Daytona 500 Start Time: Tony Stewart Will Dominate When Race Resumes

The Daytona 500 was postponed for the first time in history, but when the Great American Race resumes, I'm expecting Tony Stewart to cruise to victory.

Rain permitting, the race will start Monday at 12 p.m. ET. And when it does, look for the man they call Smoke to come out firing on all cylinders. 

Stewart reclaimed his throne last season, outgunning Carl Edwards in an epic battle for the Sprint Cup title. He won five races and posted 19 top-10 finishes, despite having the worst average starting position of his career.

At Daytona, Stewart is one of the best of all time. His 17 career victories on the legendary track are second to only Dale Earnhardt. Unfortunately for the current king of NASCAR, he's never taken home the trophy in the 500.

While some may feel his failures are due to forces outside his control, Stewart doesn't see it that way:

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“I don’t think we feel jinxed,” he said earlier this week. “We’ve had some really good cars here, and we’ve just missed. ... We’ve been leading late in these races, and so I feel like (with) the law of averages, we’re going to get one eventually."

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He'll have a prime opportunity to claim his first on Monday. Stewart will be starting from the third position, and if his second-place finish at the Bud Shootout is any indication, his third Sprint Cup title hasn't diminished his hunger at all.

Look for Stewart to stay near the front throughout Monday's race, as he aggressively pursues his first win on NASCAR's biggest stage.

It certainly won't be easy, but I'm expecting Stewart run a masterful race before finally wrapping his hands around the elusive Harley J. Earl Trophy.