After a long offseason, the official start to the 2023 season is here with the Daytona 500. NASCAR’s biggest event of the season is ready to roll on Sunday afternoon. Forty drivers will try to claim NASCAR’s most prestigious trophy. For this year’s Daytona 500, the field is one of the deepest in recent memory. Outside of four competitors, the race truly can be won by any entry. Three of the “open” cars are competitive rides piloted by notable names. Jimmie Johnson is making his NASCAR return. Travis Pastrana is giving his go at NASCAR again. Zane Smith is the reigning Truck Series champion. Plus, there are plenty of storylines abound for the 500. This might be Kevin Harvick’s last Daytona 500. Numerous drivers are on new teams. The two other series saw their reigning Daytona winner repeat; will Austin Cindric keep that trend going?
While there are countless stories to follow, this article is going to focus on five drivers to watch heading into the Daytona 500. This will be a weekly series released before each Cup Series race throughout the season. If you want a statistical insight heading into the Daytona 500, check out Daniel Smith’s notable starts and statistical outlook articles.
Austin Cindric
As mentioned earlier, Zane Smith and Austin Hill won their respective series openers at Daytona. If the trend continues, Austin Cindric is in line to win back-to-back Daytona 500s. This accomplishment has only been happened four times. Denny Hamlin recently accomplished this feat with his 2019 and 2020 wins. The other drivers on this list include Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin.
After winning Rookie of the Year in 2022, Austin Cindric will look to start his sophomore season on a strong note to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. Cindric has developed into a solid superspeedway racer. In seven superspeedway races, Cindric has three Top-5s. If not for the last lap wreck in the 2021 Daytona 500, you could make it four. In the Xfinity Series, Cindric racked up six Top-5s in fourteen starts, including a win at Daytona. Clearly, something has clicked for Cindric at the superspeedways.
There is strong reason to believe that Austin Cindric could go back-to-back. He is driving for Team Penske, a top caliber team. Plus, the Fords seem to have the draft and pit strategy figured out the best at Daytona. With strong teammate support, Cindric will likely be up front for the bulk of the race. However, those teammates might also be the reason Cindric does not win. Joey Logano is not known for his late-race generosity at Daytona and Ryan Blaney might remember Cindric putting him into the wall last year.
Ryan Blaney
Speaking of Ryan Blaney, it seems that destiny will call upon him to finally win the big one. Blaney has been so close to winning the Daytona 500 numerous times. However, the last lap seems to always bite him in the end. In 2020, Blaney was the start of Ryan Newman’s scary wreck while going for the lead. Last year, his own teammate pushed him into the wall to secure the win. Bad luck at the worst time for Blaney.
Ryan Blaney is a quality superspeedway driver. So far in his career, he has racked up three superspeedway wins, including a win at Daytona. His Daytona win came at the 2021 Coke Zero 400. Blaney knows his way around Daytona in pack racing. For predictions, he is a constant pick to claim the Harley J Earl trophy year in and year out.
Much like Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney has a great case for being the Daytona 500 winner. Team Penske equipment, Ford superspeedway package, and the right friends. In addition to his two Penske teammates, Blaney is known to draft with Bubba Wallace regularly at the superspeedways. That tandem will be a dangerous pair. If Ryan Blaney does not end up winning the Daytona 500, odds are that he will be involved in the battle for the lead on the last lap.
Bubba Wallace
Much like Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace has had his fair share of Daytona 500 heartbreaks. Wallace has finished second twice at the Daytona 500. Last year, his second place finish seemed to bother him heavily. Known to wear his emotions on his sleeve, Wallace is a fierce competitive at the superspeedways. While he is capable of winning at other tracks, the superspeedways are where he thrives the most and will be his best chance to clinch his playoff berth.
A Bubba Wallace Daytona 500 win would be a historical one. He would be the first African American driver to claim victory in the Great American Race. That achievement would be momentous for Wallace (and NASCAR’s marketing campaign). Wallace will have great drafting help throughout the race. The Toyotas stay committed to each other normally. Plus, Wallace has Ryan Blaney as a drafting partner from the Ford camp. Wallace will try to keep his 23XI Toyota out front for the majority of the race. He will be one to keep an eye on from start to finish.
Brad Keselowski
The transition to owner-driver in the Cup Series has not been a smooth one for Brad Keselowski. Only managing one Top-5 in 2022 was a far cry from what fans have expected out of Keselowski. However, late in the season, the 6 team seemed to figure it out a bit. Keselowski had great speed at Bristol, Homestead, and Martinsville. A positive swing for the 2023 season is expected out of Keselowski.
While The Clash was a miserable experience, the Daytona 500 has surely been circled in Brad Keselowski’s calendar for some time. Perhaps the best active superspeedway driver to not have won the Daytona 500, Keselowski must see this as his best chance to stamp RFK back into competitiveness. Keselowksi (and teammate Chris Buescher) were strong at Daytona in 2022. They swept the Duels and ran up front most of the race.
However, Brad Keselowski’s aggressive pushing led to a few cautions, including Harrison Burton’s flip. Knowing this, fans should keep an eye on Brad Keselowski’s car while it remains on the track. As shown in the Duels, Keselowski is still going to be aggressive with his pushing. With that aggression, expect again to have some cautions due to the front bumper of Keselowski’s car. The bulldozer will return to Daytona. If Keselowski can survive until the end of the race, he will look to position himself to make the race winning pass in the entry of Turn 3.
Justin Haley
Looking for an under the radar pick for the Daytona 500? Justin Haley fits that mold perfectly. Once again, this is a deep Daytona 500 field. Conceivably, there are thirty-plus drivers who have a legitimate chance to win. Corey LaJoie looked strong during his duel race. Todd Gilliland was racing for the lead on the last lap in that same race before making a great save. With that said, Justin Haley feels like the underdog pick that will pull through.
Haley has been a superspeedway ace during his young NASCAR career. All of his Xfinity wins have come at superspeedways. His lone Cup Series win was a rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 win. For a young driver, he seems to handle the draft very well. He has been the go-to driver for Spire and Kaulig for a guest driver in one of their cars at Daytona and Talladega.
Not only is Justin Haley great at superspeedways, he finished 2022 strongly with Top-5s at Texas and the ROVAL. Over the last ten races in 2022, Haley’s average finish was one of the best among all drivers. Plus, Haley is a steady hand behind wheel. He only racked up three DNFs last season. Two were for mechanical failures and the third was getting caught up in NASCAR’s rain blunder at Daytona. Whether it is luck or skill, Haley manages to keep his car clean throughout a race.
Keep tabs on Justin Haley throughout the race. With Kaulig teammate AJ Allmendinger also being solid in the draft, Haley could be the first surprise winner of 2023.
