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Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick is already hard at work in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series. Follow this stream for race results throughout the season.
Racing fans everywhere were in for a great race on Sunday afternoon with NASCAR at Talladega. Despite numerous cautions and a big wreck that knocked out Jeff Gordon, who started in the No. 1 position on Sunday, it was Brad Keselowski who took home the title at Talladega.
Here are the complete final standings for the race, the driver and their car number, and how far back they finished of the leader.
1 Brad Keselowski 2 --
2 Kyle Busch 18 0.304 sec
3 Matt Kenseth 17 0.598 sec
4 Kasey Kahne 5 0.636 sec
5 Greg Piffle 16 0.654 sec
6 Clint Bowyer 15 0.692 sec
7 David Ragan 34 0.782 sec
8 Trevor Bayne 21 0.838 sec
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88 0.839 sec
10 Jeff Burton 31 1.046 sec
11 Jamie McMurray 1 1.063 sec
12 Aric Almirola 43 1.115 sec
13 David Gilliland 38 1.218 sec
14 Marcos Ambrose 9 1.233 sec
15 AJ Allmendinger 22 1.292 sec
16 Travis Kvapil 93 1.300 sec
17 Paul Menard 27 1.918 sec
18 Casey Mears 13 7.392 sec
19 Michael Waltrip 55 16.565 sec
20 Kurt Busch 51 1 lap(s)
21 Bobby Labonte 47 2 lap(s)
22 David Reutimann 10 2 lap(s)
23 Denny Hamlin 11 2 lap(s)
24 Tony Stewart 14 4 lap(s)
25 Kevin Harvick 29 9 lap(s)
26 Joey Logano 20 9 lap(s)
27 Robert Richardson Jr. 23 11 lap(s)
28 Martin Truex Jr. 56 27 lap(s)
29 Terry Labonte 32 50 lap(s)
30 Dave Blaney 36 51 lap(s)
31 Carl Edwards 99 51 lap(s)
32 Juan Pablo Montoya 42 51 lap(s)
33 Jeff Gordon 24 51 lap(s)
34 Landon Cassill 83 52 lap(s)
35 Jimmie Johnson 48 132 lap(s)
36 Ryan Newman 39 151 lap(s)
37 Bill Elliott 97 156 lap(s)
38 Tony Raines 33 161 lap(s)
39 David Stremme 30 163 lap(s)
40 Regan Smith 78 178 lap(s)
41 Joe Nemechek 87 186 lap(s)
42 Josh Wise 26 188 lap(s)
43 Michael McDowell 98 191 lap(s)
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. Kevin Harvick is currently in seventh place on the overall Sprint Cup points leaderboard and is looking to climb back into the top five.
Harvick holds less-than-ideal positioning in the starting lineup, slotted in at No. 20. Of course, the starting lineup means little and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remains a favorite to win Sunday's 500-mile race despite being positioned at No. 18 in the starting lineup.
Greg Biffle remains the overall points leader heading into Sunday, five points ahead of Earnhardt. The others ahead of Harvick that he will need to keep tabs of at Talladega: Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Matin Truex, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, who will be just ahead of Harvick in the starting lineup, at No. 19.
Harvick will be chasing the checkered flag still looking for his first win of 2012. He has finished in second place once and holds two top-five finishes this season.
The race will begin at 10:20 a.m. PT on Sunday and will be televised nationally on FOX.
Here is the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
On Saturday, the Capital City 400 took place at Richmond International Raceway. Kyle Busch took home the checkered flag by edging out Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but was still unable to crack the Top 10 in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series standings.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick finished in 19th place, his worst finish of the season. He drops one spot in the overall Sprint Cup points standings and is now No. 7 overall, but just one point behind Jimmie Johnson at No. 6.
There was a bit of controversy on one of the restarts, with 83 laps remaining. Jeff Gluck at SB Nation explains the situation far better than I could, so click through to read about that.
Here are the full results from Saturday's race at Richmond:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick had a strong finish in the STP 400 on Sunday, but it wasn't quite good enough to prevent being knocked out of the Top 5 in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series standings.
