2,453 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops / Ducks Unlimited Chevrolet)

· Four wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.1
· Average Running Position of 16.5, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.0, fourth-best
· 76 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 1,898 Laps in the Top 15 (55.2%), seventh-most

Coke Zero 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

One week after seeing an average speed at 80 mph at Sonoma where the drivers made left and right turns on the road course, the Sprint Cup Series takes it up a notch with speeds at over 200 mph at Daytona International Speedway this Saturday night for the Coke Zero 400. It's all left turns, it's real fast and the restrictor-plates make almost all the cars equal meaning that up to 35 of the 40 drivers can realistically win.

Through 16 races we've seen 11 different winners, and all of them are candidates to win this week. To start the handicapping process you'll want to look at what happened during Daytona Speedweeks in February and then you'll also want to include what happened May 1 at Talladega Superspeedway. Daytona and Talladega race very different from each other, but since they're the only two tracks that use the plate package, it's a good measuring tool.

Or, maybe better yet for handicapping Daytona, you just throw some darts or pull a car number out of a hat. The randomness of cars getting involved in another drivers mess is greater for the two plate races. They go rows of cars with side-by-side racing at insane speeds and when one car wiggles just a bit it can take out dozen cars easy. There's just no where for the drivers to go when this happens.

Because of that randomness and the cars being equal, you're going to get nice odds on just about every driver, or at least the top drivers that are usually in the 8/1 range. If looking to get someone like Danica Patrick at 500/1 odds, you're out of luck this week. All the regular long shots have their odds reduced to around 60/1 just because they really can win. Even Danica can win. It's her best shot -- she's finished eighth twice at Daytona.

Now I certainly won't have a ticket on Danica to win, but she's the perfect example of how anyone can win. We've seen the likes of Trevor Bayne, David Ragan and Aric Almirola all win at Daytona since 2011. Ragan's other career Cup win came at Talladega in 2013 and he was pushed to the front by teammate David Gilliland who finished second -- a spectacular exacta if we had that.

Side Note: Nevada sports books will actually have pools like horse races for NASCAR races by football season as US Fantasy has been approved by the state to take Fantasy-type wagers at sports books. The take-out in the pools are expected to be much better than horse racing with only 10 percent juice to be divided between the book operators and US Fantasy. More on that developing story in a few weeks.

The driver we have to key on first is Denny Hamlin, who the Sprint Unlimited non-points race and then the Daytona 500 a week later. Hamlin led a race-high 95 laps in the 500, continuing a strong three year run in plate races. His winning car is on display for fans in Daytona, but the package used can be replicated easily by his team and we should expect Hamlin to be almost as good as he was during Daytona Speedweeks.

The favorite to win Saturday is Dale Earnhardt Jr. who won this race last season giving him four Daytona wins for his career. He's led 593 laps in 33 starts and has compiled an impressive 13.3 average finish. He's desperate for a win this season and looks to be the 12th different driver to win a race this season. However, his two plate races this season are the perfect example of how volatile these races are and how the race favorite still has to have his rating downgraded compared to a normal race on a 1.5-mile track. He was 36th in the 500 and dead last at Talladega thanks to being involved in an early crash.

You can expect all of Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammates to be almost as good as him. Matt Kenseth led 40 of the final 41 laps in the 500 before being shuffled back to 14th late on the last lap. Kyle Busch would finish third and Carl Edwards fifth. Martin Truex Jr., who uses JGR equipment, was runner-up. The only non-JGR driver to crack the top-five was Kevin Harvick in fourth.

Tony Stewart's Sonoma win on Sunday makes him eligible to be one of the final 16 drivers participating in the seasons final 10 races during the Chase for the Championship. All he has to do now is get himself into 30th-place and he'll be on his way to re-producing the same type of storyline as Kyle Busch last year when he won at Sonoma and it helped propel him to the season title. Stewart is currently in 32nd-place after missing the first eight races, but only needs to make up nine points over the next 10 races.

