2014 Subway Firecracker 250 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Vegas Favorites and Drivers to Bet: For the second time this season, the Nationwide Series visits Daytona International Speedway. Friday night’s Subway Firecracker 250 is a companion event with the Cup Series, but while a few Cup drivers are pulling double duty, the field isn’t nearly as loaded as it was in the February event. Throw in the fact that Daytona is one of the most unpredictable tracks anyway, and Friday’s race could be one of the most unpredictable of the season. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the drivers that could emerge from the chaos with a win.
The Favorites
He will be behind the wheel of the Team Penske No. 22 this weekend, and no driver in the field has a better average finish at Daytona than Joey Logano’s 8.4 mark. In nine starts, he has never finished outside the top 20 at the track, and more importantly, he has finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight starts. Logano also has four top-five finishes at Daytona, and he won the July race at the track in 2011.
Since picking up a Nationwide win at Daytona in July of 2007, Kyle Busch has been a consistent contender at the track. He has finished seventh or better in nine of his last 14 starts at Daytona, picking up seven top-four finishes. More importantly, Busch has one win and three second-place finishes during the stretch so he knows how to finish at the front.
While he may not be a Cup Series driver, Regan Smith has still established himself as one of the top restrictor plate drivers in the Nationwide Series. Not only is he going for a season sweep at Daytona this weekend after winning the February race, but he is the only driver with multiple wins at restrictor plate tracks since the start of last season. In fact, Smith has two wins and four top-10s in five starts at restrictor plate tracks since 2013.
The Dark Horses
Although he has never won a Nationwide race at Daytona, Kasey Kahne will be one of the most experienced drivers in the field this weekend as the Cup Series star pulls double duty. Plus, it’s not like he has struggled in his previous starts at Daytona. In fact, Kahne has finished 11th or better in eight of his 14 Nationwide starts at the track, logging five finishes of sixth or better. His experience alone should have him in the mix Friday night.
He is still looking for a win at Daytona, but Elliot Sadler has already proven he can be a consistent contender at the track. He has six straight top-15s at Daytona, logging five top-10s during the stretch and cracking the top five in his last two starts. Meanwhile, Sadler actually leads all series regulars with a 7.2 average finish and five top-10s in seven restrictor plate races since 2012. He is a safe bet to have a shot at pulling out a win Friday.
Sleeper Special
His overall numbers at the Nationwide level have been inconsistent, but James Buescher has a knack for finding his way to the front at Daytona. In five starts at the track, he has three finishes of eighth or better. More importantly, Buescher has already delivered a surprise win at the track in February of 2012, and he finished second in the July race last season. There is just something about Daytona that brings out the best in Buescher.
Big Name to Avoid
Rookie Chase Elliott has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2014 season, and while the young driver seems destined to be a star, the restrictor plate tracks have been a bit of a weakness. In 15 starts, he has only finished outside the top 10 four times, and two of those finishes came at restrictor plate tracks. Elliott should only get better with experience, but he finished 15th at Daytona in February, and it is tough to see him winning in his return trip.
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