RELATED: NBC Sports Live Extra


All times ET

Monday, Feb. 15
3 a.m., NASCAR Daytona 500 Pole Day (re-air), FS2
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Daytona 500 Pole Day (re-air), FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Best Daytona Moments (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Tuesday, Feb. 16
3:30 a.m., Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
9 a.m., Daytona 500 Media Day, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., Daytona Rising: NASCAR America Special, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
2 a.m. NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, Feb. 17

7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2

Thursday, Feb. 18
7 a.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duels at Daytona, FS1
10:30 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race (taped), NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR The List: Best Daytona Moments (re-air), NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 19
3 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duels at Daytona (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Can-Am Duels at Daytona (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Nextera Energy Resources 250, FS1
10 p.m., Untold Stories: Daytona (re-air), FS1
1 a.m., Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1

Saturday, Feb. 20
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Nextera Energy Resources (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
2 p.m., 18 Rising, NBC
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Powershares QQQ 300, FS1

Sunday, Feb. 21
3:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Powershares QQQ 300 (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FOX Pre-Race Show, FOX
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500, FOX
1 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Martin Truex Jr.’s bid for a Daytona 500 pole position never left the starting blocks Sunday afternoon, grounded by a technical issue with a roof flap on his Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota.



Truex was scheduled as the 28th of 44 drivers to make a qualifying run for next Sunday’s “Great American Race,” but NASCAR officials delayed the team’s attempt after discovering a problem with the right-side hinged flap. The No. 78 Camry was placed on five-minute notice, but the time elapsed without Truex turning a single lap.



“There was something they didn’t like that they missed in there apparently,” Truex said after leaving the cockpit, unaware of the reason for the qualifying-day hitch. “Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”


Having pictures taken of your car on Daytona 500 qualifying day is typically a positive, but not when the photographer is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director Richard Buck. As other competition officials raised the roof flap for closer inspection, Buck took photos with his cell phone as the No. 78 sat under the inspection tent where cars are checked for template compliance.



Second-year Furniture Row crew chief Cole Pearn shrugged at the extra scrutiny, offering a sheepish smile after a discussion with competition officials. The Canada native said the No. 78 entry had cleared Sunday morning inspection with no issues, but that officials found trouble with the way the roof flap came to rest when not deployed. He was also unsure why the team was directed to address the problem off the pit road qualifying grid and at the template tent.



“I guess it’s an issue with the right-side roof flap not going down as far as it needs to,” Pearn said. “I’m not really sure how it ended up that way or what changed down pit road, but whatever. Either way, we ran it back here for whatever reason, but we’ll see what they do and hopefully have a good rest of Speedweeks.”



NASCAR competition officials released a statement that read, “Prior to making a qualifying attempt for the Daytona 500, NASCAR officials on pit road determined that a roof flap on the No. 78 was not in compliance with prescribed specifications. The team was unable to correct the violation within the allotted five minutes per the NASCAR Rule Book, and forfeited their opportunity to make a qualifying attempt. The No. 78 will start at the rear of the field in their qualifying race.”


The Nos. 4 and 14 Stewart-Haas Racing cars had post-qualifying inspection issues and also were moved to the rear of the field for the Can-Am Duels.



The issue placed Truex last on the qualifying chart with no speed posted, meaning he’ll start at the rear of the field in one of Thursday’s Can-Am Duel qualifying races that will set the Daytona 500 lineup. Truex is guaranteed a place in the field, but may have to start further back than the team had hoped.



“We’ll roll on and see what they decide to do,” Pearn said, hinting at possible sanctions from NASCAR’s competition arm. “Too bad. I thought we had a really good car and good speed in it, so it would’ve been nice to see what we could’ve run at least.”

RELATED: Full qualifying speeds | From tardy note to Daytona pole winner

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Chase Elliott‘s rookie campaign just got a jump-start.


Faced with the daunting prospect of succeeding Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the 20-year-old Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate drove the same chassis to the same result Gordon accomplished last year—the pole position for the Feb. 21 Daytona 500 (on FOX at 1 p.m. ET).