Before the win, Stewart was listed at 100/1 odds to win the 2016 Chase. That number has dropped to 40/1 now that he's so close to making it. How he'll perform from here on out is still a mystery because it was only his third top-10 in eight races and one of those he needed a mid-race replacement driver to finish at Talladega. However, this win could be a jump start for him, a psychological boost of sorts after all the tragedy he's endured physically and emotionally the past three seasons.

Sunday's win ended an 84-race winless streak. His last win was at Dover in 2013. Stewart hopes his 2016 story ends up just like Busch's did last year. Following Busch's Sonoma, he would go on to win three of the next four races in July and then eventually winning his first title. Stewart is looking to win his fourth title and what a story it would be if he were to ride off into the sunset a champion in his final season like Peyton Manning or John Elway.

Even if he hadn't won last week he'd still be a good candidate to win Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He's never won the Daytona 500, and he missed his final attempt this year because of an off-season road racing accident, but he is a four-time winner in the summer race at Daytona, the last one coming in 2012. He's also led 668 laps over 34 Daytona starts which is most among all active drivers. Brian Vickers drove his No. 14 to a 26th-place finish in February.

As a reminder to what happened at Talladega in May, Brad Keselowski led a race-high 46 laps to win for the fourth time there -- he still doesn't have a win at Daytona. Kyle Busch was second, Austin Dillon third, Jamie McMurray fourth and Chase Elliott led 27 laps finishing fifth. As for the long shots, Ryan Blaney was ninth and Trevor Bayne was 10th and led 22 laps. Among all those names, Elliott looks like a great candidate to win this week. He should start on the pole again just like he did in the 500 and at Talladega.

Happy Fourth-of-July to all!

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8/1)
2) #20 Matt Kenseth (12/1)
3) #24 Chase Elliott (15/1)
4) #78 Martin Truex Jr. (12/1)
5) #22 Joey Logano (12/1)

NASCAR Betting Odds For The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
By Greg Engle
Examiner.com

Here are our favorites for Saturday’s seventeenth race of the year for your betting or fantasy racing leagues. Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2016 races (23 total) among active drivers at Daytona International Speedway.The Driver Rating is a number based on a formula developed by NASCAR which combines "loop data" elements such as average running position, average speed under green, number of fastest laps, and other stats. There is a maximum of 150 points that a driver can earn for each race. The odds are current as of Wednesday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (9-2) is the clear favorite this week. He is the defending winner of this race, and is tied with Tony Stewart among active drivers here with four wins. Earnhardt has the second best driver rating among the field, 95.4, but had he not been swept up in an accident during the season opening Daytona 500, there is little doubt he would rank higher. This is the safest bet of the week.

Kyle Busch (12-1) is somewhat of a long shot according to the odds makers. But he does have the highest driver rating in the field at Daytona, 95.4, and won this race in 2008. He was also third in the season opening Daytona 500 and has run strong most of the year. Don’t count out Busch Saturday night.

Jimmie Johnson (8-1) has three wins at Daytona including a Coke Zero 400 victory in 2013. Johnson has the sixth best driver rating in the field, 88.7, and was second in this race last season. Johnson could definitely be a player Saturday night.

Martin Truex Jr. (15-1) missed winning the season opening Daytona 500 by mere inches after leading a race high 95 laps. His driver rating here, 78.8 is only the thirteenth best in the field, but after the dominating performances he has staged elsewhere this season, including the Daytona 500, Truex will be a man on a mission and looking for redemption.

Denny Hamlin (10-1) won the season opening Daytona 500 with a last lap pass of Truex. He has the third best driver rating, 91.5, and was third in this race last year. Winning the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 in the same year isn’t unprecedented, Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat in 2013, but given the unpredictability of the racing at Daytona it is tough to do. With his third place finish in this race last year, and his 500 win though, Hamlin has proven that he has what it takes to run near the front.

