Austin Dillon grabbing the Daytona 500 Pole victory with a Richter-scale rating may only be the beginning of news-making storylines in 2014.

On Sunday, Austin Dillon created a tidal wave of news, putting the iconic No. 3 car on the Pole. The No. 3 car last raced in the Sprint Cup Series in 2001, and hadn’t been on track in the series since Dale Earnhardt’s fatal wreck on the last lap of that year’s Daytona 500. In winning the pole, Dillon became the fourth driver to win the pole while driving the No. 3 car, joining Buddy Baker (1969), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Dale Earnhardt (1996).

Here are some thoughts to consider about why the No. 3 could end up in Victory Lane after the checkered flag waves on the 56th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

1 – A Daytona 500 win from the pole has happened before, – but not a lot more than any other starting position. The eventual winner has started from the pole nine times, most recently in 2000 with NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Jarrett. Others to carry out the feat include Fireball Roberts (1962), Richard Petty (1966), Cale Yarborough (1968, ’84), Buddy Baker (1980), Bill Elliott (1985, ’87) and Jeff Gordon (1999). The Coors Light Pole is the most prolific starting spot in Daytona 500 history. Starting positions Nos. 2 and 4 are second, with seven wins apiece.

2 – Records are made to be broken – and Dillon already has snapped one. In winning the pole on Sunday, Dillon became the youngest pole winner in Daytona 500 history at 23 years, 9 months, 20 days. If he wins the Daytona 500, he’d also be the first Rookie of the Year contender to do so. Although Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in only his second start in 2011, he was not registered for the Rookie of the Year Award competition.

3 – Dillon’s no slouch at Daytona. In four Nationwide Series starts there, Dillon has finished in the top-five three times. This is Dillon’s second Daytona 500 start; the first came last year in the No. 33, when he finished 31st. Likewise, Dillon’s crew chief is no Daytona slouch, either. Last year, with driver Kevin Harvick, Gil Martin won two of his three starts during Speedweeks, and finished third in the July Daytona race.

And how many storylines surround Tony Stewart? As if his return to the track is the only detail on Stewart’s mind this season. There are so many more.

Stewart’s official return was in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited, and it was shorter than he had hoped.  His night ended in a mid-race multi-car accident involving a number of top contenders, including all three of his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates – Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. Stewart finished 11th of 18 cars in the event.

And what about his new teammates? This one is big. Since becoming a driver-owner in 2009, Stewart-Haas Racing has never looked this strong, at least on paper. A busy off-season that included adding 2004 series champion Kurt Busch and perennial championship contender Kevin Harvick has raised SHR to powerhouse status.  Busch took single-car team Furniture Row Racing and transformed it into a contender, it was the first single-car team to ever make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Harvick, in championship contention until the last race, finished the season third in points – his third top-three finish in the last three years. With Danica Patrick coming off her first full season, many are expecting improvement in her sophomore year. And SHR’s affiliation with another powerhouse, Hendrick Motorsports, just adds to their status.

Stewart has won pretty much everything – 48 Sprint Cup Series races, three Sprint Cup Series championships, two Brickyard 400s, a Sprint All-Star Race and Rookie of the Year. But, there is one hole in his brilliant career – a Daytona 500 win. He’s gone zero-for-15 in the biggest race of NASCAR, with a best finish of second in 2004. Success has eluded him, especially this decade – he finished outside the top-ten in the last four Daytona 500s.

And flying under the radar is an all-time great driver. He’s the defending champion of NASCAR’s biggest race – Jimmie Johnson. Last year’s victory was his second in the Daytona 500. And he’s coming off his sixth Sprint Cup Series championship. One more and he ties the record for the most of all-time, with inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famers, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Yet, Jimmie Johnson somehow comes into Daytona a bit under the radar. Buzz has surrounded Austin Dillon and Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick and an all-world rookie class.

The low-key, high performance Johnson is likely fine with letting the others take the headlines. An early wreck in the Sprint Unlimited will undoubtedly do little to deter Johnson on his march toward #Se7en.

Last year Johnson added his name – again – to an illustrious list of drivers winning multiple Daytona 500s. Ten drivers have this distinction, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (seven wins), Cale Yarborough (four), Bobby Allison (three) and Dale Jarrett (three). Come Sunday, Johnson hopes to join an even more exclusive group. Only three drivers have won back-to-back Daytona 500s – Petty (1973-4), Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95).

And if he does, he’ll be one step closer to making the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the 11th consecutive time. This year, the top-15 winners guarantee themselves a spot in the Chase. A win in the season-opening race will all but guarantee a berth into NASCAR’s playoffs.

Last season, was Denny Hamlin’s toughest since his rookie year in 2006. That’s a statement Hamlin readily admits – and a quick gander at the stat sheet offers all the proof anyone needs.

But that was last year. It’s a brand new season, and it’s off to a blazing start.

A quick rundown of Hamlin’s 2013 – After missing four races in the first quarter of the season due to a back injury, Hamlin struggled to finish inside the top-ten, posting a career low eight top-ten finishes. He missed the Chase for the first time in his career. But the clear highlight came in the season finale, winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hamlin called the win a confidence booster for his team; confidence they used to start 2014 with a win in the Sprint Unlimited.

As focus shifts to the Daytona 500, history shows Hamlin has a strong chance to continue building momentum for a rebound this season. Joe Gibbs Racing has always been a strong contender in the Daytona 500. The organization’s first win came with Dale Jarrett in 1993. Even though this was the team’s only win in the Great American Race, JGR has recorded 20 top-ten finishes in points paying races at Daytona.

In 2013, JGR cars led 119/200 laps in the Daytona 500, 33 were by Hamlin, whose career best finish of fourth came in 2012.

An amazing eight rookies will battle for Daytona 500 glory as the largest Sprint Cup Series rookie class in 20 years – matching the total of the 1994 class that included names such as Jeff Burton, Mike Wallace and Joe Nemechek.

The 2014 rookie class is large in both size and on talent.

The average age of this year’s rookie class is only 23-years-old, however this is a class with experience beyond their years. These contenders join the Sprint Cup Series ranks with a combined five championships and 20 wins across the Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series and K&N Pro Series.

Three Rookie of the Year contenders have the support of winning Sprint Cup Series organizations. Austin Dillon is the first Rookie of the Year contender to drive for Richard Childress Racing since Kevin Harvick, who posted two wins as a rookie en route to winning the Rookie of the Year title. Kyle Larson is driving for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, a team that won the Daytona 500 in 2010, and a Rookie of the Year title with Juan Pablo Montoya. Justin Allgaier is driving for HScott Motorsports – formerly Phoenix Racing. HScott Motorsports last won with Brad Keselowski at Talladega in 2009 and has six top-ten finishes at superspeedways in the past ten years.

If Morgan Shepherd makes the field for the Daytona 500, he’ll be the oldest starter in the race’s history at 72 years, 4 months and 11 days. Previously, the oldest Daytona 500 starter was Dave Marcis in 2002 at 60 years, 11 months, 16 days.

The pack is back – big time. Tight quarters led to a bevy of mishaps during Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited – only eight cars were running at the finish, the fewest since seven in 1981. And the Budweiser Duels, with a three-wide race to finish in Duel 1 and the Big One at the finish of Duel 2, gave fans hope for a thrilling Daytona 500 – The Super Bowl of Racing.

The Daytona 500 begins Sunday, February 23rd at 1:30 pm on FOX, Motor Racing Network Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.