Micah Roberts’ NASCAR Sprint Cup driver ratings
MICAH ROBERTS’ SPRINT CUP DRIVER RATINGS
Coke Zero 400
At Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
4 p.m. today, NBC (3); race starts at 5:06
Rating DriverOddsPractice 1Practice 2Daytona*Talladega*
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.8/11st7th3rd1st
Three-time winner, with 13th-place average; led 99 laps between Daytona and Talladega
2. Denny Hamlin12/136th12th4th9th
Runner-up in 2014 Daytona 500; averaged fourth place in past three Daytona starts
3. Jimmie Johnson10/112th8th5th2nd
Three-time winner, including 2013 sweep; led 89 laps between Daytona and Talladega
4. Jeff Gordon10/124th6th33rd31st
Active leader with six wins; bad 2015 restrictor-plate results despite series-best 134 laps led
5. Kevin Harvick12/135th3rd2nd8th
Two-time winner, the last in 2010; navigates traffic better than most with plates on
6. Joey Logano12/134th20th1st33rd
First career plate win in February (car displayed at Daytona USA); understands draft well
7. Martin Truex Jr.12/120th26th8th5th
Career-best sixth in 2010, but all this guy does is finish in top 10 (14 in 16 starts this year)
8. Jamie McMurray30/19th28th27th11th
Two-time winner, the last in 2010; four of seven career wins are in plate races
9. Kurt Busch12/129th2ndDNP12th
Best driver never to win a plate race, with 11 top-five finishes in 28 Daytona starts
10. Matt Kenseth12/119thDNP35th25th
Two-time winner, all driving for Roush, but he’s had dominant cars with Gibbs as well
Note: Saturday’s qualifying was canceled by threating weather, so the starting order was based on Practice 1. * Results of previous restrictor-plate races this season at Daytona (Feb. 22) and Talladega (May 3). The tracks run differently, but are relevant for comparing plate performances. Odds courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas
Micah Roberts, a former Las Vegas sports book director, has been setting NASCAR odds since 1994 and covers all sports with a betting spin. Follow him on Twitter: @MicahRoberts7.
