2022 Daytona Speedweeks story lines

Daytona 500 week is here

Welcome to the biggest week of the NASCAR season, the time leading up to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). We will have previews, predictions, debates and news to get you caught up on the NASCAR national series heading into this weekend's season-opening action. Here are some of the story lines we are watching.

Hyped coming off Clash

The Busch Light Clash gave drivers a chance to compete in the Next Gen car for the first time, where they traded some paint and got the juices flowing. But the Daytona 500 is a different beast, so it's like starting from scratch this week. The good news is Cup cars will be on track Tuesday for practice (5 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. ET, FS1/MRN) and then Wednesday for qualifying (8 p.m. ET, FS1/MRN) before the Bluegreen Vacations Duels take place Thursday (7 p.m. ET, FS1/MRN/SiriusXM). Tune in during these nights to see which drivers are getting a jump on their preparation for the 64th annual Daytona 500. | Full schedule | Buy tickets

Next Gen car

The Next Gen car proved it can take a licking and keep on ticking during the short-track battle that was the Clash. But on the 2.5-mile behemoth that is Daytona International Speedway, how the car handles aerodynamically will be much more important. Plus, pit crews were not in play at the Clash, so this will be their first opportunity to do single-lug stops under the pressure of competition. Whichever teams are most adaptable, considering all the new factors that will be in play, will be the ones most likely to lead the pack on Sunday. | Next Gen's journey

New faces, new places

The car isn't the only thing that is new now that the 2022 season is set to get underway. Fans will need a scorecard -- or our On the Move gallery -- to keep track of all the personnel movement during the offseason. Among the ones we're watching are Austin Cindric, who is taking over the No. 2 Ford at Team Penske for Brad Keselowski, who joins Denny Hamlin among current drivers who are also co-owners of Cup teams. Speaking of Hamlin's team, 23XI Racing, it has added a second car with veteran Kurt Busch joining Bubba Wallace. These two will try to give their boss a run for the money, but it's Hamlin who already has three Daytona 500 wins. | All the Daytona 500 winners

Time for some 101

The Daytona 500 is different than other races in how the starting lineup is set, so let's lean on some NASCAR 101. First, there will be two rounds of single-vehicle qualifying on Wednesday night, but that will only determine the front row for the Daytona 500. Thursday's Bluegreen Vacations Duels will set the rest of the lineup with the winner of Duel 1 and all who follow lining up on the inside line behind Wednesday's pole winner and the winner of Duel 2 and those who finish behind lining up on the outside behind the second-fastest car from Wednesday night. But there's more ... | Daytona 500 101: How qualifying works

Let the games begin!

Odds to win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship have been out, courtesy of BetMGM, and so to the odds to win this year's Daytona 500. Predicting what will happen with the Next Gen car in play will be a difficult task, especially early in the season, but we will have expert advice to guide you through it all. Check out our featured driver matchups and Fantasy Fastlane before you make your picks this season. And tune in for the Coca-Cola iRacing Series every other Tuesday night (starting Feb. 15) on eNASCAR.com to get a preview of select tracks in the virtual world. | Championship odds