Daytona 500 2016: TV Schedule, Odds and Top NASCAR Drivers to Watch

Following weeks of buildup and anticipation, the 2016 NASCAR season finally kicks off on Sunday with the 58th Daytona 500. 

History has already been made at this year's Great American Race, with Chase Elliott becoming the youngest pole-sitter in Daytona 500 history at 20 years old. The son of Bill Elliott, Chase will look to win a race that his father captured twice during his Hall of Fame career. 

Elliott will feel the heat from a loaded field that features Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch right behind him on the starting grid. 

Date	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
Sunday, Feb. 21	1 p.m.	Fox	Fox Sports Go

Driver	Qualifying Position	Odds
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	3	+600
Jimmie Johnson	26	+900
Kevin Harvick	9	+1000
Joey Logano	5	+1000
Matt Kenseth	2	+1000
Brad Keselowski	25	+1200
Denny Hamlin	11	+1200
Kyle Busch	4	+1200
Carl Edwards	10	+1600
Kurt Busch	8	+1800
Chase Elliott	1	+1800
Martin Truex Jr.	28	+1800
Kasey Kahne	13	+2200
Kyle Larson	14	+2200
Jamie McMurray	6	+2800
Austin Dillon	21	+3300
Ryan Newman	38	+4000
Brian Vickers	18	+5000
Clint Bowyer	31	+5000
Greg Biffle	15	+5000
Ryan Blaney	7	+5000
Aric Almirola	34	+5000
Danica Patrick	16	+5000
David Ragan	29	+5000
Paul Menard	37	+5000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	19	+5000
Trevor Bayne	23	+5000
Chris Buescher	17	+6600
Michael Waltrip	36	+6600
Regan Smith	27	+6600
A.J. Allmendinger	30	+7500
Casey Mears	32	+7500
Ty Dillon	12	+7500
Bobby Labonte	33	+10000
Brian Scott	35	+10000
Landon Cassill	24	+12500
Matt DiBenedetto	20	+15000
Michael Annett	22	+15000
Michael McDowell	39	+15000
Robert Richardson Jr.	40	+15000

Drivers to Watch

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Since the oddsmakers have seen fit to make Earnhardt the favorite for this year's Daytona 500, it's only appropriate to start with him as the driver to watch.

Earnhardt has enjoyed Daytona International Speedway in his career, winning this race twice and building momentum for Sunday with a victory in the first Daytona 500 duel on Thursday to line up third. 

It's a good omen for Earnhardt, as he took the same path to victory at Daytona in 2004. Jeff Owens of Sporting News made his case for why No. 88 will take home his third Daytona 500 title:

"

Two top contenders have already fallen by the wayside—Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, who crashed on Thursday and will be forced into backup cars. Two others, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, have no idea how to pass or beat Junior. Earnhardt is probably as big a favorite as he has ever been for the 500. There's little reason to bet against him.

"

Leaving aside Owens' arbitrary argument about Hamlin and Logano not knowing how to beat Earnhardt, the bigger point he made is about Kenseth and Johnson. 

Kenseth's quest to win his third 500 derailed when his car crashed with two laps remaining at the Can-Am Duels, pushing him to the back of the field since he will require a backup car. 

Johnson met a similar fate, which opened the door wide open for Earnhardt to storm the castle in hopes of winning his third title at the Super Bowl of stock car racing. 

Chase Elliott

Terry Renna/Associated Press

Winning the Daytona 500 is hard. Winning the Daytona 500 from the pole is not as hard, with nine drivers pulling off the feat in the previous 57 years. However, the last driver to win after starting in first position was Dale Jarrett in 2000. 

Elliott is only fighting 15 years of history, but there's uncertainty around him because he's so young. This is an unusual spot for a driver his age to be in, which is made even more difficult to comprehend since he doesn't have one top-10 finish in a NASCAR race under his belt. 

Speaking after he won the pole position, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Elliott even seemed surprised by what just happened: "I don't know if this opportunity has sunk in yet, much less sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500."

If Elliott is looking for recent history as inspiration heading into Sunday, Trevor Bayne in 2011 is a good place to start. One day after he turned 20 years old, Bayne pulled off one of the biggest stunners in recent NASCAR history by coming all the way up from No. 32 to capture the checkered flag. 

Bayne remains the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history, though Elliott has the momentum to join him as under-21 stars to win the race.

Joey Logano

Terry Renna/Associated Press

The defending Daytona 500 champion is in an excellent position to retain his title. Logano qualified fifth for Sunday's race—the same position he started in 2015. 

Practice has provided plenty of drama for Logano and another top contender leading up to the Daytona 500, per ESPN's Bob Pockrass:

This is an important year for Logano, who started strong in 2015 with seven consecutive top-10 finishes and made the Chase before back-to-back finishes outside the top 35 caused him to end the season sixth in the standings. 

The 25-year-old is also trying to turn over a new leaf, as he's no longer happy to be thought of as NASCAR's villain, per Pockrass' writing:

"

Is Logano naïve? Is he still that 18-year-old kid who was thrown into Sprint Cup racing at too early of an age who has matured on the racetrack but still lacks the maturity off of it?

No. The 25-year-old Logano has learned more from his Penske brethren. You're a race car driver first -- you're not around to make people happy. Go out there and earn wins. You'll have plenty of time to make friends after you hang up the steering wheel.

"

Even though Logano has not always endeared himself to fellow drivers or fans, he's also a young man in his mid-20s. The maturation process is only going to help make him a better and more consistent driver, which is scary for NASCAR because he is already one of the sport's best drivers. 

With a fresh new year ahead of him, Logano is poised to be one of the leading contenders to win the Chase. The first step on that journey is winning at Daytona.