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By Zack Albert
NASCAR kicks off stock-car racing's Super Bowl on Sunday with the 58th running of the Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Forty drivers, one champion. Here are the key things to know ahead of Sunday's 'Great American Race.'
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Just the facts
Where: Daytona International Speedway, 2.5-mile oval in Daytona Beach, Florida
Green flag time: 1:31 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Mostly sunny, high of 73 degrees, 0 percent chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service
National anthem: 82nd Airborne Division All American Chorus from Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Grand marshal: Actor Gerard Butler
Distance: 500 miles, 200 laps
Pit road speed: 55 mph
Caution car speed: 70 mph
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Show of speed
Rookie Chase Elliott will start his first Daytona 500 from the pole position. Matt Kenseth earned the second starting position in Coors Light Pole Qualifying, but will start in the rear of the 40-car field after crashing his primary car in Thursday's qualifying races. In the eight practices ahead of the main event, only two drivers -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson -- led multiple sessions.
Related: See lineup, practice results
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Earnhardt Rising
Dale Earnhardt Jr. enters Sunday's season opener as the prohibitive favorite for his third Daytona 500 crown. Helping the cause is an especially stout Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevy nicknamed 'Amelia.' 'I don't want to get overly confident in what I'm doing,' Earnhardt said, 'but the car really does everything I ask it to do.'
Related: How 'Amelia' is ready to take flight
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Daytona drought
Joe Gibbs Racing is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a NASCAR competitor, but it's been almost that long since the organization tasted Daytona 500 glory. JGR, which last won the 'Great American Race' with Dale Jarrett in 1993, also has extra motivation to bring Toyota its first Daytona 500 victory.
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They said it
'It changes people's impressions of who you are. It's like having the ultimate hard card walking around Daytona.' -- 2008 Daytona 500 champ Ryan Newman, on his race-winning credentials
Related: Past Daytona 500 winners