4 potential Daytona 500 contenders

NASCAR has undergone many changes in recent years. However, one constant will never change: the Daytona 500 is the crown jewel of all its treasures.

Past champions, future Hall of Famers, and young drivers want to add the Harley J. Earl Trophy to their resumes. Just seven active drivers have captured the checkered flag at the Great American Race.

Not only is this NASCAR's Super Bowl, but it also presents a major opportunity for an underdog to book their ticket to the playoffs right out of the gate. In back-to-back years, the Daytona 500 winner has made the playoffs thanks to their season-opening victory.

Will we see a third straight upset winner, following in Michael McDowell's and Austin Cindric's tracks? Can a new driver succeed on the high banks, or will one of the seven previous winners go to victory lane again? Here are four contenders to win Sunday's Daytona 500.

Ryan Blaney

A win at the Daytona 500 is beginning to feel inevitable for Blaney.

He's finished in the top 10 in half of his eight career starts at the Great American Race. Blaney has crossed the finish line twice as the runner-up, and that doesn't include his near victory at the 2022 edition when he placed fourth.

After being blocked into the wall coming to the stripe and watching his rookie teammate take the checkered flag a year ago, Blaney has even more motivation to win the event this time around.

Blaney and his Penske teammates often look to control the race. His 118 laps led during the 2018 Daytona 500 are the most in the past 30 years of the event, and he led the second-most laps in last year's race. Expect the No. 12 Ford to be in the mix at the front of the field all day long.

Many have predicted a breakout for Blaney over the past few seasons, but it has yet to come to fruition. After capturing three wins in 2021, it looked like he was on the verge of becoming a legitimate championship contender. However, he failed to win a points race in 2022.

Ranking among the best superspeedway racers in the field, Blaney is Ford's top candidate to make it a three-peat at the Daytona 500 for the blue oval.

Chase Elliott

The sport's most popular driver has two wins at Talladega and a victory at the superspeedway-esque Atlanta but has yet to break through at Daytona.

Elliott has consistently been in the mix over the past three years at the World Center of Racing. A four-race top-10 streak dating back to the 2020 regular-season finale was snapped last summer when the No. 9 Chevrolet crashed in the rain-related chaos on Lap 137.

Only Blaney matches Elliott's four top-10 finishes over the past six races at Daytona.

If Elliott is out front late in the race, you can rest assured he'll do everything to keep that lead. Elliott blocked Matt DiBenedetto while leading late in the 2021 regular-season finale at Daytona, which caused a multi-car pileup and put Elliott out of position for the win. Conversely, Elliott's controversial block on Corey LaJoie last year at Atlanta kept him in front of the field and gave him the victory.

Hendrick Motorsports hasn't captured the Daytona 500 since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in 2014. It's the longest winless streak in the race for the organization since winning its first in 1986. Elliott is Hendrick's best chance to snap the drought and match Petty Enterprises as the winningest team in Daytona 500 history.

Bubba Wallace

The driver of the No. 23 Toyota has emerged as one of the most consistent threats on superspeedways in recent years. Wallace won his first Cup Series race at Talladega, but he's produced better stats at Daytona.

Wallace has three runner-up finishes at Daytona, coming at the 2018 Daytona 500, the 2021 regular-season finale, and the 2022 Daytona 500.

No driver who's started all six races at Daytona since 2020 is better than Wallace's 8.7 average finishing position. His 23 laps led over that stretch rank 14th, but Wallace is staying in the hunt and giving himself a chance to win. His 1,096 laps completed at Daytona over the past three years pace the field.

Wallace's ability to avoid mid-race calamity and be there at the end makes him a legitimate contender for the 65th Great American Race.

Entering the third season of 23XI Racing's history, pressure will be on Wallace to make the playoffs for the first time. A historic win at the Daytona 500 would be quite the way to accomplish it.

Ryan Preece

Not many drivers get a second chance in the Cup Series. Even fewer get one with better equipment. Tony Stewart pushed for Preece to usurp Cole Custer in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, and now it's time for Preece to make good on the opportunity.

Preece led the Clash prior to an electrical issue that knocked him out of contention in his debut with SHR. He'll have a good chance to continue that momentum in the campaign's first points race.

Two of Preece's four top-10 finishes in 2021 - his final season with JTG Daugherty Racing - came at Daytona. Five of his nine career top-10 runs have come at superspeedways.

Preece failed to finish one of his three attempts at the Daytona 500, but he's earned a top-10 result when he's completed the race. Despite leading only one lap in his career at Daytona, his consistency in finishing these superspeedway races makes him a contender Sunday.

Preece is undoubtedly an underrated threat to shock the field and take the season opener if he can find his 2021 superspeedway form.

Statistics from Racing Reference.