Daytona 500 Pole Positions: Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart Ready to Renew Rivalry

When last we saw Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, they were busy duking it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead in the Ford 400.

Stewart came from behind to beat Edwards on the track and in the points standings that day, and will look to do the same when NASCAR reconvenes at the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Edwards will begin again the pursuit of his first Sprint Cup title from the pole position at The Great American Race by virtue of a strong performance in qualifying this past weekend.

Stewart, though, won't be far behind. The defending champion will start third at Daytona International Speedway after coming out on top in the first of Thursday's Gatorade Duels. He'll have his eyes fixed on a fourth Sprint Cup Series title in 13 years, since making his NASCAR debut at the 1999 Daytona 500.

Interestingly enough, neither driver in question has ever won The Great American Race. As anyone who's ever finished in Victory Lane at Daytona 500 will attest, winning the season opener is a feather in the cap unto itself and unlike any other.

And while winning at Daytona may not be as lucrative as capturing the Sprint Cup, the history and tradition surrounding NASCAR's most prestigious event makes it one to cherish, even for men like Edwards and Stewart, who have their eyes on a bigger prize down the road.

Hope will spring eternal for the entire field on Sunday, but in the end, everyone will be most curious to see what transpires between Edwards and Stewart.

What better transition from one season to the next could the sport of stock car racing possibly ask for?

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