The Daytona 500 is a celebration of NASCAR at its most prestigious and powerful. As it is the only sports to have its "Super Bowl" at the beginning of the season, NASCAR always starts a season with a bang at Daytona. This year, the Daytona 500 celebrates its 51'st year as the Great American Race. With so much fear and speculation about how the economy might hurt NASCAR this year, the Daytona 500 comes at just the right time.
The Daytona 500 arrives during a time when a few less fans may be able to afford the NASCAR experience. Cars driving around for hundreds of miles, and using countless amounts of gasolines, are already looked down upon in some circles as it is. So in a season that could be a worst case scenario for NASCAR, the Daytona 500 needs to put on a good show this year.
After the Daytona 500, focus will be on whether Jimmie Johnson can win a record fourth straight NASCAR title, or whether the likes of Carl Edwards can finally dethrone him. Johnson starts seventh at the Daytona 500, with Edwards at 16'th.
The Daytona 500 has the lesser known Martin Truex Jr. at the pole this year. Truex Jr. is leading the Daytona 500 field at the green flag, after a disappointing 15'th place finish in last year's standings.
Mark Martin, who is coming back full time to the NASCAR circuit after two straight years of a limited schedule, is in the second position. Martin is still looking for his first Daytona 500 win after 25 years of trying, and after a heartbreaking loss to Kevin Harvick in 2007.
Tony Stewart begins driving for his new team in the fifth position, while two-time winner Jeff Gordon starts at third after a poor 2008 season. 18-year-old rookie Joey Logano starts at ninth.
This year, the Daytona 500 is celebrating the 30'th anniversary of the Bobby Allison-Donnie-Allison-Cale Yarborough live brawl that kicked off NASCAR's rise into a sports powerhouse.
Additional Daytona 500 memories being looked back upon are Bobby and Davy Allison's 1-2 finish, Darrell Waltrip's long-awaited win, Dale Earnhardt's even longer awaited win, Harvick's comeback over Martin, and more. The 2009 Daytona 500 will seek to add one more classic memory to that list.
The Daytona 500 arrives during a time when a few less fans may be able to afford the NASCAR experience. Cars driving around for hundreds of miles, and using countless amounts of gasolines, are already looked down upon in some circles as it is. So in a season that could be a worst case scenario for NASCAR, the Daytona 500 needs to put on a good show this year.
After the Daytona 500, focus will be on whether Jimmie Johnson can win a record fourth straight NASCAR title, or whether the likes of Carl Edwards can finally dethrone him. Johnson starts seventh at the Daytona 500, with Edwards at 16'th.
The Daytona 500 has the lesser known Martin Truex Jr. at the pole this year. Truex Jr. is leading the Daytona 500 field at the green flag, after a disappointing 15'th place finish in last year's standings.
Mark Martin, who is coming back full time to the NASCAR circuit after two straight years of a limited schedule, is in the second position. Martin is still looking for his first Daytona 500 win after 25 years of trying, and after a heartbreaking loss to Kevin Harvick in 2007.
Tony Stewart begins driving for his new team in the fifth position, while two-time winner Jeff Gordon starts at third after a poor 2008 season. 18-year-old rookie Joey Logano starts at ninth.
This year, the Daytona 500 is celebrating the 30'th anniversary of the Bobby Allison-Donnie-Allison-Cale Yarborough live brawl that kicked off NASCAR's rise into a sports powerhouse.
Additional Daytona 500 memories being looked back upon are Bobby and Davy Allison's 1-2 finish, Darrell Waltrip's long-awaited win, Dale Earnhardt's even longer awaited win, Harvick's comeback over Martin, and more. The 2009 Daytona 500 will seek to add one more classic memory to that list.
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