Daytona 500 2017: Complete Schedule, TV Info for NASCAR Opener

The NASCAR Sprint Cup season is back, and there aren't many races that are more celebrated than the Daytona 500.

Only the best drivers in the nation will take the speedway on Sunday, Feb. 26. Those 40 drivers will have to earn their place in the big race, as only 40 will advance from the Can-Am Duels that take place on Thursday, Feb. 23. 

Will Denny Hamlin make history and win the Daytona 500 two years in a row? Will Kyle Busch win his first-ever Daytona 500? Only time will tell. 

Before we get into any more analysis, let's take a look at everything you'll need to know heading into Thursday's Duels and Sunday's Daytona 500.

*Note: Only 40 drivers from the Duals will advance to Sunday's race.

Daytona 500 Schedule

 

Where: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida

When: Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox

Stream: Fox Sports 1

Date	Time	Event	Watch
Thursday, Feb. 23	12 p.m. ET	Practice	Fox Sports 1
Thursday, Feb. 23	7 p.m. ET	Can-Am Duel 1	Fox Sports 1
Thursday, Feb. 23	9 p.m. ET	Can-Am Duel 2	Fox Sports 1
Friday, Feb. 24	12 p.m. ET	Practice	Fox Sports 1
Friday, Feb. 24	2 p.m. ET	Practice	Fox Sports 1
Saturday, Feb. 25	12:30 p.m. ET	Final Practice	Fox Sports 1
Sunday, Feb. 26	2 p.m. ET	Daytona 500	Fox

Pos.	Driver	Manufacturer
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

Pos.	Driver	Manufacturer
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

Drivers to Watch

Denny Hamlin

Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Of course, Denny Hamlin is a driver to watch. After all, he is the reigning champion of this race from 2016 and is looking to become the first driver since Sterling Marlin back in 1995 to win this race two years in a row.

But Hamlin isn't just making history anymore, he's continuing to make his childhood dreams come true.

Hamlin won the Daytona 500 last year starting from 11th position, but now he has a target on his back entering this weekend's slate of races. A poor showing in the Duels won't necessarily ruin his chances of winning right away, but there are other drivers gunning to put a stamp on their own legacies on Sunday.

Despite winning last year's race, Hamlin is far from being the favorite on Sunday. OddsShark has Hamlin listed as at +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200) as of Wednesday evening. 

Last year's race was the closest margin of victory in the history of the Daytona 500. A margin of 0.01 seconds was all it took for Hamlin to win.

Can lightning strike twice?

Kyle Busch

It's hard to believe that Kyle Busch, a driver who has 38 victories, a 2015 Sprint Cup Championship and is coming off a third-place finish in the 2016 Daytona 500, has never been the first to cross the finish line with the checkered white flag being waved.

But you'd never know that Busch feels pressured to win with the amount of fun he seems to be having entering Thursday's Duels.

Last year's race, as aforementioned, was one for the ages. While all the attention went towards Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.'s photo finish, it's easy to forget that Busch was right behind the pair up until the final seconds of the race. Busch even led for 19 laps last year.

Odds Shark has Busch listed at +1000 as of Wednesday evening, which is slightly better odds than Busch does heading into the weekend.

But Busch won't care if he's favored to win or has the worst odds of the pack. He's out there to race and win his first Daytona 500.