2023 Daytona 200: A Deep Field Of Talent, Here’s Our Favorites For The Win

Ryan Yearwood previews the deep field for Saturday's Daytona 200.

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On the eastern coast of central Florida, a speedway sits quiet, anxiously awaiting the arrival of semi-trucks, motorhomes, and thousands of motorcycles. Soon, the bare stands will be filled with spectators as the smell of expended race fuel and hot rubber overtakes their senses. Wailing cries of engines reaching maximum RPM will reverberate off the high banks of the track. Riders preparing to push the limits of their bodies and machinery, inches away from the speedway walls and opponents, as they sling-shot their way past each other at over 170 mph. The 81st running of the Daytona 200 has arrived.

Standard calendars might claim we’re into the third month of 2023 by now, but for American motorcycle racing fans, the year doesn’t really begin until Daytona Bike Week arrives. The action-packed 200 mile endurance race doubles as the season opener for MotoAmerica Supersport and several other support classes.  This year looks to be one of most talent-stacked grids Daytona has seen in a long time, and we may very well see the largest final-lap pack of riders drafting towards the finish line.  Here’s our list of favored riders, as well as a few wildcards to keep an eye out for.

Favorites

Brandon Paasch #96

Likely to be the most popular rider heading into this year’s event, Brandon Paasch has won the past two Daytona 200 races. He returns to the historic event aboard his trusty TOBC Racing Triumph Street Triple RS. Can he get the 3-peat victory and stack another Rolex on his wrist?

Josh Herrin #2

The Warhorse HSBK Ducati NYC team came into the 2022 race as a top contender for victory with Josh Herrin stepping back into Supersport aboard the new Panigale V2. From pole position, Herrin was running with the front pack during the first leg of the event, but fuel over-consumption forced him to push his bike to the first pit-stop, putting himself out of contention for the win and finished in 10th place.  I expect Herrin and team will be looking for redemption, and likely won’t make the same mistakes again.

Cam Petersen #45

South Africa’s Cam Petersen nearly won last year’s event, but was just edged out by Brandon Paasch’s last moment draft to the front. Petersen now knows he is capable of enduring the full 200 miles aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R6. What lessons did he learn in 2022 and how will he apply that to the final-lap-dash this year?

Danny Eslick #69

The Daytona 200 and Danny Eslick go together like the 4th of July and fireworks. And speaking of fireworks, it’s always a party when Eslick claims Daytona victory. As a four-time Daytona 200 champion, the TOBC Racing star would love to see a fifth title added to the record books. The number 69 of Eslick likely would’ve been at the front group during last year’s finish, but due to seemingly temporary mechanical issues or perhaps a false neutral during a red-flag restart, Danny was only able to scrape together a 6th place result. How will he perform this year? Time will tell, but I would never count out Danny Eslick at Daytona.

Sheridan Morais #32

Sheridan Morais returns to Florida looking for payback. He was the second-fastest qualifier in 2022 and was flawless during the entire race. However, like fellow South African, Cam Petersen, Morais fell victim to Brandon Paasch’s final draft charge to the checkered flag. Can Morais piggy-back off of last year’s qualifying success and get himself back to the front?

Josh Hayes #4

Although this list of riders contains unfathomable amounts of talent, none of these guys can compare when it comes to Josh Hayes’s list of experience and accomplishments. At the ripe age of 47 years old, the four-time Superbike champion is still chomping at the bit and ready for an official career first Daytona 200 victory. Hayes was in the group of riders fighting for the win on last year’s final lap, but was too far away from a drafting opportunity and hopes of a podium finish. I have no doubt that Hayes and the Squid Hunter Racing team will be in top form this week looking for a win.

WILDCARDS

Hayden Gillim #95

Owensboro, Kentucky’s Hayden Gillim is throwing his hat into the ring for the 2023 event and should be a rider to keep an eye on. Gillim is an extremely talented racer and with last year’s Supersport class rule changes, he will be one of the few riders competing on the slightly larger GSX-R750 machine. Will this extra displacement provide enough juice to launch him to the front? I anticipate a decent result from the Disrupt Racing number 95 rider.

Blake Davis #22

The 2022 REVIT Twins Cup champion recently announced he’ll be competing in select rounds of the 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport series, including round one in Daytona. Davis is coming into this event with far less experience than his competitors, but he is no slouch on a 600. Davis has competed in endurance racing on various types of machinery for several years and should not be counted out of this mix. 

Xavi Fores #12

This year, the Warhorse HSBK Ducati NYC team is fielding two riders in the 200. Teammate to Josh Herrin, Xavi Fores will begin his MotoAmerica career at Daytona, but his resume is filled with global experience and accomplishments, including endurance racing. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fores’s lap times sneak towards the front group as the weekend progresses.

PJ Jacobsen #66

PJ Jacobsen has decided to park his BMW 1000RR temporarily and the Celtic/Tytlers Cycle/TSE Racing team has prepared a YZF-R6 for him to pilot this week in Daytona.  PJ is a seasoned rider with impressive results internationally.  Could he be a dark horse competitor for this year’s victory?

Be sure to catch all the action from the Daytona 200 this Saturday, March 11th.  Check out www.motoamerica.com for more on how to watch the race!

Ryan Yearwood is the motorsports correspondent for SoBros Network as well as the pioneer and visionary behind SoBros Outdoors. Follow on Twitter: @OutdoorSoBro.

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