I still am thrilled at last week’s finish. It’s been such a long time since Tony Stewart has won, and I forgot how awesome it feels to have your favorite driver in victory lane. Now we go to Daytona, and ironically, Smoke has won this race the most times among active drivers. And I get to attend.

Tony Stewart is this race’s best active driver. He’s won the Coke Zero 400 4 times, just one shy of the all-time race record. And he has once before won Sonoma and Daytona back to back. And he has the teammates to help him to victory lane. Kevin Harvick has run well at Daytona as of late, and he has won here twice. And while Kurt Busch has yet to win a race at Daytona, he’s been very good here. And Danica Patrick has run well in the July race before. Overall, Stewart-Hass Racing looks good again this weekend.

Hendrick Motorsports is also looking good. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson have a combined 7 wins and 24 top-five finishes here, and both have won at least twice in the last four years. Chase Elliot has an Xfinity Series win here, and he won the pole for this year’s Daytona 500. Kasey Kahne is still the team’s weak link. He hasn’t ever won at Daytona, and he has an average finish of 19.6. Other than Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports seems to be looking good.

Joe Gibbs Racing is on a decent Daytona roll. All four of it’s drivers were in the top-15 in this year’s Daytona 500, and Denny Hamlin won it, by passing teammate Matt Kenseth on the last lap. Hamlin and Kenseth have each won Daytona 500s, but Kyle Busch is the only JGR driver to win the July race here. Carl Edwards is the only Gibbs Racing driver with no Daytona victories. Not the best team at Daytona, but good for a win.

Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. is coming to Daytona seeking vengeance. Truex briefly took the lead on the last lap of the 2016 Daytona 500, only to be beaten to the line by 0.010 seconds. He now returns to the track seeking his second victory of the year. And he could get it.

Penske Racing is good at Talladega, but Brad Keslowski and Joey Logano have just one Daytona win, from Logano in the 2015 Daytona 500. Neither driver has good history here, so don’t expect an outstanding weekend from them.

Roush-Fenway Racing is to be watched. Trevor Bayne is returning to the site of his lone Sprint Cup victory: the 2011 Daytona 500. Trevor is on the edge of the Chase, and a win now would solve all his problems. The same goes for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is also on the Chase bubble. As for Greg Biffle, this is probably his best chance at a win this year, and a Chase spot. If these three can work together, one of them could steal a win here.

Don’t exclude Chip Ganassi Racing. Jamie McMurray and Daytona mix well, seeing as he has wins in both the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400. Kyle Larson is on the Chase bubble, and he had a good finish in this year’s Daytona 500. One of them could win.

I almost forgot Richard Childress Racing. How could I? They have been good at Daytona as of late. Paul Menard, Austin Dillon, and Ryan Newman have all run well here lately, and this is Dillon’s best track. Austin was wrecked three times at Talladega earlier this year, and he almost won. Now he has another shot at a win, this time at Daytona. Newman and Menard have had more subtle success here, but both are usually near the front. They could sneak a win.

Daytona is known as a wild card race. Regan Smith took his no. 7 car to an 8th place finish in this year’s 500, and he is on a tiny team. Drivers like Smith, Brian Scott, Aric Almirola, David Ragan, even Matt DiBenedetto all have a chance to pull the rare, underdog win which would propel them into the Chase.

Now who looks like a winner? Well, I think Tony Stewart is a good pick. He has the most wins in this race, and ties for the most among active drivers. But I like the underdogs. Drivers Trevor Bayne, Danica Patrick, and Austin Dillon all stand out as good underdog picks. But until the checkered flag waves, I don’t know for certain who will win. Let’s go racing.