NASCAR’s season kicks off this Sunday with the biggest race of them all, the Daytona 500. Often referred to as NASCAR’s Super Bowl, but coming at the beginning of the season rather than the end, there is already a lot of hype surrounding the race. Rookie Austin Dillon is sitting on the pole in the late Dale Earnhardt’s famed No. 3 car. Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t far behind starting in ninth place.
Even though the No. 3 is on the pole, Earnhardt Jr could be the favorite.
“Dale is absolutely going to have a very, very good year,” says Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, via Sports Illustrated. “He’s in a good place in his life. He’s comfortable with who he is and what he wants. And when it comes to Daytona, he’s just a natural here. On Sunday he’s going to be one of the guys to beat.”
Earnhardt Jr is optimistic too.
“We found that we’ve got a real good race car,” he said after his qualifying race. “Real happy with the way my car drove.” Translation: Earnhardt believes he has all that he needs to win his second Daytona 500.
Date: Sunday, February 23
Start Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Daytona, Florida
Track: Daytona International Speedway
TV Info: FOX
Radio Info: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500:
- Austin Dillon
- Martin Truex (to back of field)
- Matt Kensth
- Denny Hamlin (will move up to front row)
- Kasey Kahne
- Jeff Gordon
- Marcos Ambrose
- Kurt Busch
- Dale Earnahrdt Jr.
- Paul Menard
- Josh Wise
- Brian Scott
- Aric Almirola
- Trevor Bayne
- A.J. Allmendinger
- Kyle Larson
- David Gililand
- Landon Cassill
- Ryan Newman
- Clint Bowyer
- Tony Stewart
- Jamie McMurray
- Cole Whitt
- Terry Labonte
- Greg Biffle
- Bobby Labonte
- Danica Patrick
- Casey Mears
- Alex Bowman
- Carl Edwards
- Brian Vickrs
- Jimmie Johnson
- Brad Keselowski
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Joey Logano
- Michael Anntt
- Kyle Busch
- Kevin Harvick
- Reed Sorenson
- Justin Allgair
- Parker Kligrman
- Michael Waltrip
- David Ragan
Stay tuned to FanSided.com for all your Daytona 500 coverage.