In the money round of qualifying for the Great American Race, Elliott toured 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway in 45.845 seconds (196.314 mph), edging Matt Kenseth (196.036 mph) by .065 seconds for the top starting spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opener.


Elliott and Kenseth are the only drivers whose positions for the Daytona 500 are now locked in. The balance of the field will be filled and ordered in Thursday night’s 150-mile Can-Am Duel qualifying races.


“I’ve never qualified on the front row here before, so that certainly takes off some pressure for later in the week,” Kenseth said.


“This is a very, very cool day,” Elliott said after Earnhardt, the last qualifier, failed to knock him off the pole. “I don’t know that this opportunity has sunk in yet, much less sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500.


“So this is very cool. I think the big thing is just the team and the Daytona 500 qualifying is about the team guys and the effort they put into these cars and it’s nothing special I did. It’s really what kind of work they did this offseason to make it happen. 


“Jeff (Gordon) knows all about that and I just wanted to give a big thanks to NAPA Auto Parts and all of our partners at HMS on this No. 24 car. This is very special and a great way to start the season.”


Elliott’s first Sprint Cup pole was a milestone in many other respects. At 20 years, 2 months and 17 days, he is the youngest-ever winner of a Daytona 500 pole, supplanting Austin Dillon (23 years, 9 months 27 days in 2014).


Should Elliott win the race next Sunday, he would displace Trevor Bayne as the youngest winner of the event often referred to as NASCAR’s Super Bowl.


This was the 10th Daytona 500 pole for Hendrick Motorsports and the third for the No. 24 Chevrolet, with Gordon winning the previous two in 1999 and 2015. Elliott completed the fourth father/son combination to win poles for the 500, joining Richard and Kyle Petty, Bobby and Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.


In fact, Earnhardt Jr. was fastest in the first round of Sunday’s qualifying session, posting a lap at 195.788 mph, but he slipped to third in the final round and will start on the outside of the front row in the first Can-Am Duel.

Kyle Busch posted the fourth fastest lap in the final round and will start from the second spot in the second Duel. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the final round.

The qualifying times of the Nos. 4 and 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets, driven by Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers, were disallowed after NASCAR discovered track bar infractions during post-qualifying inspection. Those cars will start from the rear in their respective Duels.

RELATED: Nos. 4, 14 fail post-Daytona qualifying inspection

Ryan Blaney powered the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to a seventh in Sunday’s time trials. As the fastest “open” car (required to qualify on speed), he is locked into the Daytona 500. Matt DiBenedetto, the second fastest of the open cars (and 24th overall) also is locked into the field.

Related: Blaney, DiBenedetto lock up Daytona spots

The No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. failed to post a time after NASCAR inspectors noticed that one of the roof flaps was out of compliance. The car was on the five-minute clock at the time and the problem could not be corrected in time to make a qualifying run. As a consequence, Truex will start from the rear of the field in the second Can-Am Duel.

RELATED: Roof flap keeps Truex parked in qualifying


RELATED: Best photos from Sprint Unlimited | Race recap, results 



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It was a 75-lap dress rehearsal; no, check that. It was a 79-lap dress rehearsal. It was full contact racing somewhere just shy of 200 mph.



Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited, a non-points precursor to next weekend’s Daytona 500 opened the curtain on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Opened the curtain, ripped it on the way up, and eventually left it in a not-so-tidy pile on the floor. This curtain came down for certain.



Not surprisingly, a multi-car accident, one of several here at the newly revamped 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, pushed the event into overtime.



Officials got to trot out the “Here’s how we’re going to handle it, boys” and no doubt they were pleased when a late-race yellow set up a green, white, checkered finish, which eventually went green, white, yellow and checkered.



Eventual race-winner Denny Hamlin was already beyond the “overtime line” when the final bout of mayhem erupted, and that was enough to officially put this one in the books.



Good thing. At the rate they were tearing up cars, there would have been precious few remaining had the distance of the race gone much further. There were, what, a dozen or so still circling when the race went into “overtime?” That’s less than half the field. Allegedly there were 15. I’m not so sure all 15 were running at the end.



