The day is here. 41 of the world’s best drivers will take on the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway not long from now. This race has defined careers, made history and changed countless lives and today will be no different than any other Daytona 500. Here’s a rundown of what the day has in store, our author’s picks and any other major storylines.
Starting Lineup
With 45 cars on the initial entry list, it was a given that at least four cars would be sent home after Thursday night’s Daytona Duels. With Chase Briscoe putting his #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota on the Pole, his former teammate, Austin Cindric, will accompany him in his #2 Team Penske Ford. Among the drivers who had to qualify or race their ways in the race and did it successfully include Justin Allgaier, Corey LaJoie, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, while Helio Castroneves used a provisional to grab a 41st spot.
Who to watch out for
Throughout the week, Toyota showed a lot of strength, specifically Legacy Motor Club drivers Erik Jones and Jimmie Johnson, 23XI’s Bubba Wallace, who won the first Duel race and his teammate, Tyler Reddick. If Chase Briscoe snagging the pole and the Duels are any indication of how the race will go, the rest of the field is in trouble. But don’t sleep on Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, as they all have the same chances as their Toyota teammates.
Final practice saw Brad Keselowski lay down the fastest time in his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang Darkhorse, with his teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece working together throughout this practice. Keselowski is regarded as one of the best Superspeedway racers of the modern era and a lot of fans want to see him finally seal the deal. If Keselowski’s teammates are there with him at the end, the 41-year-old veteran will finally get that elusive Daytona 500 victory and everyone in the garage will congratulate the 2012 Cup Champion for finally sealing the deal.
20 years after his first full-time Cup Series season, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch is looking to finally get his first Daytona 500 victory. Busch won the summer race at Daytona back in 2008, so he knows how to get the job done at the 2.5-mile high banked oval and with his teammate, Austin Dillon having won the 2018 Daytona 500, if RCR is there at the end like they were in 2023 before a caution came out, expect Dillon to help Busch and challenge him for victory coming off of Turn 4 on the final lap. Busch winning the 500 would be absolute cinema, just like Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s first 500 win, after “20 years of trying and 20 years of frustration”.
Other major story lines
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Helio Castroneves is competing in his first Daytona 500 race and will start last on the grid. After finishing in the top-5 in yesterday’s ARCA Menards Series event, Castroneves is ready for the challenge of completing all 200 laps, if he can keep himself out of trouble. Trouble found him multiple times throughout Speedweeks, being involved in multiple wrecks of other’s doing and surely Castroneves wants to finish this race in one piece. Watch out for his #91 Wendy’s Chevrolet throughout the afternoon.
JR Motorsports is competing in its first Daytona 500, with 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, Justin Allgaier behind the wheel of the #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. went to the garage early Wednesday morning to watch his car unload and soak in the moment of finally being a NASCAR Cup Series owner, after 20 years of being an owner in the second-tier division.
Martin Truex Jr., who retired from full-time competition after this past season, is running today’s race for Tricon Garage in the #56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota. This might be Truex Jr.’s last Cup start, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can finally win the Daytona 500, after barely losing to Denny Hamlin in 2016, literal inches.
Regardless of who you’re pulling for, today’s Daytona 500 will be a classic, pending the weather and several other things going right. Fans hope to see a Green Flag finish, as Speedweeks has been absolute chaos so far and the Daytona 500 just needs a clean finish to cap off a memorable Speedweeks. Catch the race at 1:30 PM EST on FOX.
Every Man on Every Crew, LLC. 
Leave a comment