Pole qualifying has run. The duels are complete. Your Daytona 500 lineup is set for Sunday’s Great American Race.
The 59th running of the Daytona 500 will launch a new set of rules for NASCAR. It will also help launch the Cup Series careers of rookies like Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, and Erik Jones. Perhaps the biggest story will be the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr. from concussion symptoms that kept him out of the racecar for the second half of 2016. All of these stories come together in the Great American Race to kick off the stock car season.
Qualifying on Sunday at Daytona already set the front row, with Hendrick Motorsports starting up front. Chase Elliott will be your polesitter for the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year, starting alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr. Meanwhile, the rest of the field was set on Thursday night in the Can-Am Duels. Elliott would win the first duel, with Denny Hamlin taking the second race.
Four drivers raced their way into the Great American Race over the course of Speedweeks. Elliott Sadler and Brendan Gaughan got in with the two fastest time among the open cars on Sunday, while D.J. Kennington and Corey LaJoie raced into the field in the duels. Reed Sorenson and Timmy Hill were the only two cars not to qualify.
Here is the full starting lineup for the 59th Daytona 500:
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Cole Whitt, Ford, Tri-Star Motorsports
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- D.J. Kennington, Toyota, Gaunt Brothers Racing
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing
- Michael Waltrip, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
- Joey Gase, Toyota, BK Racing
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Circle Sport-TMG Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Beard Motorsports
- Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing
Did Not Qualify: #51 Timmy Hill, #55 Reed Sorenson
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The order is set, the grid is built. Now all that stands between 40 drivers and racing for the biggest prize in stock car racing is two days. Who do you think will win the Great American Race? Comment with your picks below, and stay tuned to Beyond the Flag all weekend long for more NASCAR news and analysis.