Bet NASCAR! Who will hit victory lane at the Go Bowling 235? The Eckel 4 make their picks for the Daytona road course
Go Bowling 235, Daytona, Fla. 3 p.m., TV NBC
How unknown is Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 on the road course at Daytona?
Even the drivers aren’t sure what to expect of a race that for years had been held at Watkins Glen, but was moved because of he COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s what three of the top drivers told NASCAR.com
Kevin Harvick: ”I think me leading everybody into Turn 1 at Daytona could be interesting because I have no freaking clue where I'm going as we go down there. Most everybody in the field is the same way. We'll prepare the best that we can and hope that we can make it around the first lap with all the wheels still headed in the right direction.”
Chase Elliott: “I think this weekend is going to be a big-time challenge for everyone. I think the one guy that I look at that really has a leg up is Kyle (Busch), having come off that 24-hour event (Rolex 24) this year. In fact, I think if we all knew that we were going to be doing this road course, you probably would have seen all of us trying to get in that 24-Hour race this year to go and do it. But you never know with things like that. I think it's going to be a challenge. I think it's going to be a fun challenge for everyone. I've never entered a race like that where you literally just have no idea what to expect.”
Martin Truex Jr. ”I've only been on that track once. It was back in I think '04 when I ran the IROC series, we raced there. I didn't do very good. I wasn't very good at it then. Obviously, those cars are quite a bit different than what we have. We'll see. We've got a lot of work this week to prepare, try to figure it out. I know iRacing has the track, so get on there, get familiarized, hopefully be able to learn a little bit from that. Hopefully, the team will prepare a great car. I know they'll prepare a great car. Hopefully we can have a car that drives the way I need it to. That's really the key. I enjoy road courses. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be wild, for sure. A lot of question marks.’’
And here is how The Eckel 4, which includes as always Scott “Tobacco Road’’ Baker, Mike “Left Turn’’ Sweeney and Barry “Dr. NASCAR’’ Davis see the race.
Chase Elliott (4-1): Three of the four mentioned Elliott, who has been installed as the favorite and two put him on top. He does have three road course wins to his credit.
Kyle Busch (13-2): It would only seem fitting for 2020 if Busch gets his first win of the season here. Of course “Tobacco Road’’ likes his chances, but he wasn’t alone this week.
Martin Truex Jr. (5-1): The New Jersey native is tied with Busch with four road course wins, the most of any active driver. Truex has raced well of late and this could be his race.
Ryan Blaney (8-1): “Left Turn’’ and “Tobacco Road’’ both have the consistent Blaney in the mix and the odds aren’t a bad price.
Longshot Plays: Kurt Busch (25-1); Matt DiBenedetto (33-1)