Daytona 500 to Kick Off 2024 NASCAR Season

The 66th annual “Great American Race” kicks off the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend with the 2024 Daytona 500.

Speed Week

In the week leading up to the race, NASCAR hosts qualifying rounds and Bluegreen Vacation duels to determine the starting positions for the drivers.

In the qualifying rounds on Wednesday, Joey Logano and Michael McDowell came out on top to take the first row. Tyler Reddick won the first duel on Thursday, and Christopher Bell took the second duel to round out the second row. The rest of the starting grid can be found here.

Duel No. 1 goes to @TylerReddick, but look at this battle between @JimmieJohnson and @jjyeley1 for a berth in the #DAYTONA500! pic.twitter.com/SVHWCZF3af

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2024

Race History

As the most storied race in the NASCAR series, the Daytona 500 is home to memorable finishes and driving legends.

Richard Petty holds the title for most Daytona 500 wins with seven. The next driver who comes close is Cale Yarborough who has won four times.

Chevrolet holds the most wins by a manufacturer with 24 wins and Petty Enterprises leads all teams with nine wins. Hendrick Motorsports leads all active teams with eight.

Drivers to Watch

Former Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano enters the weekend as one of the most notable names to watch. Logano won the Cup Series Championship in 2018 and in 2022, and fell short of his second Daytona 500 win last year, finishing as the runner up to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

A first.@joeylogano’s run marks the first ever Daytona 500 pole for Team Penske. pic.twitter.com/NDYC8nyGyj

— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 15, 2024

Only four drivers have won back-to-back Daytona 500 titles. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hopes to become the fifth. The last driver to repeat was Denny Hamlin who won in 2019 and 2020. Stenhouse Jr.’s odds open up at +2500.

For @StenhouseJr, it was a leap into the history books. #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/gDnQgfAL3X

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 13, 2024

Ryan Blaney won the Cup Series Championship in 2023 and is looking to win his first Daytona 500. Blaney has come up short in consecutive years, finishing second in 2017 and 2020. Blaney will have to overcome frustration as he’s forced to use a backup car after suffering another crash for the third year in a row.

#NASCAR … Ryan Blaney after that accident: “I’m pissed. I’m pissed. I’m sick of getting right reared here by someone’s awful push.” pic.twitter.com/Qe9fY1go4s

— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) February 16, 2024

Green Flag

The race will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. However, rain forecasted in Daytona could impact the race.