DAYTONA BEACH, Fla – The Wood Brothers are still searching for their 100th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. Sunday’s 61st annual Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET/FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) would be a fitting place for them to get it.

Since 1991, they’ve reached victory lane three times in NASCAR’s premiere series. Dale Jarrett won at Michigan in ’91. Trevor Bayne then won the 2011 Daytona 500. Ryan Blaney won the 2017 spring race at Pocono.

Now, Paul Menard will take his shot at giving NASCAR’s oldest team a historic victory. He came close several times in 2018, his first season with the storied organization, including a sixth place finish in the season opening Daytona 500.

If there’s a solid sleeper in this year’s field to reach the pinnacle on Sunday afternoon – it’s Menard.

He started on the pole and led 51 Laps in last Sunday’s Clash at Daytona. In fact, if not for being taken out by Jimmie Johnson on Lap 55 of the rain shortened event, Menard likely was going to be the winner.

In Thursday night’s 150 mile qualifying races, Menard looked strong again. He found the front after the first pit sequence and would ride in the top five for the rest of the way. He had a shot for the win in the end, but Kevin Harvick, a fellow Ford driver, was victorious instead.

“We really had a bunch of fast Fords up front, and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang was really good,” Menard said in his post-race comments on Thursday night. “Ricky [Stenhouse] and I had some fun at the end there. He came over after the race, and we were trying to figure out if we should have gone earlier, later, whatever else might’ve worked. 

“I was faster than him through the Tri-Oval, he had me by a bit down the back… at the end I had a little run and I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight if I didn’t try at least something there.”

Meanrd, finished third in his No. 21 Ford for his seventh top 10 finish in his last 11 restrictor plate starts. Just look at his points paying finishes at Daytona lately too.

The Wisconsin native has finished – fifth (2017 Daytona 500), third (2017 July race), sixth (2018 Daytona 500) and 28th (2018 July race) respectively.

With the new Ford Mustang being the class of the field this Speedweeks, he’s one to watch.