Certainly there were more vehicles in the garage when the checkered flag finally appeared. Some on jack stands, most with their hoods up. Some listed to one side or the other. A stream of steam here, a fluid leak there. It looked more like your typical junkyard than a NASCAR garage.



Earlier in the week, Jimmie Johnson said the race weekend was a good opportunity to “knock the rust off.” It was also a good weekend to knock the 48 off — the six-time champion’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was last seen spinning across the inside apron/grass along the backstretch.



“I can’t even remember,” Johnson said concerning his lack of success in the event. “I don’t want any luck in this one. I want it all next Sunday.”



He’s won a previous version of this race, in 2005. He started on the pole Saturday, albeit the result of a blind draw. But recently the fates haven’t been as kind to Johnson. But he’s far from alone.



Take Brad Keselowski, for instance, the former series champion. Worked his way to the front, got trash on the grille of his Ford Fusion and had to give up the lead. Worked his way back to the front. Once again, trash managed to find the front of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.



“I think my spotter said it best when he said it looked like there was a lot of construction debris out there,” Keselowski said, referencing the recently completed $400 million Daytona Rising project.


RELATED: Daytona rises even higher from beach sand



“I think it’s a huge concern,” teammate Joey Logano said. “It looked like a landfill on the front straightaway.”



Logano’s father, Tom, was in the garbage business, so Logano knows trash when he sees it. “I know all about it,” he said.



Ford teams are racing a newly designed Fusion this year. Changes to the front of the car were made. Officials said the trash issue during Saturday’s race wasn’t a concern. Unless it becomes a common occurrence, of course.



Hamlin’s victory was the fourth for Joe Gibbs Racing in the last five years in the non-points race. But automaker Toyota, which clinched its first Sprint Cup driver’s championship a year ago with JGR driver Kyle Busch, hasn’t popped the cork in the winner’s circle here for a Daytona 500.



Team owner Joe Gibbs mentioned as much to Hamlin in Victory Lane.



Hamlin jokingly asked if Gibbs had mentioned the 500, almost before he was seated for the post-race winner’s press conference.



The dress rehearsal is over. Next Sunday, the curtain goes up for real.

 MORE: Predicting the Chase based on Sprint Unlimited 

RELATED: Who has the 36 Charters? | Fast facts about charters

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have each obtained an additional Charter for their respective teams, a move that will guarantee NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kurt Busch (SHR) and Carl Edwards (JGR) a starting spot in all 36 points races each week.
 
Officials with both teams made the announcements separately via social media (Twitter) Saturday afternoon.
 
Securing the Charters was expected. Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman said earlier this week that Charters awarded to his organization, which ceased operations at the conclusion of the 2015 season, would likely be purchased by the Stewart-Haas and Joe Gibbs organizations.
 
No purchase price was announced.
 
NASCAR unveiled the new system Feb. 9, announcing a nine-year arrangement that not only will assure Charter teams a starting spot in the field but there will also be financial benefits generated by the move.
 
Based on criteria developed by NASCAR and with input from the industry, Charters were awarded to 36 teams, each of which had attempted to qualify for all races since the start of the 2013 season.
 
It was also announced that beginning this season Sprint Cup Series fields would feature 40 cars rather than 43 as had previously been the case. As a result, there will be four remaining positions in the field each week to be filled by Open (non-Charter) teams.
 
Those will be determined as they have been in previous years, based on qualifying speeds.
 
SHR was awarded three Charters for its Nos. 4, 10 and 14 teams; the No. 41 team did not debut until 2014.
 
Likewise JGR was awarded three Charters for its Nos. 11, 18 and 20 teams, and sought a fourth for the No. 19, which debuted with Edwards last season.
 
Charters may be sold or leased (a one-time transfer), with NASCAR approval, and HScott Motorsports owner Harry Scott opted for the latter in order to obtain a Charter for his No. 46 team with driver Michael Annett .
 
Scott announced Friday that he had reached an agreement with Premium Motorsports owner Jay Robinson for use of that team’s Charter for the 2016 season.
 
HScott, a two-team organization, was awarded one Charter, assigned to the No. 15 team of Clint Bowyer, meaning Annett would have to qualify for all races this season.
 