OTHERS: Kevin Harvick (10-1) has two wins here including a July win in 2010. He finished fourth in this race last season and in the 500. Harvick has a driver rating of 83.4, ninth best. Tony Stewart (25-1) will be riding the momentum of his win at Sonoma last Sunday. He has four wins at Daytona, all in the Coke Zero 400 races. His driver rating, 85.4, is seventh best and no one would be surprised to see Stewart add a fifth Saturday night.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway will be run on Saturday July 2. Live coverage will be on NBC starting at 7:00 p.m. ET with the green flag coming at about 7:45 p.m. ET.

NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Denny Hamlin has an incredible 3.2 average finish in his past five starts at Daytona International Speedway, including winning February's Daytona 500, but it's Dale Earnhardt Jr. who opens as the 9-to-2 favorite to win Saturday night's Coke Zero 400.

Despite finishing 36th in the Daytona 500 and 40th at Talladega in May, Junior has loads of respect from the Las Vegas oddsmakers whenever restrictor-plate races come around. The poor finishes by Junior in plate races this year are simply thrown out the window when creating the odds.

He's also the most bet upon driver in plate races from his huge base of fans, which automatically sets his odds lower than what they probably should be. It's a supply and demand story with him every time the plate races come around. Why give what his true odds should be when the bookmaker knows they'll be losers if he wins? Set the price lower, limit liability on the No. 88 car and force action elsewhere is the strategy in Las Vegas.

If looking at the past 10 plates races since 2014, Junior has a series best three wins and 382 laps led. Hamlin, who is listed at 10-to-1 odds, leads the series with an 11.2 average finish and has two wins over that span.

Earnhardt and his crew expect to do well in these races and they're making some adjustments for Saturday's race as he tries to win for the first time this season.

“We looked at some of the things we were doing on the plate car this year that we didn’t have last year — some new ideas and new theories how to get the car to be fast, and we think that has compromised how the car handles," Earnhardt said. "Last year, we finished in the top two or three in every single plate race and we were the best car at Daytona and Talladega, hands down. So, we’re going to go back on our setup to 2015, and hopefully that is going to give me the confidence and the comfort that I need to drive the car and be aggressive with it in the draft. I’m looking forward to Daytona and getting back to our winning ways there.”

In the four plate races last season, his worst finish was third and had two wins, including the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

Here's a look at all the odds posted by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and a look at how each driver has fared at Daytona.

Dale EARNHARDT JR 9/2 - In 66 career plate races, he's got 10 wins and 25 top-five finishes with a 14.4 average finish. He's also led 1,553 laps. Those are all the most in the series now that Jeff Gordon has retired. He's won two of the past five at Daytona and has four overall, including his magical 2001 win the ensuing Daytona race after his father passed. Obviously, this is a very special place for him. However, his ratio of winning at Daytona (four wins in 33 starts) surely doesn't merit low odds like 9-to-2 in the same way like Jimmie Johnson does at Dover or Martinsville or Kevin Harvick at Phoenix.

Jimmie JOHNSON 8/1 - In 2013 he became the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep a Daytona season. He had top-five finishes in both races last season and was 16th in this year's Daytona 500. Expect another strong run this week if trouble stays away from him.

“We have had strong cars at superspeedways this year," Johnson said. "Daytona should be a good race to watch. If the race gets off to a slow start, you can probably bank on a wild finish. We have a special Lowe’s Chevrolet this weekend with the patriotic colors on it – would be nice to win this one to honor all the veterans.”

Denny HAMLIN 10/1 - He started 2016 off with the fastest Sprint Unlimted lap during happy hour, won the non-points race then won the Daytona 500 the following week. He'll attempt to join Bobby Allison (1982) as the only driver to complete the triple and based on his recent Daytona run of excellence and Joe Gibbs Racing's plate package, he's a strong candidate to do so. His winning Daytona 500 car is on display for fans at Daytona all season, but his winning Sprint Unlimited car is available, which he's expected to use this week. Getting the triple would be a nice bargaining chip for Hamlin in a contract year. Coach Gibbs, what are you waiting for?

