Kevin Harvick

NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 takes place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina this Sunday. William Byron topped qualifying to take pole, but Kyle Busch will be fancied to repeat 2018's success on this track.

Kevin Harvick also has history on his side, having won in Charlotte on two occasions. The last of those came in 2013, but the Stewart-Haas Racing star can still best any driver on his day.

       

Date: Sunday, May 26

Start Time: 6 p.m. ET/11 p.m. BST

TV Info: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go, fuboTV

Tickets: StubHub

      

Lineup (Per NASCAR's official website)

1. William Byron

2. Aric Almirola

3. Kyle Busch

4. Austin Dillon

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Daniel Suarez

7. Joey Logano

8. Clint Bowyer

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

10. Daniel Hemric

11. Kurt Busch

12. Chase Elliott

13. Alex Bowman

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. Jimmie Johnson

16. Erik Jones

17. Paul Menard

18. Ryan Newman

19. Ryan Blaney

20. Denny Hamlin

21. Brad Keselowski

22. Chris Buescher

23. Michael McDowell

24. Ryan Preece

25. Kyle Larson

26. Matt Tifft

27. Matt DiBenedetto

28. Ty Dillon

29. Bubba Wallace

30. Corey LaJoie

31. David Ragan

32. Landon Cassill

33. Bayley Currey

34. Parker Kligerman

35. Ross Chastain

36. BJ McLeod

37. Reed Sorenson

38. Cody Ware

39. Quin Houff

40. Joey Gase

      

Busch to Win for 2nd Year in a Row

Form is always a good gauge for success, even in an event rarely short of a surprise or two. It's why Busch will be the driver to beat Sunday.

The 34-year-old has already recorded three wins this year. Busch boosted his case further when he offered a reminder of his comfort in Charlotte by finishing third in last Sunday's All-Star Race.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star crossed the line trailing Harvick and Chip Ganassi Racing's Kyle Larson.

Busch has the vehicle to improve Sunday, according to Michelle R. Martinelli of USA Today Sports' FTW! Racing: "His No. 18 Toyota is always one of the cars to beat, and if he stays out of trouble, there's a good chance he'll make a run for the lead late in the race."

.@KyleBusch gets into the wall while running second!

He slips back to third, as @KevinHarvick moves by. pic.twitter.com/hbkMqhrwIp

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 19, 2019

It's difficult to believe Busch won't live up to those words.

      

Harvick Set for Runner-Up Spot

It's been a tough season for Harvick, who has yet to post a win. His struggles were summed up by events during the All-Star Race.

The 43-year-old slipped behind Larson late on, despite leading for a race-high 33 laps, per NASCAR's official website.

It's not unusual since Busch leads all active Cup drivers with 1,370 laps led at Charlotte, according to Matthew Mayer of CBSSports.com.

He is also a proven winner in Charlotte, with 2011's race a prime example of his confidence on this track:

Dale Jr. ran out of gas. Kevin Harvick took the checkered. pic.twitter.com/GxYoBpzZGA

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 23, 2019

Harvick's experience means he is likely to have learned invaluable lessons from last week. Count on him setting the initial pace and staying in touch late on.

It won't be enough to snap the winless streak, but Harvick will drive a solid race worthy of another runner-up spot.  

For most of Thursday evening, it looked like Aric Almirola would take the pole for the Coca-Cola 600. 

Then William Byron took the track, scorched the field and walked away with his second pole of the 2019 season. Byron went around Charlotte Motor Speedway in 29.440 seconds with an average speed of 183.424 mph to start on the inside of the front row in Sunday's race.

Almirola will start on the outside of Row 1, while Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick round out the Top Five.

1. William Byron

2. Aric Almirola

3. Kyle Busch

4. Austin Dillon

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Daniel Suarez

7. Joey Logano

8. Clint Bowyer

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

10. Daniel Hemric

11. Kurt Busch

12. Chase Elliott

13. Alex Bowman

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. Jimmie Johnson

16. Erik Jones

17. Paul Menard

18. Ryan Newman

19. Ryan Blaney

20. Denny Hamlin

Full results at NASCAR.com

To the top of the board goes @WilliamByron!

The @TeamHendrick driver bumps @Aric_Almirola late in #BuschPole qualifying: https://t.co/WJ94Lfts3v pic.twitter.com/Kthst3enFy

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 23, 2019

 

Byron previously won the pole at the Daytona 500 before finishing 21st. He has just two top 10s in points races this season but is coming off a ninth-place finish in last week's All-Star race in Charlotte. During his rookie season, Byron had finishes of 39th and 34th at Charlotte.

