WHAT TO WATCH FOR: DAYTONA

HOT DRIVERS

• Vince Mitchell-Uber MS-FORD- After picking up his first ever win of the season and securing a spot in the playoffs, Vince will come into Daytona tonight with a weight off his shoulders.
• Steven Carlile-EthiX Racing Team-CHEVY- Alot of focus goes to the winner but Steven has ridden in the shadows all the way up to 2nd in the points standings. With 4 out of the last 5 races finishing with on the podium, it seems like this team has gotten hot at just the right time.
• Zander Short-FMS-FORD- After a shaky returned at Indy, and his absence still not disclosed to the public by FMS ownership, all it took was a 12th and 5th place finish in the last 2 races to skyrocket him back into the top ten in points.

NOT DRIVERS

• Allen Philips-Hollywood MS-CHEVY- Out of form and on the playoff bubble is not where you want to be. With his position somewhat secure it seems as if Allen may be cruising his way mentally into the playoffs with only 1 top ten finish in the last 9 races. Will this be enough to keep him secured in the playoffs and be prepared to go past the first round?
• Garth Griswold-Hollywood MS-CHEVY- We do commend the fight this team has had this season to get to the point of making it into the playoffs, but skating in doesn’t seem like an option for them. Garth is currently in the last spot in and only -13 points to the good on Ben Lawson. Garth has not been able to put together a top 10 finish in his last 6 races, thankfully its Daytona week and with everything riding on a good race tonight we believe he has that dog in him to finally secure his spot in the playoffs and at worst build his points lead on the cut line.

DRIVER NEWS

• Cody Porters playoff waiver request was denied.
• Vince Mitchell secured his first win in the cup series at Michigan last week.
• Cody Leach returns from his suspension last week at Michigan. He stated it was a much-needed reset and self-reflection time going in the playoffs.
• EOL penalties for Daytona (Mason Hoeffner, Ben Lawson, Russell Bratka, Zander Short, Cory Mott, Cody Leach, Zack Saunders.)
• Look out for manufacturer alliances playing a part in strategy tonight at Daytona. The Ford camp has stated that driver and team meetings have all gone well to keep everyone on the same page to continue their superspeedway dominance so far this season. No comment has been given from Chevy and Toyota teams on their planned strategies.

PLAYOFF BUBBLE

• FIRST IN: Allen Phillips (+61), Nathaniel Campbell (+54), Garth Griswold (+13)
• FIRST OUT: Ben Lawson (-13), Tommy Carrol Jr (-61), Joe T Wright (-76)
  

FAN PICK OF THE WEEK

Nic Vasquez-FMS-FORD
Nic has showing his dominance at superspeedways have not been a secret. Both spring races at Daytona and Talladega were controlled and won by driver of the 22 Ducks unlimited Ford Mustang. Let’s face it we have lost a lot of money on these fan picks, so I think it’s time we dump the rent on a sure shot and have us a nice bankroll ready going into the playoffs. Vegas has it set at +350 for a win for Nic and a crazy -120 for a top 5 finish. This will be a rebuilding night for the us bettors, but if you haven’t taken our advice and has made a pretty penny it is worth picking one of the many bubble drivers. Joe T Wright is currently sitting at +1780 and Grath Griswold is currently at +2200. We also have a shot in the dark pick of Ryan Taft (+7200) for the win to completely flip this playoff picture on its head. Whoever you pick, good luck and Godspeed.