2019 Daytona 500: 3 NASCAR facts to know before the Daytona 500

2019 Daytona 500: 3 NASCAR facts to know before the race

DAYTONA, FL - FEBRUARY 10: The car of Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro, is pushed onto pit road during Daytona 500 Qualifying on February 10, 2019 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 14: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Gander RV Duel At DAYTONA #1 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

2. Joey Logano’s odd starting position

Team Penske’s Joey Logano will enter the 2019 Daytona 500 as the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. After ten seasons of trying, the man in the No. 22 finally snagged his first Cup title in 2018 and he’d certainly love to start off defending it by adding a second victory at Daytona to his resume.

But where Logano may finish the race isn’t as interesting as where he’s going to start it. By virtue of sneaking by Clint Bowyer on the last lap of Feb. 14’s second Gander RV Duel, he’ll roll off the grid in fourth place on Sunday. That just happens to be the exact same place where he finished the race last year. Logano came in fourth in 2018, and he’s starting fourth in 2019—so as of right now he’s technically made no progress whatsoever.

Yet he probably shouldn’t sweat it. While fourth may not sound great, it’s still better than where he has usually ended up in Daytona 500 qualifying. Three of the previous four years (2015, 2016, and 2018) he qualified in fifth. And the first time he did that, he managed to win the race.

Logano hasn’t finished outside the Top 6 in the Daytona 500 since 2014. And if nothing else, he’s got qualifying bragging rights over his teammates. Fans have to look all the way back to 14th to find another Penske car, the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney. Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 car is starting the 2019 Daytona 500 much further back in 35th.

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