2017 Daytona 500: Start time, lineup, TV/radio schedule, live streaming
It's finally race day at Daytona International Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for the 59th running of the “Great American Race" and the start of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
START TIME: The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. ET Sunday. Actor Owen Wilson, the voice of Lightning McQueen in the upcoming animated movie Cars 3, will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:18 p.m.. Former NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson, recently selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will wave the green flag at 2:30 p.m.
RACE DISTANCE: The Daytona 500 is 200 laps around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for a total of — you guessed it — 500 miles.
SEGMENTS: Beginning this season, NASCAR is dividing every race into segments and awarding one bonus point to the winner of each stage. Segment lengths will be different for every race. Also, the top 10 finishers of segments 1 and 2 will be awarded regular-season points in descending order from 10 to 1. Here are the segments for the Daytona 500: Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 60 laps; Stage 3: 80 laps.
REPAIRS: NASCAR also mandated changes to pit stop procedures. Crews are allowed to work on damaged cars for five minutes, with the clock starting when the car hits pit road. Cars who cannot maintain minimum track speed will be eliminated. Cars that go behind the wall to repair damage are out of the race, but cars that have mechanical issues not caused by damage can go to the garage for repairs and return to the track.
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NATIONAL ANTHEM/FLYOVER: Multi-platinum recording artist Jordin Sparks, who stars with Tomlinson in the recently released motion picture, God Bless The Broken Road, will sing the national anthem, followed by a flyover from the famed U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
PRE-RACE: Seven-time Grammy Award winning group Lady Antebellum will perform a concert on pit road at 1:20 p.m. ET. Three-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon will drive the pace car.
TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: Fox will broadcast the race on TV and has a pre-race show beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius/XM Radio will call the race on the radio.
LIVE STREAMING: Fox is offering a live stream through its Fox Sports Go app.
WEATHER: Clear and cool. The Weather Channel is calling for sunny skies with a high of 67, calm winds and no chance of rain.
LAST TIME: Denny Hamlin led 95 of 200 laps and edged Martin Truex Jr. in a photo finish to win his first career Daytona 500. The margin of victory -- 0.01 seconds -- was the closest finish in the race's history.
STARTING LINEUP: It will be an all Hendrick Motorsports front row. Chase Elliott will start on the pole for the second consecutive year after taking both pole qualifying last weekend and the first race of the Can-Am Duels Thursday. Dale Earnhardt Jr., in his first race after missing the second half of the 2016 season recovering from a concussion will start second. Brendan Gaughan, Elliott Sadler, Corey LaJoie and D.J. Kennington clinched spots in the field after Thursday's duels.
Here is the lineup for the 2017 Daytona 500 (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.
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Photos: History of the Daytona 500
