Nationwide Preview: Subway Jalapeno 250

June 30, 2009 9:15am CDT

The Cup drivers are out in force for the night race at Daytona, but the action Friday night should be even better than usual thanks to the Nationwide Series debut of double-file restarts. Forget needing a lap or two to get up to speed and begin making passes. With double-file restarts, expect three-wide racing as soon as the cars enter Turn 1. The "Big One" could be even bigger this time around.

Cup drivers swept the top four spots in last season's race with Denny Hamlin getting the victory and teammate Kyle Busch finishing second. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer came home third and fourth while Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. Fantasy owners should be happy to know that Denny Hamlin is the only one of last year's top five not entered in Friday's race.

If the season opener was any indication, then fantasy owners should strongly consider loading up on Cup drivers at Daytona. Cup regulars claimed the first eight spots back in February and 12 of the first 13. As expected, the finish of that race had plenty of excitement. In fact, both restrictor-plate races this year have had thrilling finishes. Tony Stewart survived a last corner bump from Kyle Busch to win his fourth race at Daytona in the opener, and David Ragan muscled his way to front in the final few feet at Talladega.

Cup Regulars

In nine starts at Daytona, Matt Kenseth has seven top fives and eight top 10s. The former winner's worst finish in his career is 12th, and his 5.0 finishing average is the best of any driver in the field. The last time Kenseth was in a Nationwide event this year, he was in victory lane.

It's hard to argue that any driver has been more consistent at Daytona than Kevin Harvick. In 14 starts, he has recorded 10 top fives and 11 top 10s. Harvick is a former winner, and has compiled a 5.8 finishing average in his career. In addition to his impressive 11 straight top 10s, Harvick's worst finish ever is 21st, which is his only finish outside the top 12.

After finishing third in the season opener, Clint Bowyer has now recorded seven top-six finishes in nine Daytona starts. Although he has never been to victory lane at the track, his 7.4 finishing average makes him one of five drivers with an average of better than 10.0. Bowyer has finished in the top five in four of his past five starts at the track.

When you are mentioning the all-time greats at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the first names that comes to mind. He is a five-time winner at the track, which includes a run of four straight. Junior has 10 career top-10 finishes, including three straight.

At one point, Kyle Busch had trouble keeping his car in one piece at Daytona, and now he is one of the favorites to win. He has four straight top four finishes at the track, including a win and two second-place efforts. Busch was all over the back bumper of Stewart in the opener during the final lap, and nearly came away with his second win.

Carl Edwards has yet to master the superspeedways, he is definitely getting better. His second-place effort in the opener was his best ever result at the track and part of six straight finishes of 11th or better. During that span, Edwards has recorded three top fives.

He struggled at Daytona in both the Cup and Nationwide Series this year, but Joey Logano apparently learned a lot about place racing from those rough outings. He finished third at Talladega in the Nationwide Series and had a top 10 in the Cup Series as well. This Friday, Logano gets another shot at the famed speedway that had his number earlier this year.

He has been a little up and down in his career, but Brian Vickers has been very strong at Daytona recently. He has four finishes of 13th or better in his past five starts, including three finishes of sixth or better.

For whatever reason, David Ragan has always been a solid plate racer. He rides a streak of three straight top 10s entering this Friday's race and won at Talladega earlier this season. Ragan hasn't raced in the series since Dover at the end of May.

Nationwide Regulars

With five straight top-three finishes entering this race, I hope that Brad Keselowski has gotten every fantasy owner's attention. His 14.3 finishing average is pretty solid considering the carnage that tends to occur at Daytona, and he finished fifth in this race last season.

He is in a three-race slump at Daytona, but Jason Leffler had five top 15s in six starts prior to his recent rough stretch. He wrecked in the opener this season, recording his only finish outside the top 15 in the process. Leffler has 11 straight top 10s entering this Friday's action so he at least has momentum on his side.

His career at New Hampshire started with two finishes of 32nd or worse, but Mike Bliss has finished 13th and eighth in his past two starts. He was the top performing Nationwide driver in this race last season and has been running much better lately this season. Bliss has a 10.8 finishing average in his last five starts this year.

Rookies Justin Allgaier and Scott Lagasse Jr. have been solid this season, but both had major issues in the opener at Daytona. Lagasse Jr. finished dead last, and Allgaier didn't do much better, finishing 40th. Both drivers are more experienced this time around, but restrictor-plate racing isn't the easiest skill to master.

Unlike his rookie counterparts, Brendan Gaughan had a solid debut at Daytona in February. He finished 15th in that race, dodging a few wrecks and picking the right lane when it mattered. Of course he was caught up in a wreck at Talladega so he hasn't exactly established himself as a superspeedway ace.