Building an Optimal Lineup for Sunday's Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona Road Course

The 2020 season has been a unique one by NASCAR standards; no practice, no qualifying, just line them up and race. That methodology is being taken to a whole other level this weekend, as the NASCAR Cup Series will run its first race on the Daytona International Speedway road course in the modern era.

Sure, 13 Cup drivers entered for Sunday's Go Bowling 235 have some sort of experience on the Daytona road course, but never in a stock car. Most of the experience comes from the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Sports Car, or Cole Custer racing the road course in an IMSA support series Michelin Challenge. Even Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman competed on the track, all the way back in 2006 in an IROC race.

Quite simply, those cars aren't like a NASCAR racecar. On Sunday, the 39-driver field will run 3,400 lbs cars, needing to brake very heavily entering the 14-turn course. Quite simply, I haven't been this excited for a race since the inaugural race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2018.

My DFS Lineup - Go Bowling 235

Martin Truex Jr. ($10,100)

OK, so there aren't really any stats to go off for any of these selections, so let's base this lineup on recent success on road courses. And when we talk about recent success on road courses, Truex is at the top of the list.

Yes, Chase Elliott edged out Truex in three of the last five road courses for the victory, but the New Jersey native has been the definition of consistency on road courses, always running at the front. Truex has four victories on road courses, three of those coming in the past seven starts. In two other races, he finished runner-up at Watkins Glen International, and should have won the ROVAL in 2018, had Jimmie Johnson not sput him out on the final corner.

Look, Truex is solid at road courses and he's worth the price. With so many unknowns, it's a worry he starts third and there could be an early pileup with no track time. But look for the No. 19 car to be stout.

Kyle Busch ($9,800)

In 2020, Busch is 0-22 in the Cup Series, but never fear Rowdy fans, he's one of the favorites this weekend.

Why, you ask? Well, Busch is the most recent Cup driver to run on the Daytona road course, that being in January when he made his Rolex 24 debut. That day didn't go as planned, but that additional track time could play dividends since no other drivers have recent track time on the track, and drivers are prohibited from running in more than one series this weekend.

Truly, I think Busch is the top dog this weekend and will snap his winless streak. Coming off back-to-back top-five runs in Michigan last weekend, the No. 18 team has built up confidence where aerodynamics don't play as much of a factor.

Jimmie Johnson ($8,100)

Remember, how I mentioned Johnson spun out Truex at the ROVAL on the final lap two years ago? That was the last time the seven-time Cup champion was a real threat for a victory, ultimately finishing eighth in that race because of the mistake.

When it comes to road courses, though, Johnson is severely underrated, posting just one victory alllll the way back in 2010 at Sonoma Raceway. But to hone in on his road racing skills, Johnson has ran eight races on the Daytona road course, granted, his most recent start was in 2011.

When it comes to the 2020 season, Johnson needs some better fortune to make the postseason, entering the weekend 26 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron for the final playoff spot. Maybe this weekend will be the start to a playoff push for Johnson, and his 11th-place starting position makes him worthy of the price.

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Brendan Gaughan ($7,500)

Whoa, Gaughan is running on a track other than a superspeedway for Beard Motorsports? Yup! And he's no slouch on road courses either.

For the first couple years of its existence, Beard Motorsports was literally a one-car team -- it had one car, solely to run on superspeedways. In fact, this is the teams 15th career Cup start, first one ever on a non-superspeedway. But in the past, Gaughan has been impressive on road courses, winning his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Road America in 2014.

Now, the last time Gaughan competed on a road course at the Cup level was 16 years ago. Yes, SIXTEEN years ago. That's an eternity in racing terms, but he has experience on the Daytona road course, most recently running in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship Series in 2018, finishing 14th.

The team starts shotgun on the field Sunday, meaning the only way to go is up.

Michael McDowell ($7,000)

For years, McDowell was known for his road racing experience, and still is a very crafty driver on such tracks. With a tough weekend at MIS last week, the No. 34 Ford begins the race from 30th, very attractive to DFS players.

If the Front Row Motorsports team has no mechanical failures, expect another solid top-10 to 15 run from McDowell. He's in the midst of a career year and it would only make sense he scores his first top 10 on a road course in Cup this season.

McDowell has six previous starts on the Daytona road course outside NASCAR, most recently in 2012 at the Rolex 24.

Chris Buescher ($6,600)

Quietly, Buescher is a respectable road racer, scoring his first Xfinity win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2014 for Roush Fenway Racing. The 2020 season, however, has been nothing but solid.

Because of that, it does cause a little concern, though the No 17 Ford will begin the race from 21st, right in the middle of the pack. Outside of the two superspeedway races, he has a best finish of 10th this season. But on a road course, this is a nice pick to fill out your lineup, should you be looking for a driver with low value.

In 11 road course races at the Cup level, Buescher has eight finishes ahead of where he starts this weekend. It could be risky, but his season has to turn around at some point, right?

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