"I think it's a true test of your fitness level and mental capacity as a driver, not just for the heat but for the endurance it takes," Byron said of the Coca-Cola 600, per Reuters.

"Team-wise, there was a stretch for a few years that it was easier to make it 600 miles, but now with the performance as critical as it is, I think the cars are pushed more and the engines are pushed more, making it harder to go the full distance. I think this race really is a test of everything you have as the sport just gets more and more competitive."

Almirola also noted the endurance needed to run the 600-mile trek while also noting the race presents a unique opportunity for points. 

"What you have from a driveability and balance standpoint from the race car at the beginning of the race is not what you have at the end," Almirola said. "You're trying to figure out what it takes to get your car to win at the end, and you have to be good at all facets because there are a lot of points to be made."

Byron and Almirola don't have to look far for guys with experience winning the race. Kyle Busch is the defending champion and will start in third, while 2017 winner Austin Dillon starts fourth. 

Kevin Harvick won the pole for the 2019 Toyota Owners 400 after posting the best qualifying time at Richmond Raceway on Friday.

Erik Jones will join Harvick in the front row, with Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five.

Below is a look at the latest action from Richmond, Virginia.

      

2019 Toyota Owners 400 Qualifying Results

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Erik Jones

3. Kurt Busch

4. Joey Logano

5. Kyle Busch

6. Martin Truex Jr.

7. Chase Elliott

8. Austin Dillon

9. Daniel Suarez

10. Jimmie Johnson

11. Chris Buescher

12. Brad Keselowski

Full results available on NASCAR's official website

After recording his lowest finish (13th at Bristol) since the first week of the season at Daytona, Harvick is in prime position to bounce back this week.

His time of 21.722 seconds edged out Jones by 0.038.

Retweet to congratulate Kevin Harvick on his NASCAR Cup Series POLE in Richmond! Will SHR stop the JGR/Penske streak? pic.twitter.com/cOrfiJePby

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 12, 2019

It marks Harvick's 27th career pole and his third at Richmond. It is also the second pole of the season for the No. 4 Ford, which recorded the top qualifying time at Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 during the first weekend of March.

"You just gotta go faster than everybody else."

Solid strategy from @KevinHarvick as he takes the top spot in #BuschPole Qualifying. pic.twitter.com/Qryl6CHJqu

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 12, 2019

While Harvick has not finished higher than fourth in a race this season, he recorded six consecutive top-10 placements entering last week. The Stewart Haas Racing driver's last win came at the AAA Texas 500 in November 2018.

Defending Toyota Owners 400 champion Kyle Busch will be able to put the pressure on Harvick and the rest of the field right away as he starts in fifth. Last year, he had to work his way up from a 32nd-place start to take home the checkered flag.

Busch sits atop NASCAR's points standings, owning a 27-point lead over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who will start in 18th. Busch has won three of the last six races, including last week's Food City 500.

Truex, another JGR driver, will start in sixth one year after winning the pole. He is still seeking his first short-track victory.

The 2019 Toyota Owners 400 will get underway Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Saturday's Toyota Owners 400 in Richmond, Virginia, is the next stop of the 2019 NASCAR season.

After eight races, Kyle Busch sits top of the standings. He picked up his third victory of the year last time out at the Food City 500.

Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing have been the dominant forces in 2019. Denny Hamlin, Busch's team-mate, has won two races himself and sits second in the standings.

Team Penske duo Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have won the other three races between them, so there  will be numerous other outfits looking to muscle in on the winning action on Saturday at the Richmond Raceway.

                    

Date: Saturday, April 13

When: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Richmond Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 

TV Info: Fox

Tickets: StubHub

              

Lineup to be added after Friday qualifying at 5:40 p.m. ET on FS1.

                    

Busch, 33, is a serial winner at Richmond. He has won the Toyota Owners 400 on five previous occasions, including last year's race.

And he also won at Richmond Raceway in September in the Federated Auto Parts 400.

If he wins a sixth Toyota Owners 400 on Saturday, he will equal the legendary Richard Petty's record in the race.

Given Busch's remarkable form at the circuit and the fact that he is the championship leader, it is difficult to look past him claiming another victory on Saturday:

Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with 6 Richmond wins. pic.twitter.com/WwUQJUEj4f

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 12, 2019

Qualifying will be crucial, but Busch won from No. 17 on the grid last time out, while pole-sitter Chase Elliott finished 11th.

