Michael McDowell Volatile Option at Daytona

Michael McDowell won at Daytona in February and this is his best track by far but the play is dangerous at best. The summer race has not been as kind as McDowell has finished outside the top ten three straight times. His propensity to wreck or nearly wreck is well documented too. The No. 34 […]

Tyler Reddick On Verge of The Chase at Daytona

Tyler Reddick just needs 31 points if there is no new winner on Saturday to qualify for the playoffs. Of course, winning would solve any problems but Reddick has had a few issues with Daytona. He finished 27th in February and was 12 laps down. In four attempts, Reddick has not finished better than 27th. […]

Chase Briscoe Could Keep Rolling at Daytona

Chase Briscoe has had a nice stretch where he finished in the top-11 during two of his last three races. It was only Indianapolis as he got unlucky with that pesky Turn 6 and the curve. Again, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver is showing better form at the right time. He may be a bit better […]

Alex Bowman Bad Track Record at Daytona

Alex Bowman has virtually nothing to race for on Saturday night. Combine that with his track record at Daytona International Speedway and the No. 48 appears less appealing. He has two top-ten results at Daytona. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver did finish seventh last year and tenth in 2018. Those were the good summer results. […]

Christopher Bell Has Some Risk at Daytona

If this was a road course, more would be on Christopher Bell here. The summer oval did not take too kindly to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver last year but he did manage a 13th with a late surge. Also, the Daytona 500 saw Bell lead 32 of the 200 laps. Can he combine the […]

Chris Buescher Decent DFS Option at Daytona

Chris Buescher has been consistent with three straight top-17 finishes as August approaches an end. The driver does have three top-ten finishes in his last four summer trips to Daytona. That includes a ninth last year for Roush Racing. The No. 17 car just tends to do well here with the different spoiler and lower […]

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Normal Risky Self at Daytona

Since consecutive top-five finishes in 2016 and 2017 (won the race), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has come nowhere close to that form. The JTG-Daugherty Racing driver has been 17th, 24th, and 32nd since. That tends to be less than optimal when needing a win just to make the playoffs. Stenhouse Jr. does have three top-15 results […]

Kevin Harvick Just Stay Away From at Daytona

Kevin Harvick in February at Daytona has been quite good. Harvick in the summer at Daytona the last several years has been not so good. There have been a few crashes along the way but even from the pole last year, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver ended up 20th. It just does not seem like he […]

Brad Keselowski a Risky Pick for Daytona

One can never predict when a driver will wreck but the chances Brad Keselowski does not finish Daytona on Saturday seem high. He did crash at Daytona in February and lately has been involved or nearly involved in several wrecks. The Team Penske driver had a run-in with Austin Dillon that may have cost Dillon […]

Matt DiBenedetto Nothing to Lose at Daytona

Matt DiBenedetto is down to his last chance. Either he wins on Saturday night or the Wood Brothers Racing driver will miss "The Chase". Arguably, DiBenedetto had the car last week at Michigan but settled for sixth place. There definitely has been more speed in the No. 21 car of late. If it was not […]

Kurt Busch Interesting Possibility at Daytona

Kurt Busch is a risk and the Chip Ganassi Racing driver can be as good as bad. See, the 20th at Daytona in February as a great example. However, the elder Busch found a way to finish fourth at Michigan last week and nearly got his way up to the Hendricks drivers in second and […]

Martin Truex Jr. Might Be One to Avoid at Daytona

Martin Truex Jr. has not driven poorly of late but starting seventh might hurt from a DFS standpoint on Saturday at Daytona. It is not so much the different build but just the faster cars around him. Truex has not led any laps since Watkins Glen and has not led any laps on a non-road […]

Ryan Blaney Hopes to Carry Michigan Momentum This Week

Ryan Blaney pulled off a brilliant maneuver on the restart at Michigan last week. He was then able to hold off Kyle Larson and William Byron by the slimmest of margins. That was the second checkered flag of the season for the Team Penske driver. Blaney often comes up with these performances out of nowhere […]

Chase Elliott in Better Form Heading to Daytona

Chase Elliott only finished eighth at Michigan but he displayed a dominance riding in the clean air that was hopeful for what may be ahead. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver led 68 laps in all and really was a victim of that restart as much as anyone. Aside from mostly self-inflicted wounds (failed inspections, overaggressive […]

Kyle Busch May Contend at Coke Zero Sugar 400

Kyle Busch probably feels like there is a little unfinished business at Daytona. He was running very well before crashing at the end of the February race. Plus, his results have been a little up and down lately. He hit the pace car at New Hampshire then finished 37th, could not escape the carnage at […]

