The NASCAR Cup Series continues on the Daytona Road Course this week with the 2021 O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to avoid predictions.
Winner: Chase Elliott- Chase Elliott is the driver to beat anytime you show up at a road course. In 12 career road course races, Elliott has 5 wins and 8 top 10 finishes. Elliott won at this race in the track’s debut last year and nearly pulled off another victory here in The Clash this year before tangling up with Ryan Blaney on the last turn. Until someone else stands up and asserts their dominance, it’ll be tough to pick against Elliott on a road course.
Top 10: Martin Truex Jr.- Truex Jr. has also raced extremely well on road courses of late, with 2 wins, 5 top 5’s, and 7 top 10’s in 8 starts. Truex’s stats would be even better if it weren’t for Chase Elliott, finishing second behind him twice at Watkins Glen and third to him at this track last year. Truex will keep up his road course prowess and is a lock for a top 10 result.
Dark horse: Chase Briscoe- Briscoe may be in his rookie season, but he raced well on road courses in the Xfinity Series, with 2 wins and 6 top 10’s in 8 starts. Briscoe also led 26 laps at this track last year in the Xfinity Series, so he knows what it takes to drive up front here. By no means is Briscoe going to drive up and win this race, but I think he is capable of a top 10 result.
Driver to fade: Bubba Wallace- Wallace might be the easiest fade of all-time. In 8 career road course starts, he’s never had a top 20 finish. New equipment won’t improve your skills overnight on a track that requires extreme precision when it comes to hitting your marks. Wallace has no chance at a top 20 finish.