DAYTONA BEACH — There’s a chance that by the time you read this Sunday, the 66th running of the Daytona 500 will have already been moved to Monday.
That’s right, the first thing to watch when it comes to this year’s Great American Race is Mother Nature.
But whichever day the Daytona 500 is finally run, there will be plenty of things on the track and around it to keep an eye on without having to look to the skies. The race, which wraps up a long and eventful Speedweek, remains one of the world’s most prestigious and unpredictable auto racing events and that doesn’t figure to change this year.
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From drivers looking to end long droughts to others looking for big breakthroughs, from new cars and new fans to celebrities and seven-time Cup Series champions, the 2024 edition promises to be yet another notable chapter in the history of the World Center of Racing. That is, whenever the weather allows.
As of press time on Saturday, the Daytona 500 was still on as scheduled: Sunday at 2:30 p.m. But whenever the NASCAR Cup Series cars hit the track, here are five things to look for:
Busch, Truex Jr., Keselowski, Larson among Daytona 500 droughts
Look, it took Dale Earnhardt Sr. 20 years to win the Daytona 500, so long winless streaks in the Great American Race aren’t unheard of, even for the best of drivers.
But there are several drivers in this year’s field that would love to put those losing streaks behind them. Perhaps most of all Martin Truex Jr. (0 for 19), Kyle Busch (0 for 18), Brad Keselowski (0 for 14) and Kyle Larson (0 for 10), four drivers who have combined to win five championships and 155 Cup Series races.
“I think last year hurt the worst. We led mile marker 500 and got crashed out and finished 19th,” Busch said this week. “It’s missing. There’s no checkmark there.”
Will it be another underdog winner?
The last three Daytona 500 winners were Michael McDowell (2021), Austin Cindric (2022) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (last year). None of those won again over the ensuing 35 races.
Daytona’s horsepower-throttling rules package continues to lead to packed traffic and an equalizing of the field, which means nearly every driver in the field has a shot to win.
In fact, it might literally be every driver.
After Trevor Bayne shocked the world in the 2011 Daytona 500, the next nine winners were less surprising. But now we’re on a three-year run of longshot winners.
Will we see a fourth?
Jimmie Johnson still hunting for third Daytona 500 win
With seven NASCAR Cup Series championships under his belt, there’s not much Jimmie Johnson hasn’t done in the sport.
But if he can win the 66th Great American Race, he’ll have achieved something no one else has ever pulled off.
Johnson is seeking to become the first driver to ever win a race after having been inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame. He is already a two-time Daytona 500 winner, having claimed victory in 2006 and 2013.
New body, who DIS?
Both the Ford Mustangs and the Toyota Camrys have new bodies for the 2024 season, with the Daytona 500 serving as the first race for each.
While a poor performance for Toyota in Wednesday’s single-lap qualifying session raised a few eyebrows, they were quickly lowered by a manufacturer sweep in Thursday’s Daytona Duels. Toyota has won three Daytona 500s, all claimed by driver Denny Hamlin.
The Mustangs, meanwhile, have been thought to have an advantage in the draft in recent years, thanks in part to a blunter nose making for safer, more effective bump drafting.
Toyota also has three more cars than last year with the addition of the Legacy Motor Club stable: Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek and Jimmie Johnson.
The Rock, Pitbull, DJ Khaled among pre-race dignitaries
As usual, the Daytona 500 won’t lack for star power, both on the track and off it.
Action star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will serve as the grand marshal for the 66th Great American Race while rapper and Trackhouse Racing co-owner Pitbull will perform a pre-race concert.
Once race time arrives, newly crowned Miss America, Madison Marsh, will serve as the honorary pace-car driver, all leading to the drop of the green flag, which will be waved by honorary starter DJ Khaled.
First appeared on www.news-journalonline.com