Friday, February 22, 2013

Sprint Cup 2013: Race 1: Daytona 500 -- Stock (looking) Cars Return


Handicapping the 2013 Daytona 500 is no easy task but so far based on the Twin 125’s and the Sprint Shoot Out, Kevin Harvick’s #29 Chevrolet is looking mighty tough having been dominant both in Saturday night’s race and his victory in the first 125. While they were two different cars, it certainly looks like both the Childress shop is doing good work setting up for the race, but just as importantly, Harvick is the one driver who has truly mastered the new Generation 6 car.

The second conclusion is Chevrolets look awfully strong; Fords don’t but Toyotas certainly have potential. The three top cars, Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick, are in Chevrolets as are drivers in positions six through nine, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Austin Dillon, and Jimmie Johnson giving Chevy seven of the top ten spots.  Kyle Busch starts 4th in the top Toyota and Greg Biffle 5th in the top Ford, but Ford doesn’t make another appearance until defending champ, Brad Keselowski checks in at #15. Ford dominates the “twenties” with six drivers positing positions from 21st through 28th.

Looking at the starting line up, Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon hold the front row based on their qualifying positions. The next thirty rides down to starting position #32 established their starting position racing in the Twin 125’s, odd numbered drivers racing in the first Twin race and even numbered starters coming from the second race. The next four drivers established their position based on qualifying time with Carl Edwards being the last driver whose performance put him in the race in a distant 36th place. The last seven positions were established based on 2012 owners’ points with Martin Truex Jr., a Chase participant, being the first of the final grouping. No championship provisional was needed to put a driver in the race. Two cars did not qualify: Mike Bliss ad Brian Keselowski, failed to make the race.

Weather could be a factor with summer-like weather, hot and humid reaching 86 degrees on Saturday, cooler moist whether could impact racing on Sunday with temperatures in the 70’s but a chance of showers. The change in weather would certainly make car setup issues chancy given their last practice conditions would be quite different from anything they’ve seen so far but also different from what’s expected on Sunday. AccuWeather is currently indicated a chance of showers or possibly a thunderstorm but indicates no certainty at which time rain could hit. While certainly no one looks forward to rain being an issue for a second year in a row, NASCAR would get a chance to demonstrate its new moisture removal system. Massive air compressors will direct bursts of high pressure air upon the track where vacuums and get dryers will do the rest of the work. NASCAR boasts the new system could reduce drying time by 80%. With at least a ten percent chance of rain, they might get their chance to showcase the new gear.  

Starting Lineup:

Pos. Car # Driver Mfg. Sponsor Speed
1 10 Danica Patrick # Chevrolet GoDaddy.com  196.434
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Drive to End Hunger  196.292
3 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Budweiser  194.742
4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's  195.767
5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M  194.729
6 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet Farmers Insurance  195.852
7 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet Target  195.508
8 33 Austin Dillon* Chevrolet Honey Nut Cheerios  195.385
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's  195.084
10 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5-hour Energy  195.228
11 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet Furniture Row  193.657
12 20 Matt Kenseth Toyota Dollar General  195.725
13 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1  195.925
14 55 Mark Martin Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine  194.683
15 2 Brad Keselowski Ford Miller Lite  194.961
16 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet Menards/Peak  195.503
17 13 Casey Mears Ford GEICO  195.495
18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar  195.156
19 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Chevrolet National Guard  195.584
20 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet McDonald's  195.042
21 22 Joey Logano Ford Shell Pennzoil  195.767
22 34 David Ragan Ford Detail Doctor  194.616
23 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota Kroger  192.563
24 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford Stanley  194.793
25 38 David Gilliland Ford Love's Travel Stops  194.654
26 43 Aric Almirola Ford Smithfield  194.742
27 87 Joe Nemechek* Toyota Maddie's Place Rocks 190.046
28 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.# Ford Best Buy  195.537
29 26 Michael Waltrip Toyota Sandy Hook School Support Fund  194.313
30 7 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Florida Lottery  192.996
31 95 Scott Speed Ford Leavine Family Racing  193.54
32 35 Josh Wise Ford Blockbuster.com  194.254
33 21 Trevor Bayne* Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane  195.976
34 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Quicken Loans  195.946
35 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express  195.771
36 99 Carl Edwards Ford Fastenal  195.24
37 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts  195.207
38 51 Regan Smith(i) Chevrolet Guy Roofing  193.096
39 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota Burger King/Dr.Pepper  190.142
40 83 David Reutimann Toyota Burger King/Dr.Pepper  190.339
41 32 Terry Labonte Ford C&J Energy Services  193.515
42 36 JJ Yeley Chevrolet Golden Corral  192.094
43 98 Michael McDowell Ford K-Love/Curb Records  193.544


#Rookie of the Year 2013 contender

*Not competing for 2013 Sprint Cup Championship

Manufacturer's representation: Chevrolet - 17 cars; Ford - cars; Toyota - 11 cars.

Past champions represented: (8)
Jimmie Johnson: 5 (2006-2010)
Jeff Gordon: 4 (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
Tony Stewart: 3 (2002, 2005, 2001)
Terry Labonte: 2 (1984, 1995)
Bobby Labonte: 1 (2000)
Matt Kenseth: 1 (2003)
Kurt Busch: 1 (2004)
Brad Keselowski: 1 (2012)

Previous Daytona 500 Winners 
Jeff Gordon: (3) (1997, 1999, 2005)
Matt Kenseth (2) (2009, 2012)
Michael Waltrip (2) (2001, 2003)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (1) (2004)
Jimmie Johnson (1) (2006)
Kevin Harvick (1) (2007)
Ryan Newman (1) (2008)
Jamie McMurray (1) (2010)   
Trevor Bayne (1) (2011)

Wins by Manufacter
Chevrolet - 21 (GM -- 30 wins [Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick])
Ford - 13 (Ford Motor Company -- 16 wins [Mercury])
Toyota - 0
Dodge (no current entries) - 4 (Chrysler Corp. -- 8 wins, [Plymouth])



No comments: