The Super Bowl of NASCAR is all set as the Daytona 500 finally gets underway at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.
Danica Patrick has received most of the attention due to her historic pole win earlier in the week and she will have the chance to be the first pole-setting driver to win the event since 2000 when Dale Jarrett did it. The 55th running of the race will be one of the most anticipated in years due to Patrick, but there are a number of drivers that have an excellent chance to win, including Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.
Gordon came in second in speed testing behind Patrick, while Harvick and Kyle Busch took home the Duels in qualifying for their spots in the race. Starting off in the front of the pack is a good indicator of winning, as 39 of the past 54 races have been won by someone coming from the top nine spots.
In the past few years though, it hasn't been a prerequisite to wining, as proven by Trevor Bayne in 2011, who started from the No. 32 spot, and Jeff Gordon in 2005, who came to the checkered flag from the No. 15 position.
Patrick will be starting in the number one position next to Gordon, while Harvick and Busch are in row two after the Duels. Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahane are in row three, Juan Pablo Montoya and Austin Dillon are in row four, while Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer are on row five.
Gordon has had a great deal of success on the track, winning three times, but he will have some stiff competition from Johnson and Patrick. Tony Stewart will have some momentum heading into the race on Sunday as well, as he took home the Nationwide Series opener on Saturday.
The race on Saturday was exciting in itself, as there was a huge crash with two laps to go, causing a restart. Kyle Larson's car went airborne into the site of the fence on the track, sending debris all over the track and into the stands, causing injuries to a number of spectators. Unfortunately one adult went into surgery and 14 fans were taken off-site to be treated for injuries.
"Stuff was flying everywhere,'' Terry Huckaby told ESPN. "It was like you was in a war zone or something. Tires were flying by and smoke and everything else."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be taking some momentum into the race on Sunday as well, as he took the top spot in the final practice for the race on Sunday, although a few of the top drivers skipped the session, including Patrick.
After finishing eighth at the Sprint Unlimited and ninth at qualifying, Earnhardt clocked in at 198.5 around the track and he will start in the 19th position on Sunday. The race is expected to be one of the most memorable in a long time and Patrick will have the coveted top spot in "The Great American Race."
Television coverage starts up at 1:00 PM ET on FOX.
CLICK HERE for the official FOX website to watch the race live.
