Five to Watch: 2018 Daytona 500

After an offseason of waiting and 10 days of preparation at the track, the 60th running of the Daytona 500 (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM) is here. With NASCAR's biggest event set to kick off the 2018 season, here are five storylines to watch ahead of The Great American Race.

Heat in the aero: One of the largest variables of Speedweeks has been aerodynamics and its effect on how cars have handled under new rules for superspeedway racing this year. With no ride-height requirement, cars have sat lower in the rear, and racing in the pack over the last week and a half has been especially finicky. The rules have forced teams to weigh the risk-reward of setting their cars up for speed at the expense of driveability. Speedweeks preliminaries have been somewhat dodgy in the aerodynamic draft; will the scene be more settled Sunday over the course of 500 miles?

Penske stays pesky: Team Penske has made a familiar show of strength over the course of Daytona Speedweeks, with Brad Keselowski prevailing in the Clash exhibition and Ryan Blaney winning a Can-Am Duel qualifying race. Add former 500 winner Joey Logano to the mix and Penske holds an attractive three-of-a-kind hand. Though Keselowski will start from the rear of the field in a reserve car, the organization enters the 500 with confidence. Seven consecutive restrictor-plate wins for Ford help bolster the team's case.

Hendrick's new-car smell: Hendrick Motorsports' new-look lineup has had an eventful Speedweeks already. The organization placed four cars among the top 10 in Daytona 500 qualifying, with Alex Bowman on the pole position, and posted a Duel win with Chase Elliott. But veteran Jimmie Johnson has wrecked twice (Clash, Duel) and rookie William Byron will join him at the rear of the field after a qualifying race crash. How the new four-driver roster jells over the course of the season remains a top 2018 story line. A Daytona 500 triumph would go a long way toward building positive chemistry.

While we're young: The time for the youth movement to live up to its billing is now, as a crossroads year for NASCAR's talent pool begins. But with few restrictor-plate races on the national series schedule, the younger drivers -- including 21-year-old Erik Jones -- bring relatively little experience to this discipline. Sunday's 500 may go to the bold, brash and possibly young. But it may also go to the quickest learner.

Daytona farewell: The build-up to Danica Patrick's 191st and final NASCAR start culminates with Sunday's Daytona 500. Her send-off race will be with a new, one-off team (Premium Motorsports), but with a familiar sponsor (Go Daddy) and crew chief (Tony Eury Jr.). Patrick has already made Daytona history with her pole position for the 2013 running of the 500. Sunday offers the opportunity to bookend her NASCAR career with a fond farewell.