Whereas the Daytona 500 signals the start of the Nextel Cup season, the introduction of the Chase for the Championship means it isn't necessarily the start of the fight for the title, allowing drivers to throw even more caution to the wind than usual in their efforts to win the biggest race of them all.
Likewise, a good result at Daytona doesn't necessarily point to a good regular season, something proved emphatically by defending winner Jeff Gordon and conversely, a relatively poor restrictor plate programme doesn't rule a team out of the overall championship picture.
In any case, one thing is clear, every driver wants to win
Daytona.
Once the preserve of DEI, Gordon and Tony Stewart start as favourites for ‘500 glory, Gordon glowing about his new crew chief Steve Letarte and reigning Nextel Cup Champion Stewart simply unbeatable in the most recent race at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway last July. While the driver of the #24 Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet has three Daytona 500 victories to his credit, the driver of the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy has none, and will be keen to capture one of the few major races to have so far eluded him.
Just over 12 months ago, the one driver feared by all at Daytona was Dale Earnhardt Jr, and after a dismal 2005 season ‘Junior' will want to show that he and his #8 team are back to full strength by putting on a dominant DEI performance in the race he won in 2004. Unlike recent years though, Earnhardt Jr no longer has the back up of teammate Michael Waltrip and must now rely on rookie Martin Truex Jr to support his campaign for victory.
During pre-season testing at Daytona, Rick Hendrick's team came away smiling the most, with Gordon and Kyle Busch top of the charts. Factor in the ever-present Jimmie Johnson, and Hendrick has three potential winners on his staff.
