Roush Fenway Racing’s restrictor-plate program may be half a notch below those of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing but Carl Edwards of RFR feels really confident in his team and his equipment so keep an eye on the No. 99 Ford. This will be Edwards’ eighth Cup start at Daytona where he has one top-five and one top-10. His best racing at this track is likely yet to come.

Strong runs could be turned in by a pair of drivers for Richard Childress Racing, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. Harvick won the Daytona 500 in 2007 and in addition to that victory he also has one pole, three top-fives and five top-10s, completing over 97 percent of all laps contested at the superspeedway.

Burton also has a win at Daytona – that triumph coming in this event in 2000. The veteran has plenty of experience and plenty of success at this superspeedway with six top-fives and eight top-10s to go along with his win and also the pole for the 2006 Daytona 500.

My darkhorse is Brian Vickers, who is doing well as he and his team are starting to overcome some obstacles they have had in the past. Vickers has two top-10s in eight Cup starts at Daytona.

Keys to success at Daytona
At this superspeedway drivers will be working very hard to hold the throttle wide open during a long run – which is a much more difficult task in July than it is in February given the track conditions in the hot weather.

To reduce a car's horsepower, teams use a restrictor plate -- an aluminum plate between the carburetor and intake manifold -- thereby restricting the amount of air-fuel mixture that goes in the engine which is what produces the horsepower.

With the horsepower restricted -- reduced by about 50 percent -- aerodynamics become a huge factor and two cars nose-to-tail are faster than a single car going around the track -- thus the importance of working with other drivers, especially teammates.

Track position is very important as are pit stops, which must be flawless. In this race expect drivers to make five or six pit stops and a mistake while in the pits can prove very costly. By having a bad pit stop it puts the driver back in the pack, where he runs a greater risk of getting caught up in a big wreck. The best chance to stay out of a big crash is to be among the top five or so cars because anywhere further back and the odds aren't nearly as good for staying clear of multi-car incidents. .

Racing in July as opposed to February at Daytona has an impact on the handling of the cars. Heat on the track surface makes it slipperier than it is in the winter so handling becomes even more critical. Handling, pit stops and adjustments to the cars will be the biggest factors in being able to run up front on a consistent basis.

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