Eight Former Winners Set to Compete in the 61st Annual Daytona 500

On Sunday, 40 drivers will compete in the 61st annual edition of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing won the “Great American Race” in 2018.

Bubba Wallace of Motorsports finished in second, and Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing finished third.

J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans will act as Grand Marshal on Sunday. This marks the first time an NFL player has commanded the drivers to start their engines.

NEWS: @HoustonTexans star @JJWatt to serve as Grand Marshal for the #DAYTONA500 at @DISupdates.

Details: https://t.co/SsRD6SlEpF pic.twitter.com/XqTX0cTfCs

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 11, 2019

2019 Lineup

The drivers determined the order of the lineup on Thursday by participating in the Gander RV Duels 1 and 2. The three drivers to lead the way are William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports), Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports) and Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing). Austin Dillon will start in 20th, Bubba Wallace in 13th and Denny Hamlin in 10th.

For a full list of the 2019 official lineup, visit nascar.com.

Story Lines for Sunday

Going into Sunday, Kyle Busch is less than pleased with fellow veteran Jimmie Johnson. In Lap 35 of the first Gander RV Duel, Busch attempted to squeeze between Tyler Reddick and Johnson. After Busch had nearly overtaken him, Johnson’s car bumped into Busch’s, causing him to lose control.

https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/1096484140529143814

Afterward, Busch was livid.

“He ran into me, dude,” said Busch, according to nascar.com. “Flat out.”

Busch wasn’t done there. He claimed that his car was not the same after the collision.

“The (expletive)’s destroyed,” Busch said. “I couldn’t even keep up with the slow cars.”

Johnson apologized about the incident, but Busch didn’t want to hear it.

Busch will start in 31st, while Johnson will start in 17th.

Previous Winners

Richard Petty holds the record for most Daytona 500 wins in history with seven. His father, Lee Petty, won the first edition of the race in 1959.

Several previous winners are also present in the 2019 lineup. They include Austin Dillon (2018), Kurt Busch (2017), Denny Hamlin (2016), Joey Logano (2015), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013), Jamie McMurray (2010), Ryan Newman (2008), and Kevin Harvick (2007).

Details

The 61st annual Daytona 500 will begin Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m. on FOX.