Premium Motorsports will continue to field a Sprint Cup entry. Cole Whitt will attempt to qualify the team’s No. 98 Toyota in the field for next week’s season-opening Daytona 500

MORE: Full race results

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Brian Vickers‘ much anticipated return to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series racing lasted 23 laps into Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition and concluded with a massively wrecked car.

But the popular driver — who missed all but two races last year while dealing with a recurrence of blood clot issues — still emerged from Daytona International Speedway‘s infield care center smiling and encouraged, and perhaps a little sore from the heavy contact.

 

It was Vickers’ first time filling in for injured driver/owner Tony Stewart, who broke his L1 vertebra in an all-terrain vehicle accident two weeks ago. Vickers is set to drive Stewart’s No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet during Daytona Speedweeks, which includes qualifying for the Daytona 500 Sunday, the Can-Am Duels on Thursday and the race next Sunday, Feb. 21.

 

Vickers’ car cut a tire while racing in heavy traffic. At least seven cars were caught up in the ensuing accident. But despite the disappointment in an early exit — he finished 24th in the 25-car field — Vickers said he enjoyed the taste of Cup competition and feels better about what to expect come Thursday’s Can-Am Duels, which set the Daytona 500 starting field.

 

“I had a little contact,” Vickers said, smiling. “But it’s the Sprint Unlimited and that’s what it’s all about. The 18 (Kyle Busch) and I got together a little bit early, had a little (tire) rub but it went away right away. The 2 (Brad Keselowski) and I had a little rub on the front-stretch.

 

“I felt the tire going down on the front stretch and I tried to get out of it, but we were three wide. Not much you can do, just try to manage the damage.”

 

Vickers, a three-time Cup winner, has missed major parts of three of the past four seasons while dealing with medical issues. His last start was at Las Vegas in 2015 and he didn’t race again after doctors told him he couldn’t compete while on necessary blood-thinning medicine. Stewart-Haas Racing announced this week that Vickers would drive the car at Daytona, but has not said who will steer the Chevrolet thereafter.

 

The late timing has meant some serious catch-up work. Not only is Vickers driving a different car with a team’s brand new crew chief (Mike Bugarewicz), but he’s also refining some of the basics of competition he’s missed in the last year.

 

“We learned a lot,” Vickers said. “It’s the first time back and we worked on the spotter-driver relationship, talked about what we want and what we need. Unfortunately we didn’t get to pit road, that was the part I was most disappointed in, I needed to make sure I hit the marks. But we’ve got plenty of time, the Duels, practice and then the Daytona 500.”

 

Primarily for Vickers, it’s been a good opportunity to race again while also helping his friend Stewart. Having missed so much of the last few seasons, this was clearly a chance not to be missed.

 

“I felt great out there,” Vickers said. “I was sideways on Lap 1, but it was fun. It feels great to be back in a race car and I was having fun. I love racing. Everyone was racing like it was Daytona 500. I think the most frustrating part of it for me was not to finish this first race back. But these guys have done so much and worked hard and gave me a great car. Not gonna get ’em tonight. We’ll have to get ’em in the Daytona 500.”

RELATED: See at-track photos from Saturday’s practice

 

Practice 2 recap | Full results

 

Team Penske showed its strength in Saturday’s final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice in preparation for next Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway as both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski jumped to the top of the leaderboard in the closing seconds of the two-hour session.

 

Claiming the fastest speed of 195.933 mph, Logano led a draft involving Keselowski and Ryan Blaney on his last run of 29 laps. Logano is the reigning Daytona 500 winner and was second-fastest in opening practice. 

 

Keselowski was packed in the middle of the draft and came out second-fastest at 195.848 mph.

 

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Blaney tagged along in the Ford-only draft and was third-fastest with a speed of 195.797 mph. The trio got together to ensure Blaney put down a fast practice time in case rain threatens Daytona 500 qualifying and the Can-Am Duels — Blaney drives for Wood Brothers Racing, which does not have a Charter and must qualify into the race.