Joey LOGANO 10/1 - Earnhardt Jr. won two of the four plates race last season and Logano won the other two, the first two plate wins of his career. The most impressive of the two was probably his Talladega win last fall when he had a few veteran drivers targeting him after spinning Matt Kenseth out late at Kansas. He was sixth in the Daytona 500 this year and his Penske teammate, Brad Keselowski, won at Talladega in May.

Kevin HARVICK 10/1 - He's a two-time winner at Daytona, the last coming in 2010. Last season he was runner-up in February, fourth in July and then fourth again in this years Daytona 500. He has lots of respect in the plate races and rarely has trouble finding friends to follow his lead in the draft, which makes him an attractive wager. Still, he has only three plate wins in 61 starts and none since 2010.

Matt KENSETH 12/1 - He's a two-time Daytona 500 winner and has had one of the stronger plate cars with lots of laps led since being with JGR, but hasn't brought a plate win home for Gibbs. He led 40 of the final 41 laps in February's Daytona 500, but got shuffled to 14th on the last lap. He was the only driver with JGR equipment not to crack the top-five.

Kyle BUSCH 12/1 - His seventh-place at Sonoma halted a streak of four straight finishes of 30th or worse, and it was also his first top-10 of the year he didn't also finish in the top-five. He's been stuck on his series leading nine top-fives since winning at Kansas. Two of his top-fives came in the plate races with third at Daytona and runner-up at Talladega. His only Daytona win came in 2008 summer race. From all facets -- season and career, you could say he's due to win.

Carl EDWARDS 12/1 - In 47 career plate races, he's yet to win, which has been a surprise because he's been so competitive with strong cars. He finished fifth in the Daytona 500 and 35th at Talladega.

Martin TRUEX JR 15/1 - His runner-up in February was his first top-five in 22 Daytona starts. It was also his first start with JGR equipment. Expect him to be fast once again this week.

Kurt BUSCH 15/1 - His consistency this season has been amazing with a series leading 14 top-10 finishes in 16 races, including both plate races. Perhaps even more amazing is that he's never won in 61 plate races -- his 16.5 average over that span is fifth-best among active drivers. He has the same amount of top-fives (18) in plate races as teammate Tony Stewart who has five wins, and has done it in seven less starts.

His time is surely coming and he has an idea of what is needed to get his first win.

“I have to be more aggressive in the draft with blocking," he said. "We have to have the right strategy to spend the least amount of time on pit road at the end of the race, and to be able to choose the right lane at the right time. At the end, every man is for himself. You do trust teammates. I would trust Kyle (Busch), my brother, at Daytona and Talladega. The way that it all works out is that every man is racing for himself.”

Brad KESLOWSKI 15/1 - He has four wins at Talladega, including May's race, but none at Daytona in 14 starts where he's averaged a 22.1 finish. He's finished 18th or worse in his past four starts there following a career-best third in 2014.

Chase ELLIOTT 15/1 - He's been the pole sitter in both plate races this season and his Talladega run, where he finished fifth and led 27 laps, makes him a strong contender this week. He's knocking on the door for a win and this would seem like the ideal setting to make initial victory splash and burnout.

Kasey KAHNE 18/1 - He doesn't have any plate wins in 50 starts, but because of the HMS equipment, he's still highly respected by Las Vegas. His best Daytona finish was runner-up in the summer of 2010. It's also his last top-five finish there.

Tony STEWART 25/1 - After 84 races without a win, he broke through in grand fashion with a win at Sonoma last week. Despite the long stretch between wins, Las Vegas kept his odds down at 12-to-1 for that race and his odds this week show some respect as well. Not only is he rejuvenated and having fun, but he's also got four Daytona wins to his credit — all coming in the summer race. Look for him to be brimming with confidence this week, which means he might be back to having the tenacious Stewart-mentality on the track that has been missing since his world was turned upside down due to tragic events.

Jamie McMURRAY 30/1 - Four of his seven career wins have come with plates on — two each at Daytona and Talladega — and he had his only top-five of the season at Talladega.

