By the Numbers: Daytona

Daytona International Speedway is an unrivaled track. The history, the prestige, the honor of taking the checkered flag -- nothing on the schedule compares to the 2.5-mile tri-oval located off Interstate 95 in the north-central Florida.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., the track is like no other because Daytona has been host to his highest of highs and lowest of lows.

When one thinks about racing at Daytona, the name Earnhardt should be the first that comes to mind. In 33 Nationwide Series races at Daytona, an Earnhardt has won 12 of them -- an astounding 36 percent, and the father-son duo sit 1-2 on the all-time Nationwide Series wins list at the track.

And while dad has the edge on son, Junior is catching up fast.

Both Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. have won consecutive Nationwide races at Daytona, with dad reeling off five in a row from 1990 to 1994 and son winning four of five between 2002 and 2004.

For Junior, Daytona is by far his most successful Nationwide Series track. His five wins, seven top-fives and eight top-10s are career highs at any track in his Nationwide Series career and his 467 laps led is second, only to Richmond where he has led 605 laps.

The last three events at DIS haven't been what we would expect from Junior, though. After winning the 2006 fall race, Earnhardt has fallen on tough times at the track, something he hopes to erase Friday night in the Winn-Dixie 250 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

In those races, Junior has an average starting position of 24.6 and an average finish of 8.0 with only eight laps led.

That falls in line with Earnhardt's performance this season in the Nationwide Series. The two-time series champion has been competitive, but hasn't been able to find his way to the P1 position when it matters most.

Even though Earnhardt has been held winless this season, don't ever count him out Fourth of July weekend. Remember the highest of highs and the lowest of lows? Think back to 2001, when Junior returned for the first time to the track that claimed his father's life -- Junior says it's one Fourth he will never forget.

"[The most memorable Fourth of July] would have to be 2001 when I came back to Daytona after February when my daddy was killed. To go back there and win [the Cup race] was very special," Earnhardt said. "We went and partied hard all week and just let it all go and had a lot of fun. We got in there to race and buckled down and won. I couldn't believe it. Still to this day, I just don't believe that happened the way it did. That will be hard to top."