Daytona Duels
NASCAR, drivers look ahead to Daytona 500
While Super Bowl LVII is the big sports story for this week, we’re just days away from the official start of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, one of the most storied events in all of motorsports.
With a wave of the green flag, the season-opening 65th annual Daytona 500 will get underway Sunday, Feb. 19. Fox and TSN will broadcast the biggest NASCAR race of the year live from the high-banked Daytona International Speedway oval in Daytona Beach, Fla.
But before that happens, there’s the issue of which drivers will get into the field, and who will get a choice spot in the starting grid on race day.
As in previous years, the field is capped at 40 cars and there are 36 chartered entries — teams that have a long-term agreement with NASCAR guaranteeing them a spot in the field and a cut of the end-of-year prize money. Five non-chartered entries are also competing for the four open spots, meaning at least one won’t make it past the Great American Race’s two-part qualifying system.
The single-car, pole-qualifying event is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15. Equally important are the twin 150-mile (60-lap) Bluegreen Vacation Duel races, which take place the following night, Thursday, Feb. 16. TSN will carry all the action.
This is just the start of the 38-race season — technically, 36 point-awarding races and two exhibition events — but it will set the pace for what lies ahead. Will Joey Logano, driving the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, repeat as this year’s Cup Series champion? Will this be Ross Chastain’s year to dominate? And will Chase Elliott reach the Championship Four again and make up for that disappointing finish in the Phoenix finale? We’ll find out once the season gets underway, but for now, NASCAR fans are focusing all of their attention on this week’s Daytona 500 qualifiers.