Kyle LARSON 30/1 - The plates races have been tough on him with a 27.5 average finish in 10 starts, but he did have a career-best seventh at Daytona in February.

Austin DILLON 30/1 - He leads all active drivers with a 12.5 average finish at Daytona (six starts) and was ninth there in February and third at Talladega. The No. 3 car finally winning at Daytona again might get the biggest cheer in the crowd because of all the great history it has there. Scratch that — Junior winning would still be No. 1 on the decibel meter.

Ryan BLANEY 60/1 - He finished 19th in the Daytona 500, but came back strong with a ninth-place at Talladega. In a race where up to 35 of the 40 drivers can win, he wouldn't be bad look considering he's using Team Penske equipment like Logano and Keselowski.

Ryan NEWMAN 60/1 - The 2008 Daytona 500 winner has a 20th-place average finish in 29 Daytona starts with 103 laps led. He was 11th there in February.

Greg BIFFLE 80/1 - His lone plate race win in 54 starts came at Daytona in the summer of 2003. He's led 157 laps in 27 Daytona starts.

AJ ALLMENDINGER 80/1 - His career-best finish was third in the 2009 Daytona 500, but it remains his only top-five there. He's finished 20th or worse in his past seven Daytona starts.

Paul MENARD 80/1 - His Richard Childress Chevrolet always seems to be in the mix of things late in plate races, but he's still searching for his first Daytona top-five after 18 starts. Last season he was third and sixth in the two Talladega races.

Ricky STENHOUSE JR 80/1 - He has a 12.8 average finish at Talladega in six starts, which is best among active drivers, but has a 20.1 average at Daytona, including 22nd in February.

Trevor BAYNE 80/1 - The 2011 Daytona 500 champion finished ninth in this race last season and in his most recent plate race finished ninth at Talladega after leading 22 laps.

Danica PATRICK 80/1 - Of her six career top-10 finishes in 134 Sprint Cup starts, two of them — both eighth-place — have come at Daytona. However, she's been 35th in her last two starts there.

Clint BOWYER 80/1 - His 15.2 average finish in 42 plate races in third-best among active drivers. He has two wins at Talladega and has been fourth at Daytona three times. Despite the crummy equipment he has this season, he finished seventh at Talladega in May.

Aric ALMIROLA 80/1 - The only Cup win of his career came in a rain-shortened summer race in 2014. It was also the only top-10 of his career on the high-banked 2.5-mile layout. He finished 12th in February.

Casey MEARS 80/1 - Despite finishes of 32nd or worse in the two plate races this season, he still comes in confident this week knowing he's been remarkably good at Daytona over the past three seasons with a 10.3 average finish over his last six starts there.

Chris BUESCHER 100/1 - He was 39th in the Daytona 500 and 37th at Talladega. His low odds still reflect how much respect every driver has in what is essentially a crap shoot. Yes, almost anyone can win.

FIELD 50/1 - Regan Smith finished seventh in the Daytona 500 and Michael McDowell was 15th showing the long shot can keep up with the plates strapped on leveling the playing field. Landon Cassill was 11th at Talladega and Michael Waltrip led two laps and finished 12th. No Waltrip this week as Reed Sorenson will be piloting the No. 55. There isn't a bad bet for this race, at least until it loses.

Daytona Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

Who's HOT at Daytona

• Denny Hamlin has finished sixth or better in the last six races, including a win in this year's Daytona 500.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has two wins in the last five races, including this event last year.
• Austin Dillon has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races, including the last two Coke Zero 400s.
• Jimmie Johnson, who is the last driver to sweep both races at Daytona in 2013, has finished in the top five in three of the last five races and has led 107 laps in that span.
• Tony Stewart, who ended an 84-race winless streak last weekend, is a four-time winner of the July race.
• Kevin Harvick has finished in the top five in the last three races.
• Kurt Busch has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts.
• Joey Logano has two top 10s in the last three races, including a win in the 2015 Daytona 500.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Daytona

