The Daytona 500 Winner Is...

Lots of things can happen in a restrictor plate race. No one would have predicted the actual winner of either of the last two, I don't think, but, here is my prediction:

Jeff Gordon is running very well. He is definitely hungry for the win. He is the guy I hope will win. (Of course, I really hope one of the RPM cars will win, but that is not likely).

Having said that, let us eliminate a few most-talked-about potential winners:

Tony Stewart is not going to win this race. I don't think he's ever shown the skill to be a winner on the restrictor plate tracks unless a few of the better RP drivers fall out.

Jr. will not win the race. While he's a good restrictor plate racer, he is not the best and he no longer has the best RP package as he had at DEI for so long.

A Roush car will not win the race. They have not looked to be able to outrun the Chevys and Toyotas this week.

Like everyone else, I am ignoring Jimmie Johnson. Of course, he should be a favorite and he may sneak up and win. There was a report that Matt Kenseth said in one of the 125s that Johnson was handling great. I don't think he will be the man, though.

Instead, and I hate to say it, but he will pick up where he left off before the Chase last year, he will start his year with a bang and aggravate everyone in the process, the winner will be Kyle Busch. He is the only driver who can handle Jeff Gordon heads-up, so I expect him to win.

My favorite darkhorse candidate: Bobby Labonte. Yates engine + Todd Parrot = potential threat. Still, both Gordon and Busch would have to be out of contention for this to happen.

Putting my crystal ball up now.