The stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will once more descend on the birthplace of NASCAR for the 67th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday. Since 1959, the “Great American Race” has provided fans with thrill after thrill. Here are five storylines to follow during Speedweeks.
1. Twenty years of trying, Part 2?
On Feb. 15, 1998, Mike Joy called Dale Earnhardt to victory in the Daytona 500 by uttering one of the most iconic lines in NASCAR history: “Twenty years of trying, 20 years of frustration! Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500!”
Almost 27 years to the day of Earnhardt’s long-awaited Daytona triumph, Kyle Busch — who like Earnhardt, will drive for Richard Childress Racing — will look for his first Daytona 500 win in his 20th start. Busch has been close several times before. In 2023, Busch led at the 500-mile mark, but lost in overtime to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Busch hasn’t won in 57 races and is coming off of the worst season of his career in 2024, so should be more than motivated. He has just about every trophy a NASCAR driver could want displayed in his trophy case, but a Harley J. Earl trophy would complete the collection and be one of the crowning achievements in his Hall of Fame career.
2. Qualifying, Duel races to be high stakes
Forty-five drivers will attempt to make the 40-car field (or 41, depending on Helio Castroneves’ qualifying/Duel results). That’s the most amount of cars that will have attempted to race their way into the Daytona 500 since 2015, the final year of the 43-car field.
The list of drivers trying to race their way in is star-studded, as 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will attempt to win his first Daytona 500 with TRICON Garage, while seven-time champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson will attempt his first of two Cup Series races in 2025. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves is guaranteed a spot in the race via the open-exemption provisional.
The most high-profile open car will be driven by defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier. Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey will adorn the hood of the No. 40 Chevrolet owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. If Allgaier makes the race, it will be the first ever Cup Series start for Jr. Motorsports.
Other drivers trying to race their way into the field include Corey LaJoie (No. 01, Rick Ware Racing), J.J. Yeley (No. 44, N.Y. Racing), Anthony Alfredo (No. 62, Beard Motorsports), Chandler Smith (No. 66, MBM Motorsports/Garage 66) and B.J. McLeod (No. 78, Live Fast Motorsports).
3. Underdogs look to make a splash
Since the restrictor plates bunched up the field at Daytona and Talladega, the great equalizer of the draft has given underdogs the opportunity to seize Daytona glory. Trevor Bayne (2011), Michael McDowell (2021) and Stenhouse (2023) all took advantage of pack racing to snag a Daytona 500 victory. This year, look for drivers such as Erik Jones and Todd Gilliland to lead the way for the little guys.
4. Can Blaney finally break through?
Ryan Blaney has only made 10 Daytona 500 starts, but he’s been close to victory several times already. In 2017, Blaney watched as many contenders ran out of gas late in the race. The only driver ahead of him that had enough fuel? Race winner Kurt Busch, who held Blaney to a runner-up finish in his third 500 start. In 2020, Blaney narrowly lost to Denny Hamlin in a photo finish as Ryan Newman flew through the air. In 2022, Blaney was run up the track on the race’s final lap by teammate and race winner Austin Cindric. The 2023 champion has become one of NASCAR’s elite, and he could add to his resume by finally capturing a Harley J. Earl trophy.
5. Veterans look to set the tone
While many fans decry modern speedway racing as too random, the best of the best usually find their way to the front. Plenty of veterans are looking to start 2025 off on the right foot by winning the “Great American Race.'”
Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is looking to win his first race with crew chief Chris Gayle, while defending Cup Series champion and 2015 Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano looks to roll his momentum over to a new season. Other vets looking to make their mark in Daytona include the aforementioned Busch, 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.
–Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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