The Daytona 500 is unique because the Daytona International Speedway is considered a superspeedway. To excel on this track, drivers aim to draft effectively. Drafting requires drivers to form alliances. To win the race, drivers need friends who will help them draft strategically.
"You got your teammates who are sort of your most important allies. Then for us, you have your Ford Performance partners. The other teams, the other Fords that are in the race that'll work together. And then when it gets down to the end, if you don't have any others with you, it's just whoever the guy is next to you that is willing to dance for a little bit," said Michael McDowell, driver of the #34.
"Got a couple of friends that you feel pretty good about, and think you'll be able to go out there and race with and have fun. But there's always a bit of competitiveness between friends too. So, just like you were in a parking lot racing shopping carts with your best friend, you're probably going to run into him pretty hard and try to push him around so you can win that little race, right. So, same thing's going to happen here," said Chris Buescher, driver of the #17.
Outside of having friends, it's important not to make enemies, while also trying to maintain a good reputation.
"I think it's more about not having bad relationships with guys because it's easy to make a conscious decision to drive around somebody, kind of leave them out to dry, whereas it's just as easy to let someone back in the line," said Todd Gilliland, driver of the #38.
"Reputation's a huge deal. In the draft, if you're known as a solid drafter, people are more likely to be with you. If you're known as somebody who makes mistakes or you look a little swirly out there, no one's going to go with you. It gets harder as the race goes on. Situations get closer and tighter, and aggression levels go up as you get closer to the end of the race as everyone knows that trophy is right around the corner. It gets aggressive and usually ends up in a wreck," said Joey Logano, driver of the #22.