Daytona 500 2018: Complete Schedule, TV Info for NASCAR Opener

The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series will get underway on Sunday with the Daytona 500 from Daytona Beach, Florida.

One of the most iconic races in the world, the Daytona 500 will coincide with the President's Day weekend for the first time since 2011, and fans and pundits alike are expecting a huge event.

Per sports writer Jeff Gluck, the list of celebrities involved in the event is impressive:

Fox will carry full coverage of the event, with the race starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. Race day starts at 11 a.m. and pre-race coverage starts at 1 p.m. The complete TV schedule can be found here.

Here are the key events, complete with broadcast information, per NASCAR's official website:

Thursday, February 15

11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1

2:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1

4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1

7 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Can-Am Duels at Daytona, FS1

Friday, Febuary 16

Noon, NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS1

1 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1

2 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS1

3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1

4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1

7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250, FS1

Saturday, February 17

9:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1

Noon, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1

1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1

2:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: PowerShares QQQ 300, FS1

Sunday, February 18

11 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX

1 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pre Race, FOX

2:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Daytona 500, FOX

Kurt Busch enters the race as the defending champion, and the 39-year-old is eager to get 2018 off to a similarly good start. His 2017 campaign quickly faltered after his win at Daytona, culminating in a finish in 14th place in the standings and 22nd place at Homestead.

Per PRN, Busch admitted to feeling added pressure:

Alex Bowman won pole position after an impressive showing in qualifying. The 24-year-old didn't participate in the previous editions of the race and failed to qualify in 2015.

Here's a look at the moment he crossed the line:

He will be joined by Denny Hamlin on the front row. Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing both had excellent qualifying runs, with four cars from each team making it to the second and final round.

For Hendrick, it's the fourth pole win at Daytona in a row, and the team appears to be in prime position for success. They haven't won the race since 2014, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. took his second title.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Hamlin is a former winner of the Daytona―he won in 2016―and his experience could give him the edge over Bowman, 24, and the rest of the Hendrick team, which has only one real veteran in 42-year-old Jimmie Johnson, a two-time winner at Daytona and seven-time Cup Series champion.

Johnson clocked the third-best lap in the first qualifying session, and he'll be one to keep an eye on in the second qualifying session as well.