 

Kurt Busch sat atop the leaderboard for a majority of practice, but was knocked off late and was fourth-fastest at 194.877 mph.

 

Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was fifth-fastest in the closing session at 194.696 mph. 

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led Saturday’s opening session, but came up 11th-fastest in the final practice round with a speed of 193.823 mph.

 

Follow Daytona 500 qualifying Sunday, Feb. 14 at 1:15 p.m. ET (FOX). The Daytona 500 will run Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET (FOX).

 

Practice 1 recap | Full results

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led Saturday’s opening Sprint Cup Series practice session in preparation for next Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway

 

The Hendrick Motorsports driver laid down his fastest speed of 194.116 mph on Lap 11, the No. 88 driver’s final run of the practice round. Earnhardt has won the Daytona 500 twice in his 16 attempts.

 

Second-fastest to Junior was last year’s Daytona 500 winner, Joey Logano, at 193.853 mph.

 

Matt Kenseth (193.782 mph), Chase Elliott (193.586 mph) and Kasey Kahne (193.582 mph) completed the top-five fastest on the leaderboard.

 

This is rookie Elliott’s first Daytona 500 showing and his first practice behind the wheel of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

 

Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was 11th-fastest in the opening session at 193.087 mph. 

 

Tune-in at 1:30 p.m. ET for the final Daytona 500 practice of Saturday. The Daytona 500 will run Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET (FOX).

MORE: Explaining the ‘overtime line’ | Full Sprint Unlimited results 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A partial field got a trial run at the NASCAR season in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited. The sanctioning body’s revised overtime rule got the same treatment.
 
The exhibition marked the first use of the new overtime format, with a late caution period pushing the race four laps past the scheduled 75-lap distance. The crash-thinned field made it past the new overtime line painted on the backstretch after the green flag flew for the restart, meaning that a yellow flag anytime thereafter would have ended the race.
 
The fateful caution flag didn’t happen until after the white flag had unfurled, with a multicar tangle in Turn 1 ultimately stopping the action — the same result had the former green-white-checkered overtime rule been in place.
 
The net result: Not much difference in the final outcome.
 
“The procedure is probably, it really wasn’t any different at that point,” said Danica Patrick, who finished 11th as one of six drivers snared by the race-ending wreck. “I mean, we took the white (flag) and then the accident happened, so nothing different would’ve happened if we were in the old situation.
 
“I don’t think it’ll end up making a humongous difference. I mean, the likelihood of having a lot of accidents within the first corner, they’re not super-high. I don’t know. I think it’ll be fine. I don’t think we’ll really notice a huge difference.”
 
NASCAR’s competition department made the changes in the interest of safety, potentially reducing the chances of making multiple overtime restart attempts. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Twitter after the rules alterations were announced that the competition changes were the direct result of collaboration between NASCAR and the drivers’ council that formed last season.

RELATED: Reactions to qualifying, overtime changes

 
But the new rule also strives to add some clarity to the ruffling of restart feathers from last October’s Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, where two crashes as cars were getting up to speed threw the finish into disarray. The crash notwithstanding, Saturday night’s conclusion was far cleaner.
 
“I think it was OK. I get what they’re trying to do,” said Greg Biffle, who wound up 10th after catching a piece of the final wreck. “They’re trying to prevent people from changing the outcome of the race and make that mark back there, and that makes sense. It’ll take us a little bit to get used to that, but I understand it.”
 
The balance of the 36-race season will tell the rules change’s story. After one dry run in a non-points event, for some it remains an open-ended question.
 
“I guess in this day and age, we always judge everything on the fans’ reaction,” said Martin Truex Jr., another crash victim who ended his night in 13th place, “so I guess we’ll wait and see what they say about it.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2016) — Newly elected Baseball Hall of Fame centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will serve as Honorary Starter of the 58th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. at Daytona International Speedway (TV — FOX, FOX Deportes; Radio — MRN Radio, SiriusXM).

 

Griffey received a record-breaking 99.32 percent of the vote (437 of 440) by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He played 22 seasons — 13 with the Seattle Mariners, nine with the Cincinnati Reds and less than one season with the Chicago White Sox. In his 22 seasons, Griffey was a 13-time All Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and 1997 American League MVP; he is also ranked sixth on the career home run list (630).

