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One and Done: Daytona 500

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by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I do weekly Fantasy Pick'Em columns here at OPR, as well as the occasional opinion and analysis piece. I also provide the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. For more on that, head to my site, OpenWheelAmerica.com. My Twitter handle is @christopherlion.

February 13, 2009 7:50 pm UTC 1 Comment

Hey folks, as the new fantasy racing editor here at On Pit Row, I’ve decided to completely overhaul my weekly column for the site. The “Quick Hits” column that ran last year most likely won’t show up at all this year; this new column, geared towards participants in our One and Done game here, is its replacement. (I have kept the five-bullet-point list, however; see below for how it’s been modified to work in the new column.)

If you haven’t registered for One and Done yet, hurry up! Click “Fantasy Racing” at the top of the page and sign up. If you have, then this column should be weekly required reading for you. I’ll be going through every race this year, offering suggestions on which drivers you may want to select on any given weekend.

For those of you who don’t know the rules of One and Done, they’re pretty simple: each week, you pick one driver out of the whole Sprint Cup Series. However many points he accumulates is however many points you accumulate. The kicker? You can’t pick that driver again – hence the title “One and Done.” Simple, right?

Anyways, let’s cut to the chase for this weekend’s event – NASCAR’s marquee race, the Daytona 500. Since we haven’t run any races yet, every driver is open to every player. Although it’s tempting to save all the projected Chase drivers until the end of the season, I suggest that you go big at Daytona. Why not? Get your season off to a good start. Pick a driver who’s got the best chance at scoring 195 points.

Without further ado, here are the five drivers you should strongly consider selecting this weekend:

5. Regan Smith, starting 42nd: For two reasons: first of all, Jeremy Mayfield isn’t on the list, and second of all, because some folks may want to pick an underdog. We know that underdogs can perform well at Daytona (see Lepage, Kevin), leading to a sponsorship windfall. We know that Smith can win on a superspeedway (AHEM!). But most importantly, we know that Smith has never failed to finish a Sprint Cup race, nor has he had a DNF in any major NASCAR series since November 9, 2007, in a Truck race at Phoenix. And we all know that finishing at Daytona is half the battle (see Shelmerdine, Kirk).

4. Jamie McMurray, starting 21st: He was strong in the Bud Shootout, and he’ll be running the same car in the 500. If not for that last lap pass by Kevin Harvick, McMurray would have won it. Although his career stats at Daytona don’t say much (average finish 25.8, 5 DNFs), it’s the present that decides races, not the past, and the present looks bright for Jamie Mac.

3. Kyle Busch, starting 4th: Hate Rowdy all you want, but he’s good. He, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano have all been working on setups together this weekend to try and bring the Harley J. Earl Trophy to Joe Gibbs Racing. Don’t be surprised if multiple Gibbs cars are together at the end of the race, or if this one pulls the win off.

2. Jeff Gordon, starting 3rd: Gordon’s hungry for his first points win since October 2007. He finally got to bring daughter Ella to Victory Lane on Thursday and is undoubtedly anxious to do it again. And let’s be honest: not only is he strong at Daytona (32 starts, 6 wins, 17 top-10s), he’s gotta be anxious to make up for finishing 39th in this race last year.

1. Mark Martin, starting 2nd: Dick Berggren has commented on how confident Martin looks this weekend, and for good reason. Even though Rowdy blocked him off in their Duel, Martin could do whatever he wanted with his car on the track. He easily passed Brian Vickers in a drag race to the finish as the cars exited turn 4, and that ability to out-accelerate other cars in the tri-oval is huge. We could theoretically see a repeat of 2007, but with Martin on the other end of the battle.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, NASCAR, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Regan Smith 

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Comments

One Response to “One and Done: Daytona 500”

  1. User Avatar Charlie Turner on February 14th, 2009 7:09 pm

    Go big to start, huh? I don’t know. There are so many variables at Daytona and Talladega, it seems risky to use one of the guns. But that’s just me.

    I like the McMurray pick. And Regen Smith too. Can’t wait to get started.

    One game note: the first game – I’m calling it the One and Done Spring Thing – runs thirteen races from Daytona to Dover. So players will use thirteen different drivers. I haven’t come up with names for the two games that follow – a second thirteen racer and our version of the Chase, a ten race finale.

    Great post Chris. Good luck everybody – in all of your games.

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