Daytona 500 2018: Complete TV Schedule, Starting Order After the Duels
The chaos of competitive restrictor-plate racing started at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday in the Can-Am Duels.
More of the same is expected during Sunday's Daytona 500, the historic race that serves as the traditional season opener for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Alex Bowman, who is taking over for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 car, won the pole during Sunday's qualifying, while Denny Hamlin earned the other spot on the front row.
The rest of the field for The Great American Race was set by the duels on Thursday, with Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott earning positions on the second row through their respective victories.
Kurt Busch is the defending champion of the race, which has had first-time winners in each of the last three seasons.
Date: Sunday, February 18
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Starting Order
NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck provided us with a glance at Sunday's starting grid, which was finalized after the duels:
Can Hendrick Motorsports Return to Victory Lane?
Three different teams have celebrated in victory lane at Daytona since Hendrick Motorsports last won in 2014 by way of Earnhardt Jr.
The team has started the 2018 season well, with Bowman winning pole and Elliott taking first in one of the duels.
However, not every Hendrick driver experienced success in the duels, as William Byron starts 33rd and Jimmie Johnson lines up 35th for the Daytona 500.
Elliott won the duel a year ago, but he wasn't able to capture the win that matters the most during the week of racing in Daytona.
The driver of the No. 9 car admitted after his duel victory all of the focus is on finding the right setup for the cars in the new aerodynamic package for Sunday, per USA Today's Bob Velin.
"To be honest with you, I was kind of trying a bunch of stuff," Elliott said. "This new (aerodynamic) package is a lot different. This package is strange compared to what we had in the past. I think we’re all trying to learn and figure out what the best position is to be in and when you want to be there."
Bowman didn't have to be a prominent figure in the duel because of his pole victory, so he used Thursday's race as preparation for Sunday.
Both the driver of the No. 88 car and crew chief Greg Ives have been busy working on their strategy for Sunday, which includes staying in front for as long as possible, per NASCAR.com's Zack Albert.
Ives said:
"Strategy for us is to go out there and try to lead as many laps as we can and be in position to win. I think that's what most people do to win these races. Sitting back there, you're not putting yourself in position to know what you can trust your car to do at the end of the race. That's what we're going to try to do. We're going to go out there and be aggressive. We're starting up front and that's where we want to end it."
Although the young stars are starting at the front of the field, don't count out Johnson working his way up from the back of the starting grid to be a major player, especially as a drafting partner for his teammates.
Keselowski In Search of 1st Daytona 500
Brad Keselowski is one of the top drivers in NASCAR not to have tasted victory in the Daytona 500.
Although he's never won the opening race of the season, the driver of the No. 2 car opened as the favorite to achieve glory on Sunday, per OddsShark.
If he's going to cross the finish line first, Keselowski will do so in a backup vehicle after suffering a wreck in the duel. SB Nation's Jordan Bianchi gave us a view of how much damage the No. 2 car received:
The 34-year-old, whose top career finish in the Daytona 500 is third, started the week with a victory in The Clash, which is the exhibition race that takes place the week before the actual race.
While he hasn't won the Daytona 500, Keselowski has been one of the best restrictor-plate racers in the sport; he has five victories at Talladega and one summer triumph in Daytona from the 2016 Coke Zero 400.
Keselowski and Team Penske teammates Blaney and Joey Logano should be together in the draft for most of the race, and if they are near the front at the end of the race, the other combinations of cars might not be able to beat out the trio.
However, it's going to take a while for Keselowski to join up with Logano and Blaney since the No. 2 car is 31st on the starting grid, but once he joins his teammates at the front, the driver in his 10th season will pose a threat.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
.jpg?w=600 "NFL Not Investigating Mike Vrabel")
