(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The 59th Daytona 500 is upon us, airing this Sunday (Feb. 26) at 2 p.m. ET on Fox. This 2017 version of “The Great American Race” is as unpredictable as ever. Thanks to a lack of practice time because of rain, we only really got a sense of what everyone has through the Can-Am Duel qualifying races. But even that doesn’t tell the complete story because only half the field raced at a time.

In addition to a bunch of drivers with a realistic shot at winning, everyone must face the unknown of NASCAR’s new race format that separates each race into three stages. And the top 10 after each of the first two stages will receive regular season points, with the winner receiving a playoff point. This may play into strategy and could cause some situations that would impact the finish. For the Daytona 500, stages are separated after lap 60 and 120, and then an 80-lap final stage to determine the winner.

So who should you look out for in the Daytona 500? While this won’t include everyone, we have a sampling of favorites, contenders and dark horses, as well as my pick on who wins.

Favorites

Brad Keselowski

The winner of last year’s Coke Zero 400, Brad Keselowski comes in as one of the strongest contenders. Keselowski has four restrictor plate wins and had a great chance at winning last Sunday’s Clash. On the final lap, Keselowski got a big run on leader Denny Hamlin and Hamlin cut Keselowski off to try and keep the lead. The move caused both to fall behind, but they needed what they needed to do to try and win.

Denny Hamlin

Speaking of Denny Hamlin, he is going to be some stiff competition heading into Sunday. He won the second Can-Am Duel and seems to be able to stick his car anywhere he wants to move up through the field. Hamlin looks to become the fourth driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s and has a very good shot.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After coming back from missing half a season due to concussions, Dale Jr. comes into the Daytona 500 looking to make up for lost time. A two-time winner, Dale Jr. qualified his #88 Chevy in second and led for a bunch of his Can-Am Duel. Also, it’s never smart to count out an Earnhardt at a restrictor plate track.

Contenders

Jimmie Johnson

(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson has been strong, but has had bad luck this entire week. After almost spinning out, Johnson spun out in turn four in the Clash. Then in the Can-Am Duel, he got caught up in a dust-up and experienced minor damage. Despite that, Johnson’s crew fixed the damage and moved up into the top 10 before ultimately finishing 13th.

Johnson has proven after winning his seventh championship last year that he usually comes to the front when he needs to and can very well do it on lap 200 on Sunday.

Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott has a chance to make history on Sunday. A win on Sunday would make him the fourth driver (joining “Fireball” Roberts, Cale Yarborough, and his father Bill Elliott) as the only people to win the Daytona 500 pole, duel and race in the same season. But to do that, Chase will need to score his first win in the biggest race. It’s not impossible, it’s happened seven times. But it’s tough to do.

Joey Logano

It’s a bit unfair to put the winner of the Clash into this section, but Logano couldn’t get things going in the Can-Am Duel. Some of that was because he had to make an unscheduled stop and could only get back up to eighth, but there are certainly others more favored to win.

Dark Horses

Jamie McMurray

(Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

I didn’t really factor Jamie McMurray into winning the Daytona 500 this year until he finished second in the Can-Am Duel. McMurray is very smart on restrictor plate tracks and that added with a great car could pay off when it’s all said and done.

Ryan Blaney

The Wood Brothers are one of the most storied teams in NASCAR. After a surprise win in 2011, the Wood Brothers have proven they can win while being underdogs. Blaney showed his muscle in the Can-Am Duel and wasn’t afraid to pull off some risky moves to get toward the front. But after getting into it with Jimmie Johnson, Blaney’s run was over.

David Ragan

This is a very big longshot but history has shown that David Ragan could have a chance. Front Row Motorsports doesn’t normally have the best cars but they usually have strong cars on restrictor plate tracks as well as Ragan being a strong restrictor plate driver. That combination could result in a huge upset.

My Prediction

Kyle Busch

There’s something that tells me we haven’t seen everything out of Kyle Busch this week. Busch has been close many years and a win would be sweet redemption after breaking his leg and ankle at the track two years ago. There are definitely other drivers who are more likely to win the Daytona 500, even among his teammates. But for some reason, I believe Kyle Busch will end up in victory lane winning his first Daytona 500.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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