• Kyle Busch, the 2008 July Daytona winner, has posted an 8.2 average finish in his last four restrictor-plate starts (Daytona and Talladega).
• Chase Elliott, who has won the pole in his two Sprint Cup Series plate starts, led 27 laps and finished fifth at Talladega in May.
• Martin Truex Jr. (7.5), Jamie McMurray (10.5), Brad Keselowski (10.5) and Ryan Blaney (14.0) each rank in the top 10 in average finish at the two restrictor-plate races this season.
• Matt Kenseth has combined to lead 79 laps in the two restrictor-plate races this season.
• Ryan Newman has posted a 9.5 average finish in the last two Daytona races.
• Casey Mears has finished 11th or better in five of his last six Daytona starts.
• Carl Edwards has finished fifth in two of his last three restrictor-plate starts.
• David Ragan, Trevor Bayne and Aric Almirola are among the winners in the last 12 Daytona races.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Kyle Busch
Pete Pistone: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Robbie Mays: Chase Elliott
John Singler: Kevin Harvick

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Daytona

Denny Hamlin is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last five races at Daytona. He won this year's Daytona to 500 to lower his average finish to 3.2 in that five-race span.

Austin Dillon has finished ninth or better in four of the last five Daytona races. His two Coke Zero starts have resulted in top 10s. This weekend, Dillon will return in the same car (chassis No. 533) that he finished ninth with in this year's Daytona 500.

Kurt Busch has finished sixth or better in his last three starts in the July race at Daytona. His 10th-place finish in this year's Daytona 500 also gave him three consecutive top 10s in his last three starts at the 2.5-mile speedway. Busch also leads all drivers that have competed in all of the last restrictor-plate races with a 9.0 average finish. This weekend, Busch will return in the same car (chassis No. 965) that he finished seventh with this year's Sprint Unlimited.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored two of his four Daytona wins in the last five races. He crashed out of this year's Daytona 500 to snap a streak of two consecutive top fives. Earnhardt leads all drivers with 197 laps led in the last five Daytona races.

Joey Logano has yet to finish in the top 10 in his three starts in the July Daytona race with Team Penske. Logano does however have 3.5 average finish in his last two Daytona 500 starts, including a win in 2015.

Regan Smith has not raced in the July Daytona race since 2012. He finished in the top 10 in two of his last three starts in the Daytona 500, including an eighth-place finish with Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2016.

Kevin Harvick has finished in the top five in his last three Daytona starts with Stewart-Haas Racing, including a fourth-place run last July. Harvick does own two Daytona 500 wins with Richard Childress Racing, with the last coming in 2010. This weekend, Harvick will debut a new car (chassis No. 972) in the Coke Zero 400.

Casey Mears finished 32nd in this year's Daytona 500 to snap a streak of five finishes of 11th or better at the 2.5-mile track.

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time Daytona winner with one of them, and the most recent, coming in the July race in 2013. Last year in this event, Johnson led 35 laps en route to a second-place finish. He ranks third in laps led (107) in the last five Daytona races.

Kyle Busch led 19 laps and finished third in this event last season for his sixth top five in 22 Daytona starts. Busch won the July race in 2008.

Michael McDowell finished seventh in his last start in the July race at Daytona in 2014. In his three track starts with Leavine Family Racing he's posted a 17.7 average finish.

Matt Kenseth has only one top 10 in seven Daytona starts with Joe Gibbs Racing, coming in the '500' in 2014. Kenseth, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, scored his last top 10 (third) in the July race in 2012. This year, Kenseth led 40 laps in the Daytona 500 and was leading on the last lap, but was shuffled back in the last turn.

Clint Bowyer finished 33rd in this year's Daytona 500, his first track start with HScott Motorsports. The finish snapped a streak of three consecutive top 10s when he was with Michael Waltrip Racing.

Aric Almirola has finished in the top 15 in three of his last four Daytona starts, including a win in the rain-shortened July race in 2014.

Greg Biffle has not finished in the top 10 in the July Daytona race since 2007. Biffle won this event back in 2003.

