NASCAR’s Daytona 500, its marquee event, will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 (2/26/17), at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Chase Elliott captured the pole for the second year in a row and will be joined in the front row by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
We’ll have live updates here throughout the race, so check back frequently.
In the qualifying trials, Chase Elliott captured the pole, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed the No. 2 spot, with the rest of the grid set by Thursday’s races.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: Daytona 500, 2 p.m.
When: Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017
Time: 2 p.m.
TV: Fox
Livestream: Fox Sports Go
Last year, Denny Hamlin won the closest Daytona 500, edging Martin Truex Jr. by one-hundredth of a second.
(Pre-race coverage begins at 1 p.m.)
Here’s the starting grid:
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet.
2. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet.
3. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet.
4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota.
5. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford.
6. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford.
7. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford.
8. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford.
9. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota.
10. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet.
11. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford.
12. (10) Danica Patrick, Ford.
13. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford.
14. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet.
15. (22) Joey Logano, Ford.
16. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet.
17. (72) Cole Whitt, Ford.
18. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet.
19. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota.
20. (38) David Ragan, Ford.
21. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota.
22. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet.
23. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford.
24. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet.
25. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford.
26. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet.
27. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford.
28. (96) DJ Kennington, Toyota.
29 (23) Joey Gase, Toyota.
30. (15) Michael Waltrip, Toyota.
31. (83) Corey LaJoie, Toyota.
32. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet.
33. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet.
34. (77) Erik Jones, Toyota.
35. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota.
36. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford.
37. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet.
38. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet.
39. (75) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet.
40. (7) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet.
Failed to Qualify
(55) Reed Sorenson
(51) Timmy Hill
The good news for NASCAR is that all signs indicate Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a legitimate shot to win the Daytona 500.
A victory for NASCAR’s most popular driver, in his return to racing after a concussion sidelined him the second half of last season, would be a massive boost for the sagging series. Earnhardt’s star power has been one of the bright spots of Speedweeks and his strength on the track has been obvious every time he’s behind the wheel of his Chevrolet.
Earnhardt was part of a Hendrick Motorsports qualifying sweep for Sunday’s season-opening race. Chase Elliott won the pole, and Earnhardt will line up next to him on the starting grid. Elliott added a win in a qualifying race, and Earnhardt led 53 of 60 laps in a second qualifying race before he was passed at the end.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
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