Ryan Blaney was the fastest man in qualifying at Bristol, as he set a track record, and he looked like he could be the man to beat. He finished fourth in the Food City 500—his fourth top-five finish in his past five races.

That is impressive form from the Team Penske driver, and he will be desperate to join Logano and Keselowski by getting a win on the board at Richmond.

However, it is not a track where he has enjoyed previous success. 

Another man to look out for is Kevin Harvick. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver won eight races last year on his way to finishing third in the championship.

In two races at Richmond in 2018, he also enjoyed two top-five finishes.

Harvick has yet to win in 2019 but has finished top 10 in six of the eight races this season and could well get a victory on the board on Saturday.

Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin will vie for crucial points when they compete in the TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway on Sunday.

They are the top three in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, with Logano holding an eight-point lead entering race weekend.

However, it's Ryan Blaney who will enter the race on pole, per NASCAR.com, after a strong showing during an intense qualifying session that also saw Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell come to blows.

Your #BuschPole winner for the #TicketGuardian500: YRB! 😎@Blaney | @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/3zxnPBFNIv

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 9, 2019

ICYMI: @Daniel_SuarezG, @Mc_Driver get physical on pit road during #BuschPole qualifying.

Details: https://t.co/5ZPKRkUd6X pic.twitter.com/Ooco22raap

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 9, 2019

Hamlin is also in the front row, set to start from third, so this represents a major opportunity for the 38-year-old to close the gap at the top.

                    

Date: Sunday, March 10

Time: 3.30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. GMT

TV Info: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go.

Tickets: ISMRaceway.com, StubHub.

             

Logano was a winner at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last time out. He's looking forward to trying out a faster, more powerful car in the season's first flat-track event.

Starting 12th on Sunday afternoon. Trying to make it back-to-back weekends in Victory Lane! #TeamJL pic.twitter.com/06eKxCqI1K

— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) March 9, 2019

He described the speed he experienced during qualifying, per the Associated Press' Dave Skretta (h/t the Washington Post): "You can hustle the heck out of the car. I was huffing and puffing after a couple of laps. I've never gone around this track that fast before."

Skretta noted how vehicles in Avondale, Arizona, have been upped to 750 horsepower from 550 in Las Vegas. It's a good reason for Logano to feel confident after he outpaced the field in a slower car at the Pennzoil 400 last Sunday.

Even so, it's hard to look past Harvick, the record-winner in Phoenix. He's crossed the line first nine times and remains the driver to beat once the green flag drops.

One more win would not only put Harvick, who will be starting from eighth, in double figures, but it would also place him in a select group of drivers to have 10 or more wins on a single track, according to Amanda Vincent of Motorsport Week.

It's not often Harvick is left trailing on the West Coast, but he will need to be mindful of Hamlin's ability. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver already has a win this year after finishing first in a crash-laden edition of the Daytona 500 in February.

Hamlin has already improved on his 2018 efforts, when the 38-year-old failed to register a win. He's usually a top-10 driver season in and season out.

Consistency is also matched with speed, after Hamlin clocked a qualifying rate of 140.007 mph, which put him at least in sight of the 141.287 mph clocked by Blaney.

Hamlin's in a position to at least tally a top-four finish in Arizona, which would be good enough to keep the pressure on Logano. Expect him to do more than that, with Hamlin in form and racing from the right starting spot to snatch a crucial win.

The 2019 NASCAR season begins its West Coast swing Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After the first two races of the year took place in the southeast, the Monster Energy Series moves west for three straight races, beginning with the Pennzoil 400.

Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski already have wins to their name from Daytona and Atlanta, respectively, and there's a good chance a third driver moves into Victory Lane Sunday.

Kevin Harvick became the third driver to win the pole for a race this season, as he beat out Hamlin and Kyle Busch during qualifying.

                      

Pennzoil 400 Info

Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET 

TV: Fox

Ticket Info: Tickets for the race can be found on StubHub.

Lineup: Full starting grid can be found on NASCAR.com.

                   

Preview

Harvick and Hamlin start Sunday's race in the front row, while Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon occupy Row 2 and Daniel Hemric and David Ragan reside in Row 3.

Hamlin, who has a win at Daytona and an 11th-place finish at Atlanta, is looking to continue his early-season success by benefiting from the second starting position.

Because of his consistency in the first two competitions of the season, Hamlin is out to an early lead in the points standings.

Harvick is just eight points behind Hamlin, while Kyle Busch is nine points back and Kyle Larson sits 10 out of first place.

