Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rick Hendrick (left) and fiancée Amy Reimann (lower right) celebrate winning the first of two Can-Am Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18, 2016. Junior says if he gets a championship this year, "Hell yeah" he will retire. Mike Gentry/UPI |
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NASCAR's Sprint Cup run is back, starting off with the big one — the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
The 2017 season features a whole new round of drama, including the possibility of Dale Earnhardt Jr. retiring if he wins a championship ("Hell yeah ... I would be out of here") and the certitude that Michael Waltrip will retire, although hopefully with a Daytona finish better than last year's 30th place. And can Team Penske "island hop" past the Toyotas to the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway? Will Danica Patrick get another concussion?
Only NASCAR's best 40 drivers will take the speedway on Sunday, advancing from Thursday's Can-Am Duels.
Here's what you need to know to watch the Can-Am Duels and Sunday's Daytona 500 (starting order for the duels is below):
THURSDAY, Feb. 23
Practice: Noon, streaming on Fox Sports 1
Can-Am Duel 1: 7 p.m., streaming on Fox Sports 1
Can-Am Duel 2: 9 p.m., streaming on Fox Sports 1
FRIDAY, Feb. 24
Practice: Noon and 2 p.m., streaming on Fox Sports 1
SATURDAY, Feb. 25
Final practice: 12:30 p.m., streaming on Fox Sports 1
DAYTONA 500: 2 p.m., on Fox (TV) and Fox Sports 1 (online)
Starting order for Can-Am Duel 1
1 –
Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
2 – Brad Keselowski, Ford
3 –
Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
4 –
Kevin Harvick, Ford
5 – Matt Kenseth, Toyota
6 –
Kyle Busch, Toyota
7 –
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford
8 –
Daniel Suarez, Toyota
9 – Joey Logano, Ford
10 – Trevor Bayne, Ford
11 –
Paul Menard, Chevrolet
12 –
Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
13 – Aric Almirola, Ford
14 – Landon Cassill, Ford
15 – Matt DiBenedetto, Ford
16 – Chris Buescher, Chevrolet
17 – Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet
18 – Michael Waltrip, Toyota
19 –
Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet
20 – Joey Gase, Toyota
21 – Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet
Starting order for Can-Am Duel 2
1 – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
2 –
Clint Bowyer, Ford
3 –
Denny Hamlin, Toyota
4 –
Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
5 –
Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
6 –
Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
7 –
Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
8 –
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
9 –
Ryan Blaney, Ford
10 –
Erik Jones, Toyota
11 –
Kurt Busch, Ford
12 – Danica Patrick, Ford
13 –
Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
14 – AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
15 – Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
16 –
David Ragan, Ford
17 – Cole Whitt, Ford
18 –
Elliott Sadler, N/A
19 – D.J. Kennington, Toyota
20 – Timmy Hill, N/A
Race details via Nascar.com