Four things to know leading up to Daytona 500

The biggest race of the year is almost here.

The NASCAR season begins Sunday with the Daytona 500, and there are several interesting storylines to follow.

Here are four things fans should know before the race begins at 2:30 p.m.: 

1. Previous winners

Five of the 42 drivers have won the Daytona 500 before. Denny Hamlin is looking for his fourth Harley J. Earl Trophy, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the race in 2016, 2019 and 2020. No other driver racing on Sunday has won the event more than once. The four drivers looking to win their second Daytona 500 are: Joey Logano (2015), Kurt Busch (2017), Austin Dillon (2018) and Michael McDowell (2021). 

2. Next Gen cars

The race will be the official debut of NASCAR’s “Next Gen” vehicles, so fans can expect the cars to look a bit different. The vehicles, a new generation of racecar meant to lower costs and potentially provide closer racing, were supposed to debut at last year’s Daytona 500 but got pushed back due to COVID-19. The cars were first raced earlier this month in the Busch Light Clash exhibition. 

3. Celebrity owners

The Daytona 500 will be the debut of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s NASCAR team. TMT Racing, created by the former boxing champion, will compete in its first race with Kaz Grala behind the wheel. Mayweather isn’t the only celebrity owner in the field. Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing features Bubba Wallace and Busch, while Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain will be driving for Pitbull’s Trackhouse Racing. 

4. Who is favored to win?

Kyle Larson has the best odds to win the race at +950. Hamlin is second at +1,000, while Chase Elliott is third at +1,100. Kyle Busch has the seventh-best odds at +1,700, and Kurt Busch is at +1,900. McDowell, who won last year’s Daytona 500 at 66-1 odds, is at 32-1 this year.