Viewer's Guide: Sticking with Ricky
by John Kernan, Special to ESPN.com Daytona 500 (Sunday, noon ET, CBS)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There are only two races non-race fans will tune into each year, and the Daytona 500 is one of them. The other is the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 has the tradition, and that's a big reason why the public will watch. The Daytona 500 attracts viewers because it's usually a great race.
John Kernan has said it before, he's saying it again -- Ricky Rudd will win the Daytona 500.
It's billed as the "Super Bowl" of motorsports. Why? Well it's the race every driver wants to win. It can make or break your career. For the fans, it's usually one of the most exciting races of the year as well. On Sunday, you're going to see plenty of close racing, side-by-side, edge-of-your-seat, thrill-a-minute action. Sometimes you'll even see that spectacular wreck. Fortunately, over the last couple of years, nobody has gotten seriously hurt in those incidents.
Speedweeks have proven Dale Jarrett has the horsepower. His No. 88 Ford has made it look look like he can do anything he wants Sunday. But, remember, the draft is the great equalizer. And guess what? DJ told me to keep an eye on Dale Earnhardt. Don't worry, I always do at Daytona.
Earnhardt is going for his second Daytona 500 victory. We all remember his 1998 triumph, one of Daytona's greatest moments. But Earnhardt has more wins than any other driver here at Daytona. He has 12 Twin 125 victories, 10 in a row until Thursday's loss. He has won IROC here, the summer race here, and he just has so much experience drafting that he never is out of a restrictor-plate race.
Remember, he swept the restrictor-plate Talladega races in 1999. In fact, Earnhardt won the last race at a restrictor-plate track, beating Jarrett in the Winston 500. And he finished second to Jeff Gordon last year in the Daytona 500.
But last year, when it was announced that Ricky Rudd would be driving for Robert Yates, I said that he was going to win the Daytona 500. Benny Parsons laughed at me, but I still stick by that. I think Ricky Rudd is going to win the Daytona 500.
NAPA Auto Parts 300 (Saturday, noon ET, CBS)
Watching on TV, you won't see any difference Saturday in the Busch Series cars and those running Sunday in the Daytona 500. Only the names and paint jobs on the cars will change.
Now, the Busch cars do have less horsepower. But as a fan watching the race from your favorite chair, you won't tell the difference between the speeds the Busch guys are running and those the Winston Cup cars reach on race day. And like the Daytona 500, the draft will play a big part in who wins the NAPA Auto Parts 300 here at Daytona.
I don't think one car will be able to make a move by itself. Drivers will either need a teammate -- or have somebody pushing them from behind -- to make a move.
On paper heading into the season, Jeff Green, who finished second to the departed two-time champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., and also finished second here last year in the Busch race, would be the odds-on favorite to win the championship this year. But look out for Ron Hornaday. Even though Earnhardt's championship team of the last two years has moved up to Winston Cup -- he as the driver, and almost all of his crew -- Hornaday is now driving the No. 3 with all of Earnhardt's equipment. Hornaday also has solid people behind him. So Hornaday should challenge for not only the win Saturday, but also for the championship this year.
Daytona 250 (Friday, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN)
The Craftsman Truck Series race Friday might be the best race of any during Speedweeks. Why? They don't have restrictor-plates.
The trucks also are punching such a huge hole in the air that it's going to bring the draft and the old sling-shot move Daytona is famous for into play. Where as in the Daytona 500 and the Busch Auto Parts 300, when the draft play such a big role in guys running together and you don't see one car jump out of line and pass somebody with the sling-shot move, You are going to see the trucks do that in the Daytona 250.
Without restrictor-plates, theoretically, if a truck is running behind another truck, the biggest portion of the air the truck has to push away has already been removed. This will allow drivers to lift off the accelerator when they want to make a move and try sling-shooting around the truck in front of them. They'll mash the gas and actually have some response to pull them around the other truck. The truck race has the potential to be a great event.
Mike Wallace is someone to watch in this inaugural truck race at Daytona International Raceway. He won an ARCA race here back in 1994 and has some experience here in Winston Cup. And he has shown he has a pretty strong truck. Joe Ruttman, the pole-sitter, has been strong all week, and he has experience here at Daytona in Winston Cup.
A lot of guys who are in the truck series have raced here in other series, so you'd think the trucks first visit here would favor those guys. Jimmy Hemsley, who was a rookie of the year in Winston Cup and also has run races here in Busch Series, is another guy to watch Friday.
You'd think anyone who has any other racing experience here on Daytona's 2.5-mile tri-oval, in any series, would have an edge.