Kyle Busch and Erik Jones, who is seventh in points, are the only two drivers on the circuit with a pair of top-10 finishes, and they should be in contention to finish high up the leaderboard Sunday.

Another factor worth taking into consideration when picking a winner is Harvick's recent success at Las Vegas, as he finished first in 2015 and 2018.

Keselowski's also been successful in the past five years at Las Vegas, as he drove into the winner's circle in 2014 and 2016.

The only other driver to win at Las Vegas during that span is Martin Truex Jr., who enters Sunday in 12th place in the points standings.

If you're looking for a not-so-familiar name to take home the checkered flag, Hemric is the best option, as he lines up fifth on the starting grid.

The driver of the No. 8 car put together a solid run on the track during qualifying and is in need of a good finish, as he's 29th in points.

                        

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Kevin Harvick had a great run in NASCAR's first trip to Las Vegas this season, capturing the pole position for Sunday's Pennzoil 400. 

Coming into the weekend, Harvick has been the favorite to drive away with a victory. His qualifying run did nothing to change that perception, as he rounded the track in 29.914 seconds during the third and final round. 

Joining Harvick on the front row will be Denny Hamlin. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, along with the Richard Childress Racing duo of Austin Dillon and Daniel Hemric, round out the top five. 

Here's the full lineup from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, via NASCAR.com:

Row 1: Kevin Harvick (pole winner), Denny Hamlin

Row 2: Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon

Row 3: Daniel Hemric, David Ragan

Row 4: Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

Row 5: Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano

Row 6: Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott

Row 7: Ryan Blaney, Ty Dillon

Row 8: Paul Menard, Michael McDowell

Row 9: Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones

Row 10: Brad Keselowski, William Byron

Row 11: Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez

Row 12: Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Preece

Row 13: Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto

Row 14: Chris Buescher, Kurt Busch

Row 15: Ryan Newman, Corey LaJoie

Row 16: Landon Cassill, Parker Kligerman

Row 17: Cody Ware, B.J. McLeod

Row 18: Matt Tifft, Joey Gase

Row 19: Reed Sorensen, Ross Chastain

While Harvick did win the pole, there was some controversy in the final round of qualifying. 

Per NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott appeared to move to the top of the timesheets, but they weren't granted a second lap because time expired when they crossed the finish line. As a result, they will start from the sixth row. 

Bowman and Elliott were FAST, but their laps didn't count. Retweet to congratulate Kevin Harvick on his NASCAR Cup Series POLE in Vegas! pic.twitter.com/UjJDBreHhL

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 2, 2019

Harvick's status as the favorite is hardly a surprise. The driver of the No. 4 Ford won the spring race last year, leading 214 out of 400 laps, and he also won here in 2015. 

There will be plenty of competition for Harvick, particularly from the driver next to him in the front row. Hamlin scored the biggest win of the early season by taking the checkered flag at the Daytona 500. 

Per NASCAR computer model SportsLine (h/t CBSSports.com), Hamlin is projected as one of the favorites thanks in large part to his success on 1.5-mile tracks (seven career wins). This event, however, has been a problem for the Virginian, with two top-10 finishes in the past seven years. 

The news was not so good for Aric Almirola, who is coming off a pole win last week in Atlanta. He didn't make it out of the first round of qualifying after getting bumped out of the top 24 in the final seconds:

Woah, 10 seconds can change a lot!

Major players get bumped at the end of Round 1. pic.twitter.com/tNgxxARpGt

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2019

Almirola hasn't fared particularly well in the Pennzoil 400. The 34-year-old's best finish in this race was 10th place last year. It was just his third top-20 time in 10 attempts.  

Brad Keselowski, who won in Atlanta, didn't fare much better than Almirola. He made it into the second round of qualifying before a disappointing time of 30.132 forced him to settle for the 19th position. 

With the entire field set for the Pennzoil 400, all 38 drivers can turn their attention toward taking the checkered flag at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday. 

When New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, waves the green flag for the Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon, it will officially mark the beginning of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

William Byron is starting on the pole for the 61st running of the Great American Race. Last year's pole winner, Alex Bowman, is starting on the outside of the front row, while Gander RV Duels at Daytona winners Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano will start third and fourth, respectively.

Daytona Speedweeks has already been eventful, and it will culminate with one of the most exciting races in motorsport.

