Daytona 500 Predictions: Danica Patrick Makes History Again By Winning Great American Race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finishes In Close Second Place

The Daytona 500 is biggest race of the year and on Sunday one driver will be able to join the immortal list of winners of the Great American Race.

Danica Patrick became the first woman to ever win the pole for the Daytona, let along any Sprint Cup race, and while that doesn't guarantee her a thing, it puts her in as good a position as anyone to take home the championship. No driver has won the pole and the race in the same year since 2000 when Dale Jarrett did it, but that will all change on Sunday when Patrick takes the checkered flag.

Patrick had some engine issues on Saturday in her race and was forced to pull off the track, but before then she was driving fantastic and it looked as if she had a chance to win the Nationwide race. She will use that momentum on Sunday at Daytona to take home the historic win.

Patrick will face some stiff competition, but she has the confidence and skills to hold them off in the first race of her first full time Sprint Cup season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes into the race with some momentum as well after taking the top speeds in the final practice and he will use that to have an excellent day at Daytona. He last won the race in 2004 and he could join Matt Kenseth as recent drivers who have taken two Daytona 500 races.

Earnhardt has had great success at the track in the past, finishing in the top five in his past six races at the track, including a second place finish last year in the event. He is one of the best restrictor plate racers in the entire 43-car field and he could pull off another Daytona win Sunday.

Kenseth won last year after starting in the 17^th position and did the same in 2009 out of the exact same spot. Kenseth will be 12^th on Sunday and he has just as good of a chance as any driver to take home the win. Kenseth finished seventh in the Sprint Cup last season and he had 10 top five finishes over the season, giving him some solid performances to build on as he starts 2013.

There are a number of other drivers who will be looking to have strong Daytona races, including Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and last year's Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, who finished eighth last season at the race after starting in the 16^th position.

Daytona is the biggest event of the year and while there are many drivers capable of winning, it will be Patrick in victory lane.