FOX Sports – By: Tom Jensen
It’s highly unusual for a driver to make the Daytona 500 their first NASCAR race victory. The last to do it was Trevor Bayne in 2011, and before him, Michael Waltrip in 2001.
That said, there are at least six drivers in the 59th running of the Daytona 500 (Feb. 26, 2 p.m. ET, FOX) who have never won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and are legitimate threats to win The Great American Race this time around. Here they are:
Ty Dillon
This year, Dillon moves up to the Cup Series full-time, driving the No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet. That team has an affiliation with Richard Childress Racing and Dillon’s brother Austin will be in the race, so perhaps the two can work together late in the race.
Erik Jones
In last year’s Daytona 500, Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. finished second to Denny Hamlin by 0.010 seconds. This year, rookie Jones will be in the same equipment Truex has, which means he’ll have a very fast car.
Ryan Blaney
The Wood Brothers always prepare excellent restrictor-plate cars, and Blaney is a fine plate-track racer as well. For this team to win NASCAR’s biggest race again would not be a surprise at all.
Daniel Suarez
The 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion was promoted after Carl Edwards suddenly decided he didn’t want to race anymore. Joe Gibbs Racing dominated the 2016 Daytona 500, so Suarez should have a good car for his first Daytona 500.
Austin Dillon
The older of the Dillon brothers won the Daytona 500 pole in 2014, and Richard Childress Racing historically has been good at restrictor-plate tracks. This years 500 might be Dillon’s best chance yet to win.
Chase Elliott
Driving for the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports team, Elliott won the pole for the 2016 Daytona 500 and came close to winning several races last year. He has a good shot to win this time out.