Denny Hamlin a Big Question Mark at Daytona

Denny Hamlin starts the Saturday night season finale from Daytona in a good position. Third is a solid spot. However, for all the success that Hamlin has had in Florida, there is something to consider. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has finished 17th or worse in four of his last five summer trips to the […]

William Byron Might Win at Daytona

There are several candidates to buck the "stack the back" strategy. One may just be William Byron. Byron finished second last week at Michigan just behind Ryan Blaney (0.077 seconds). The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver had the fastest car over the final stage. If not for Blaney's brilliant restart, Byron would be a favorite for […]

Kyle Larson Possibly A Fade At Daytona

Kyle Larson has little to race for Saturday night at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. He only needs 32 points to clinch the regular-season title. Simply, the Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver probably just needs to lead some laps, duck to the back, then surge during the final stage. The summer Daytona race this time around […]

Andrei Svechnikov Signs Eight Year Deal with Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov signed an eight-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The new deal will pay the winger an AAV of $7.75 million. Also, he will see a signing bonus in year one of the deal. That will pay Svechnikov $4,000,037 and overall he will make $6 million in 2021-22. After that, the contract […]

Sean Couturier Inks Eight-Year Extension with Philadelphia Flyers

Sean Couturier will be with the Philadelphia Flyers for another nine years potentially. Couturier signed an eight-year extension on Thursday for an AAV of $7.75 million. So, that total amount is $62 million Also, the new contract kicks in for the 2022-23 season. The center is one of the best two-way pivots in the NHL. […]

Si Woo Kim's Guessing Game Continues At BMW Championship

Si Woo Kim missed the cut last week after nearly winning the Wyndham Championship the week before. There was a string of outside the top-30 finishes before that. The common theme is the negative strokes gained putting (-0.166) overall. This week looks to be no better at Caves Valley where putting can be an adventure. […]

Russell Henley Could Be An Upside Surprise

Russell Henley forgot how to play the Jersey City golf course last week. In Rounds 1 and 4, he looked every bit a contender. So, how does that even translate for this week? If he starts well, do not expect the same mistakes again. Four birdies over the final seven holes showed that potential. If […]

Sam Burns Worth A Gamble At BMW Championship

Monday was not great for Sam Burns, but it was a challenging time when the course began to get warm and muggy. Finishing the last 10 holes at plus-four was rough, as Burns missed greens with increasing frequency. Expect less of that at Caves Valley, as the American will likely bounce back. He always tends […]

Cameron Tringale's Final-Round Issues May Be A Problem

Cameron Tringale had another wild final round last week, but this time it was on a Monday. The American golfer had just nine pars and five bogeys. He did make four birdies, but there were just too many mistakes during a final round. That made three straight final rounds where Tringale just could not mount […]

Jason Kokrak's Putter Could Hurt Him At BMW Championship

Jason Kokrak just could not make shots, particularly with his putter, when it counted at The Northern Trust. It was the second week in a row where he missed the cut. Last week, it was holes 10 and 11 in Round 2 that proved to be his downfall. He double-bogeyed each one. Kokrak never truly […]

Brian Harman's Weekend Bodes Poorly For BMW Championship

With the quality in play being high last week, Brian Harman wilted over the weekend. He shot a 76-73. Harman was never a factor at all when on Friday, things looked promising. The American was making putts and even adapting to the course. Saturday saw everything fall apart. Sunday was not much better. That triple-bogey […]

Phil Mickelson Not A Good Play For BMW Championship

Other than the FedEx-WGC, Phil Mickelson has looked every bit of his age on the golf course lately. He has missed cuts and has three finishes outside the top 60. That is nowhere near good enough, and this Maryland golf course can be difficult. Fast putting conditions may be fatal for the lefty. Mickelson ranks […]

Lee Westwood Still A Final-Round Risk At BMW Championship

Lee Westwood had a pretty solid 54 holes at The Northern Trust. Then Sunday came, and again the game showed signs of cracks. Before anyone knew it, Westwood was out of contention again. The result was okay but a tied for 27th could have easily been a top 10 or 15 with a few more […]

Sergio Garcia May Struggle Again At BMW Championship

Sergio Garcia's game unraveled in Round 1 last week at The Northern Trust. As a result, he did not see the weekend. That 75 included a bunch of errant shots and a lack of ability to hit any greens. By the time, Garcia's putter warmed back up, it was time for the Spanish golfer to […]

Hideki Matsuyama Could Be Rough Play At BMW Championship

With the tight and fast greens, Hideki Matsuyama could have issues this week at the BMW Championship. Remember, the golfers do not have to worry about a cut. One plays the entire 72 holes to determine the top 30 heading into next week's finale. Again, Matsuyama's game just relies so much on him being set […]