Ryan Newman finished eighth in this event last season for his first top 10 in five Daytona starts with Richard Childress Racing. In his previous 24 starts, Newman posted six top 10s, including a win in the 2008 Daytona 500. This weekend, Newman will pilot the same car (chassis No. 536) that he finished 11th with in this year's Daytona 500.

Jamie McMurray is a two-time Daytona winner, with one coming in the 2007 July race. His last of five top 10s came in this event in 2013.

Martin Truex Jr. finished second in this year's Daytona 500 for his first top five at the track in 22 starts. Truex has finished in the top 10 in two of his last three Daytona starts - both in the '500'.

Paul Menard scored his last of three top 10s in the 2012 Daytona 500, which ended a streak of three consecutive finishes of ninth or better at the track. This weekend, Menard will return in the same car (chassis No. 492) that he raced at both Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway with in 2015.

Brad Keselowski recorded his only top 10 (eighth) in the July Daytona race in 2012. His best Daytona finish - one of three top 10s in 14 starts - came in the 2014 Daytona 500, third

Drivers to Watch - Daytona
By Sportsbook.ag

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be looking to win his second consecutive and third total Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach on Saturday.

The driver finished this race in 2:58:58 a year ago, and it was his first time coming away victorious on the 2.5-mile track since 2001. He finished in 2:32:17 that year and will be hoping that he can finish in something close to that amount of time this year.

Earnhardt Jr. will not, however, be a threat to reach the record number of wins at this race. That belongs to David Pearson, who has won this event five times in his career. Tony Stewart, meanwhile, is a threat to reach that mark.

Stewart has won this race four times and he’ll certainly be motivated to get this victory, as he won’t have any more chances to catch the record. He is retiring after the season, so this is his final Coke Zero 400.

Wood Brothers Racing is the team that has had the most success at this event in the past, winning a total of nine times. Hendrick Motorsports is somewhat close, winning six times in the history of this race.

With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at who are some of the better picks to win this thing on Saturday:

Drivers to Watch

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6/1) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had a very disappointing season thus far, as he has not yet won a race on the season. Earnhardt Jr. has, however, racked up five top-five finishes on the year and he came in second place three races ago. With Earnhardt Jr. hungry to earn his first victory of the year, look for him to come out with some serious focus on Saturday. That is not going to be good news for the other drivers, though. Earnhardt Jr. is already one of the best active drivers at Daytona International Speedway and will be gunning for his second straight victory at this event on Saturday. At 6/1, Earnhardt Jr. is worth putting a few units on at a track where he is very comfortable racing.

Joey Logano (12/1) - Joey Logano has been on a tear heading into this race, finishing in the top-five at each of the past three races. He came away victorious at the FireKeepers Casino 400 two races ago and followed it up with a third place finish last week. Now Logano will be looking to win his first ever Coke Zero 400 and he certainly has the talent to do so. He is one of the best drivers in the world and is somebody that nobody will be counting out heading into the race. He’s worth putting a few units on at 12/1, as he could pay off huge on Saturday.

Tony Stewart (25/1) - Tony Stewart is the best active driver at Daytona International Speedway, as he is looking to win his fifth Coke Zero 400 on Saturday. Not only is Stewart dominant at this track, but he also is coming into this race in tremendous form. Stewart finished in seventh place at the FireKeepers Casino 400 a few weeks ago and he followed it up with a first place finish at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 last week. With some extremely favorable odds at 25/1, it’s worth putting a unit or two on the veteran this week.

Aric Almirola (50/1) - There are not many dark horse candidates worth picking this week, but Almirola certainly sticks out at 50/1 to win this race on Saturday. Unlike many other guys with odds like that in the past, Almirola actually came away victorious at this race in 2014. The race had to be shortened that year due to rain, but everybody had to drive under the same circumstances and it’s not fair to downplay his victory. Almirola will also be pretty eager to finish this race in a good spot, as he has not yet earned a top-10 finish on the season.