2017 Daytona 500
WHAT: 59th running of the Daytona 500
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m. ET
WHERE: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
TRACK: Daytona’s tri-oval is 2 1/2-mile super speedway with 31-degree banking in the turns.
TV: FOX
LIVE STREAM: FOX Sports GO
Each year, NASCAR heads to Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500, a 200-lap race that officially marks the start of the season. And this season opener might be the most highly anticipated in years.
Heading into the weekend, all eyes were on Hendrick Motorsports’ Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he’s set to return to competition for the first time in roughly eight months. Although attention shifted toward Joey Logano on Friday, when it was announced he had agreed to an extension with Team Penske, Earnhardt will be right back in the spotlight come Sunday — as will his teammate.
Hendrick secured a front-row lockout ahead of the “Great American Race,” with Chase Elliott starting from pole alongside the two-time Daytona 500 winner. But both the No. 88 and No. 24 need a solid performance if they also hope to finish in front, and a little luck won’t hurt either.
Given the unpredictability of restrictor-plate races, Elliott and Earnhardt don’t just have to worry about Jamie McMurray, who starts behind them in third.
During The Clash at Daytona, Joe Gibbs Racing proved its cars still have the pace to claim its second-consecutive Daytona 500 victory. JGR should be able to apply pressure to the Hendrick cars early in the race, as Denny Hamlin — who won last year’s 500 — is starting next to McMurray on row two.
Most of the Ford teams showed they pose a serious threat, too.
Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch qualified fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively. Bowyer and Busch also were split by the Ford-powered No. 2 of Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski.
Although the other Penske driver will start the race from 15th, Logano’s performance in The Clash showed he has similar pace to Keselowski’s, and is still one of the better restrictor-plate racers.
NASCAR’s new rules still leave a lot of unknowns ahead of Sunday’s race, but given they were designed to reward aggression, Hendrick’s two popular drivers will have their work cut out for them to hold off the cars behind.
Thumbnail photo via Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports Images