                  

Daytona 500 Information

Date: Sunday, Feb. 17

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

               

Daytona 500 Odds

Brad Keselowski +800 (bet $100 to win $800)

Joey Logano +800

Kevin Harvick +850

Clint Bowyer +1,100

Ryan Blaney +1,100

Denny Hamlin +1,100

Aric Almirola +1,100

Chase Elliott +1,100

Kyle Busch +1,200

Kurt Busch +1,500

Martin Truex Jr. +1,800

Jimmie Johnson +1,800

Daniel Suarez +2,200

Erik Jones +2,500

Alex Bowman +2,500

Kyle Larson +2,800

Austin Dillon +3,000

William Byron +3,000

Jamie McMurray +3,300

Ryan Newman +3,400

Darrell Wallace Jr. +6,000

Daniel Hemric +6,000

Matt DiBenedetto +7,500

Ryan Preece +9,000

Chris Buescher +9,000

David Ragan +9,000

Ty Dillon +9,000

Michael McDowell +10,000

Matt Tifft +12,500

Cody Ware +15,000

Tanner Berryhill +20,000

Odds according to OddsShark.

                

Preview

This will be the final race in which NASCAR will have restrictor plates on the cars' engines, which has been the case at every superspeedway race—those at Daytona and Talladega—in recent years. After the Daytona 500, there will instead be tapered spacers on the engines at those races.

However, the result shouldn't be too different‚ so this may not be the last superspeedway race in which fans see a lot of the action happen in packs.

That will be the case on Sunday, as pack racing has dominated recent Daytona 500 races.

Logano is coming off his first career Cup Series championship after he ended 2018 with a strong stretch, including winning the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He'll start near the front of the field, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him stick around up there for most of the day.

Also near the front of the field will be Harvick (third) and Martin Truex Jr. (11th), who finished second and third, respectively, in last year's final points standings.

There are also some top contenders starting near the back of the field who will need to work their way up, including Kyle Busch (31st) and Brad Keselowski (35th).

Like many past superspeedway races, it will be the drivers who can stay near the front and those who can avoid the inevitable wrecks that will be left to battle for the win in the closing laps.

                

Pick

Although Kyle Busch hasn't won a superspeedway race since 2008, he will navigate through the field and notch his first career Daytona 500 win. He has 51 career Cup Series wins, and come Sunday night, he will finally have a victory in the Great American Race.

On Sunday, we welcome the Daytona 500 and, with it, the official start of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. 

By now, race fans are familiar with the stage format and the playoff point structure.

One important rule change race fans will want to be aware of heading into this season is that drivers who fail inspection after a race will simply be disqualified rather than lose playoff points, which definitely ups the ante. 

The 61st running of the Daytona 500 features a return of the Big Three—or, as they became last season, the Big Four: Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Toyota Camry), Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Ford Mustang), Kyle Busch (No. 18 Toyota Camry) and Joey Logano (No. 22 Ford Mustang GT), who came away with the title last November in Homestead, Florida, at the Monster Energy Cup Series Championship. 

It's one of those stars who is projected to take it all: reigning champion Logano, at +800 (bet $100 to win $800), is the favorite heading into the race (tied with Brad Keselowski), according to OddsShark.

Let's take a look at how you can tune in to the action Sunday and then break down the drivers you need to watch. 

      

Daytona 500 Schedule

Date: Sunday, Feb. 17

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

Location: Daytona International Speedway; Daytona Beach, Florida

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

     

Here are the latest odds for each driver heading into the race, via OddsShark:

• Brad Keselowski +800
• Joey Logano +800
• Kevin Harvick +850
• Clint Bowyer +1100
• Ryan Blaney +1100
• Denny Hamlin +1100
• Aric Almirola +1100
• Chase Elliott +1100
• Kyle Busch +1200
• Kurt Busch +1500
• Martin Truex Jr. +1800
• Jimmie Johnson +1800
• Daniel Suarez +2200
• Erik Jones +2500
• Alex Bowman +2500
• Kyle Larson +2800
• Austin Dillon +3000
• William Byron +3000
• Jamie McMurray +3300
• Ryan Newman +3400
• Darrell Wallace Jr. +6000
• Daniel Hemric +6000
• Matt DiBenedetto +7500
• Ryan Preece +9000
• Chris Buescher +9000
• David Ragan +9000
• Ty Dillon +9000
• Michael McDowell +10000
• Matt Tifft +12500
• Cody Ware +15000
• Tanner Berryhill +20000

     

Austin Dillon, who drives the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro for his grandfather's Richard Childress Racing, won the Daytona 500 last year, sending Aric Almirola into the outside wall in thrilling fashion on the final lap. He did so despite being a 50/1 underdog, but he now finds himself in the middle of the pack. 

