Daytona 500 Schedule 2021: TV Coverage and Schedule for NASCAR Season Opener

Denny Hamlin has an opportunity to make NASCAR history Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway as the 2021 Cup Series season gets underway.

No driver has ever won three consecutive Daytona 500 races, but that could soon change, as Hamlin will look to follow up wins in 2019 and 2020 with victory at this year's edition of the Great American Race.

Last year, Hamlin was victorious despite starting 39th. This time, he'll look to drive his No. 11 Toyota up through the field from his starting position in 25th.

Although Hamlin could be successful in doing so, he's going to face some strong competition in the 40-car field. 

Here's everything you need to know heading into Sunday's race.

Daytona 500 Information

Date: Sunday, Feb. 14

Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports app

Starting Order

Latest Race Buzz

Hendrick Motorsports had a great showing during Wednesday's qualifying session. Alex Bowman earned the pole position for the Daytona 500 for the second time in four years, marking the sixth time in seven seasons that a Hendrick driver qualified first for the race. It also ended up being an all-Hendrick front row, with William Byron qualifying second.

However, that was no longer the case a day later, as Hendrick Motorsports' fortunes changed on Thursday night.

With four laps to go in the second of two Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, Byron got caught up in a wreck that will force him to go to a backup car for the Daytona 500. And that also means the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet will have to move to the back of the field prior to the start of the race, giving up his No. 2 starting position.

"Bummer," Byron said, according to Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press. "Man the thing was fast."

Although Byron is no longer going to be on the front row for the Daytona 500 for the second time in three seasons, the 23-year-old could still potentially work his way back up through the field. Since 2007, there have been four drivers to win the Great American Race despite starting 32nd or worse, including Hamlin, who started 39th after having to move to the back of the field last year.

Thursday wasn't a great night for Bowman, either. Now driving the No. 48 Chevrolet following the retirement of seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Bowman experienced an engine issue that caused him to make several trips to pit row during the first Duels race.

It didn't matter that Bowman ended up finishing 20th in that Duels race, as he had already locked in his starting position by earning the pole. However, if the engine ends up needing to be changed, then Bowman would have to move to the back of the field Sunday.

Bowman expressed that he believes that won't happen and that the engine is "totally fine."

"We just have something going on that is shaking the car, so we just have to figure that out," Bowman said, per Zack Albert of NASCAR.com.

Former crew chief Chad Knaus, who is entering his first season as Hendrick Motorsports' vice president of competition, also expressed optimism, but he didn't rule out the potential for that to change.

"We think the engine's OK, but it's undecided just yet," Knaus said, per Albert. " ... We've got two practice sessions [Saturday], so we'll take a look inside of it [Friday] with the borescope and see if we see any issues like a scored piston or something weird like that. But if we don't see any issues, we'll go out and practice and make a decision [Saturday]."

If Bowman ends up having to move to the back of the field, then the No. 1 starting spot would go to Aric Almirola, who dominated the first Duels race by leading 52 of the 60 laps and holding on for the victory. He's currently starting third in Sunday's race.

Because Byron is moving to the back, Austin Dillon is moving up to the front row after he won the second Duels race, which earned him the No. 4 starting spot. But he'll move up a row because of Byron needing to go to a backup car.

Dillon, who won the Daytona 500 in 2018, notched the victory in the second Duels race by passing Bubba Wallace on the last lap. It wouldn't be surprising to see Dillon and Wallace stay near the front of the field Sunday, as both have gotten off to strong starts this week.

Even though Bowman and Byron had some misfortune Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports will at least have its other two drivers starting near the front of the field. Chase Elliott, last year's Cup Series champion, earned the No. 12 starting spot (and is guaranteed to move up to 10th), while Kyle Larson (entering his first season with Hendrick) will start 13th.