NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Next Race: Daytona 500
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, Feb. 21
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, Noon ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Logano(ther) One: No. 22 Ford Driver Looks to
Capture Second Straight Daytona 500 Victory
With a visit to Victory Lane in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Joey Logano would become only the fourth driver to win The Great American Race in consecutive seasons. The three drivers who have taken the checkered flag in the Daytona 500 two years in a row are Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95).
Logano catalyzed the momentum from his Daytona 500 triumph into a career season in 2015. The No. 22 Ford driver led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a career-best six wins and six poles. His 28 top-tens tied Kevin Harvick for the series lead, while his 22 top-fives were the second most in the series.
Click here for an infographic on back-to-back Daytona 500 winners
Busch Begins Title Defense At Daytona
Last season, Kyle Busch captured that elusive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. The defending champ also boasts victories in the Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.
The next marquee accolade Busch wants to ink on his résumé – Daytona 500 winner.
Busch owns the series’ highest driver rating at Daytona International Speedway (94.4), but only has a summer 2008 victory to show for it. He owns two runner-up finishes at Daytona, but they were both in the summer.
Rowdy’s best Daytona 500 finish is a fourth-place showing from 2008. He placed 19th in his last Daytona 500 run in 2014 (he missed last year’s edition after sustaining injuries in a crash during last year’s Daytona XFINITY Series race).
In 21 starts at Daytona, Busch claims one win, five top-fives, six top-tens and an average finish of 19.0.
Only five drivers have ever followed a championship with a Daytona 500 win – Lee Petty (1958 championship, 1959 Daytona 500); Richard Petty (1972 championship; 1973 Daytona 500); Cale Yarborough (1976 championship, 1977 Daytona 500); Jeff Gordon (1998 championship, 1999 Daytona 500); and Dale Jarrett (1999 championship, 2000 Daytona 500). All are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, except for Gordon who is essentially a first-ballot lock.
Dale-tona: Earnhardt Goes for Third Daytona 500 Title
Second Consecutive Daytona Victory
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will attempt to join élite company when he goes for his third Daytona 500 victory in Sunday’s 58th running of The Great American Race. Only five drivers are part of the club with three or more Daytona 500 wins: Richard Petty (seven), Cale Yarborough (four), Bobby Allison (three), Dale Jarrett (three) and Jeff Gordon (three).
The 13-time most popular driver has finished third or better in the last four Daytona 500s. His four Daytona 500 runner-ups are the most among active drivers.
Earnhardt won the summer race at Daytona last year from the pole and will attempt to become the ninth driver to capture consecutive checkered flags at Daytona. Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Allison have each won consecutive races at Daytona twice.
Business Is Boomin’ For Young Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott showed no signs of feeling any pressure from replacing Jeff Gordon in Sunday’s Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying. At 20 years, two months, 17 days, the new No. 24 Chevrolet driver turned a lap at 196.314-mph in the last round of qualifying to become the youngest winner of the Coors Light ’21 Means 21 Pole’ Award.
Elliott will be the third Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in the last four years to lead the field to start the Daytona 500. The others were Danica Patrick (2013) and Austin Dillon (2014). Elliott’s No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS machine sported the same chassis Jeff Gordon used when he won the Coors Light Pole Award at Daytona last season.
Previous Daytona Champions Who Can Win Again At The Birthplace Of Speed
Nine drivers on Sunday’s entry list have won the Daytona 500 before: Joey Logano (2015), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004, ’14), Jimmie Johnson (2006, ’13), Matt Kenseth (2009, ’12), Trevor Bayne (2011), Jamie McMurray (2010), Ryan Newman (2008), Kevin Harvick (2007) and Michael Waltrip (2001, ’13).
Earnhardt leads all active drivers with four Daytona 500 runner ups.
Among active full-time drivers, Tony Stewart (17), Kurt Busch (14) and Greg Biffle (13) have made the most Daytona 500 starts without a win.
Season Indicator: How The Daytona 500 Winner Fares Overall
Last year’s Daytona 500 winner, Joey Logano, turned the momentum from his season-opening triumph into a career-best season. He led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six wins and six poles, while his 28 top-tens ranked tied for first in the series. The 25-year-old Ford driver ended up finishing sixth in series points.
Five drivers have won the Daytona 500 and the Sprint Cup championship in the same season (a total of nine times): Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013), Jeff Gordon (1997), Richard Petty (1964, 1971, 1974, 1979), Cale Yarborough (1977) and Lee Petty (1959).
During the Chase era (2004 – present) Daytona 500 winners have logged an average points finish of only 8.5: Logano (2015, sixth in points), Earnhardt (2014, eighth; 2004, fifth), Johnson (2013, first; 2006, first), Kenseth (2012, seventh; 2009, 14th), Trevor Bayne (2011, ineligible for points) Jamie McMurray (2010, 14), Ryan Newman (2008, 17) Kevin Harvick (2007, 10), Jeff Gordon (2005, 11).
Vickers Back In Action
After missing nearly the entire 2015 season due health issues, Brian Vickers is back behind the wheel as the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for the Daytona 500.
Vickers raced twice last season for Michael Waltrip Racing at Las Vegas and Phoenix, finishing 15th and 41st respectively.
In 318 career starts, he has posted three wins, 29 tops-fives, 77 top-tens and 12 poles.
Vickers best Daytona 500 finish was a seventh-place showing in 2006.
Daytona Or Hollywood? Celebrities Abound At Daytona 500
A number of celebrities will take part in Sunday’s Daytona 500 festivities.
Country mainstay Florida Georgia Line is performing the pre-race concert.
“London is Fallen” star Gerard Butler will deliver the most famous words in motorsports as the Daytona 500 grand marshal.
WWE Superstar/actor John Cena will serve as the honorary pace car driver.
The honorary starter is newly elected Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
Gordon Joins FOX NASCAR Broadcast Booth
Even more expertise is in the FOX NASCAR broadcast booth in 2016.
Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will analyze every Sprint Cup race from Daytona through Sonoma, joining the FOX broadcast team of Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds that begins their 16th season together.
“How many other drivers have done SNL and gone through makeup to be a taxi cab driver to freak somebody out in a Pepsi commercial?,” said Eric Shanks, president, COO and producer of FOX Sports. “Everything about (Gordon’s) brand and the way it fits well with what these guys have created, I think it’s going to be very special.”