This year, William Byron and Alex Bowman clinched front-row positions, and the rest of the qualifiers went down Thursday at the Gander RV Duel races. Harvick won Duel 1, and Logano won Duel 2.

As a result, the two will start from the second row. 

In all, eight former Daytona 500 winners will race in the field of 40 on Sunday. Even though he's tied as the odds-on favorite to win at Daytona Sunday, Keselowski is not included in that group; he's one of the drivers who has yet to win the Great American Race. 

Keselowski has one career win at Daytona: the 2016 Coke Zero 400. 

Although he's in the middle of the odds, keep an eye on Truex Jr. He had Logano down to the final 10 laps at the Cup Series Championship before Logano took over, and Truex Jr. will be eager to prove himself driving for a new team this year in Joe Gibbs Racing. 

Then, of course, there's always Jimmie Johnson, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports.

Within this year's field of 40 drivers, Johnson is the only one to have multiple victories at Daytona: two in all. If Johnson can win his third Sunday, he'll match Jeff Gordon's total.

NASCAR's most prestigious race announced it has sold out for the fourth consecutive year. Fans tuning in can expect to see some familiar faces across sports and entertainment serving some ceremonial duties.

J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans is the race's grand marshal. Super Bowl champion New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman will wave the green flag as honorary starter. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be the pace truck driver. 

Hendrick Motorsports will start on the front row of the Daytona 500, the first and most popular race of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series season.

William Byron earned the pole for the Great American Race and will be flanked by teammate Alex Bowman. Hendrick's other drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott, qualified 17th and 18th.

Austin Dillon won the 2018 Daytona 500 with a last-lap pass of Aric Almirola, and the reigning champion will start 20th.

             

Date: Sunday, Feb. 17

Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

                  

Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

1. William Byron
2. Alex Bowman
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Joey Logano
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Paul Menard
8. Aric Almirola
9. Matt DiBenedetto
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Martin Truex Jr.
12. Kurt Busch
13. Bubba Wallace
14. Ryan Blaney
15. Chris Buescher
16. Jamie McMurray
17. Jimmie Johnson
18. Chase Elliott
19. Ryan Newman
20. Austin Dillon

21. Ryan Preece
22. Ty Dillon
23. Daniel Suarez
24. David Ragan
25. Parker Kligerman
26. Kyle Larson
27. Landon Cassill
28. Erik Jones
29. Daniel Hemric
30. Brendan Gaughan
31. Kyle Busch
32. Corey LaJoie
33. Matt Tifft
34. Michael McDowell
35. Brad Keselowski
36. Ross Chastain
37. Cody Ware
38. B.J. McLeod
39. Tyler Reddick
40. Casey Mears

                

Byron and Bowman will begin the Daytona up front, but many viewers will be watching closely for the 11th lap.

At that time, the Fox broadcast will honor J.D. Gibbs, who died in January. Gibbs is the son of team owner Joe Gibbs; his drivers are Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones.

Hamlin has an admirable plan to support the J.D. Gibbs Legacy Fund, and the donations could start Sunday.

Denny Hamlin’s charity will donate $111 to the J.D. Gibbs Legacy fund for every lap that Hamlin leads this season #NASCAR

— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) February 15, 2019

Hamlin rounds out the top 10 of the starting order, which also includes a pair of fellow past Daytona 500 winners.

Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano qualified third and fourth, respectively, thanks to their victories in Thursday's Gander RV Duel races. They'll start behind the young Hendrick teammates who grabbed their front-row spots in last Sunday's qualifying.

Byron will be driving his first race with crew chief Chad Knaus. Interestingly, his outstanding 16-year stint on the headset for Jimmie Johnson began the same way: atop the Daytona order.

Chad Knaus led Jimmie Johnson to his first career pole in their first race together, the 2002 Daytona 500. Chad Knaus led William Byron to his first career pole in their first race together, the 2019 Daytona 500.

— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) February 10, 2019

Johnson wound up 15th during his Daytona debut in 2002. The seven-time series champion has caused quite a stir throughout race week, twice initiating contact in other races. Johnson might have a few more enemies Sunday afternoon.

Kyle Busch, who didn't take kindly to Johnson's maneuver in Duel 1, will start 31st. As Busch makes his way through the field, we'll be monitoring whether anything happens between the No. 18 and No. 48.