 

“We’re honored to welcome baseball great Ken Griffey Jr. as the Honorary Starter for the Daytona 500 ,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “We’re looking forward to having such a legendary athlete wave the green flag on the first ‘Great American Race’ in the world’s first motorsports stadium.”

 

The 2016 Hall of Fame Weekend will be held July 22-25, with the annual Induction Ceremony scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 24. Griffey will be the first player to represent the Seattle Mariners organization in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Most recent Daytona 500 Honorary Starters include members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (Abby Wambach, Kelley O’Hara and Christie Rampone), NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty and actor Gary Sinise.

 

Tickets for the 2016 Daytona 500 and 2016 Speedweeks At Daytona can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

 

Fans can also watch live on FOX, follow NASCAR on Twitter and stay up to speed on the latest news by using #DAYTONA500 and #SPEEDWEEKS. Stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook,Instagramand Pinterest for the latest news all season long. You can also stay updated on the latest information by downloading the new version of Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app.

RELATED: Full race results | Photos from Sprint Unlimited 


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway ended with a mere handful of cars undamaged — and race winner Denny Hamlin‘s Toyota wasn’t one of them.

But Hamlin got his wreck out of the way early in a two-car incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Ford on Lap 12 and won the race in overtime with a large swatch of silver tape on the right side of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry.

Hamlin triumphed in the season-opening non-points event for the second time in three years (and third time overall) and gave JGR its fourth Sprint Unlimited victory in the last five years.

Under NASCAR’s new overtime rules, which require the leader to reach an overtime line on the backstretch under green on the restart lap before the race is official, the event ended under caution for a six-car wreck in Turn 1.


LEARN MORE: ‘Overtime line’ part of tweaked G-W-C procedure 


The overtime extended the race four laps past its scheduled distance, and, by then, Hamlin had a comfortable lead — if any lead on a superspeedway can be considered comfortable.

Joey Logano came home second, Paul Menard third and Kyle Larson fourth in a race that saw only four of the 25 cars avoid wrecks that collectively produced seven cautions for 25 laps.

Hamlin chose the outside line for the final restart, abandoning help from JGR teammate Matt Kenseth, who restarted fourth in the outside line.

“It was just such a dilemma for me to figure out what lane to start in,” Hamlin said. “I had gotten good pushes from Matt all night long, and I hated leaving him in that top line, but I felt like I’d had success on the bottom all night, and I didn’t want to leave it for that final restart.”

A wild seven-car crash on Lap 22 severely damaged the cars of several pre-race favorites, including the No. 88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. In his first competitive run as a substitute for injured Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers spun while barreling into Turn 1 after his right rear tire went flat.

Vickers’s spin ignited the wreck that also crippled the cars of Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and also involved the Ford of Greg Biffle and the Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger.

Vickers’ Chevrolet took a hard hit against the outside SAFER barrier, but the driver of the No. 14 appeared unhurt in the incident.

“I cut a right rear tire,” Vickers said after exiting the infield care center. “It’s unfortunate. I don’t know how I cut the tire. I had a little contact. Everyone was racing hard. It’s the Sprint Unlimited, right? That’s what it’s all about. The 18 (Kyle Busch) and I got together early on, going four-wide. Had a little rub but it went away so we thought everything was fine.


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“The 2 (Brad Keselowski) and I got together a little bit right there on the front stretch going into (Turn) 1. Maybe that was it. I just don’t know. It was a cut of some kind. It’s just unfortunate.”

Lap 43 marked the end of the race for Jimmie Johnson, who spun on the backstretch after contact with the No. 13 Chevy of Casey Mears and tore the front fascia of his No. 48 Chevrolet while sliding across the bus stop chicane used in the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race.

But Johnson had run near the front up to that point, and crew chief Chad Knaus was pleased with the effort.

“We learned a little bit tonight,” Knaus said, with a tone of voice that suggested he had actually learned quite a bit. “Thanks, everybody. Good dress rehearsal.”