Harvick finished the race in sixth place, but Denny Hamlin's second win of the year netted him enough points to swap places with Harvick, who now drops to No. 6 overall. Also making a big climb was Martin Truex, Jr., who led for the most laps and finished in second place. Truex now sits 15 points behind overall leader Greg Biffle, whose fifth-place finish on Sunday was good enough to keep him in the lead. Biffle now has five Top-5 finishes and has finished in the Top 10 in six of the eight races in the 2012 season to date.
Here are the results from Sunday's NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into the Kansas Speedway on Sunday. The STP 400 will take place on the 1.5-mile track and will be an excellent opportunity for Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick to regain some ground in the Sprint Cup standings.
Entering Sunday's race, Harvick is in fifth place overal among the points leaders. At Kansas Speedway, he'll have a better positioning in the starting lineup than any other driver in the top five. Harvick will start at No. 2, behind only A.J. Allmendinger, who is no eminent threat to Harvick's place in the standings.
Harvick is currently only four points behind Martin Truex, Jr. and only five points behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for fourth or third place, respectively. This would be the ideal week for him to make a move.
Starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
On Saturday, the Texas Motor Speedway hosted the first non-Sunday race in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The Samsung Mobile 500 was won by Greg Biffle, who took the lead on Lap 304 of 334. Biffle now extends his lead in the Sprint Cup standings to 19 points over second-place drivers Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished in fifth and 10th place, respectively.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick had a solid showing in a largely uneventful race. He finished in ninth place and picks up some points to currently stand in fifth place overall among the Sprint Cup leaders. He is now at 249 points, just four points behind fourth-place leader Martin Truex, Jr. and five points behind Kenseth and Earnhardt. The gap between Harvick and sixth-place driver Denny Hamlin currently stands at seven points. The top-10 finish is a good way to bounce back from a 19th-place showing in the last race two weeks ago, when Harvick appeared thoroughly baffled by the short track at Martinsville.
Here are the full results for Saturday's race:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
On Sunday, the 2012 Sprint Cup Series held its second short-track race in as many weeks at Martinsville Speedway. Many drivers seemed unable to puzzle out the tiny track and quickly fell behind. Kevin Harvick dropped all the way to 20th place at the checkered flag, his worst finish of the season and the first time this year he has finished lower than 11th place. With the poor placement, Harvick drops to fourth place in the overall standings, as both Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr. passed him in the point totals. Greg Biffle also had his worst finish of the season with 14th place, but remains the overall points leader.
The end of the race saw a caution come out on Lap 497, but the restart resulted in a spinout and subsequent attempt at a restart. When the smoke cleared, Ryan Newman had picked up his first win at Martinsville, edging out AJ Allmendinger and Earnhardt, Jr.
Here are the full results of Sunday's race:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
On Sunday, NASCAR will come to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia for the Goody's Fast Relief 500. Kevin Harvick will enter his second short-track race in as many weeks as the second-place driver in the starting lineup. His positioning is somewhat fitting, since he is currently in second place behind Greg Biffle in the 2012 Sprint Cup standings.
Harvick will hope to leapfrog Biffle and is in an excellent position to do so. He is only seven points behind Biffle in the standings and Biffle was only able to place 26th in the time trials. 10 points behind Harvick in the standings is Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who will be 14th in the starting lineup. All three of those drivers are sure to be gunning for one another as they race for 500 laps on a track that clocks in at just over half a mile in length.
The race will be televised nationally on FOX and the green flag will be waved at 10:14 p.m. PT.
Here is the full starting lineup for Sunday's race.
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The rains finally hit Southern California this weekend. While residents are happy that Spring is finally here, Southern California NASCAR fans were disappointed when Sunday's race was called short due to inclement weather. The Auto Club 400 in Fontana was officially shortened due to rain for the first time in the history of the Auto Club Speedway. The race will be the only one this year in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series.
The shortened race was good news, however, for Tony Stewart, who stayed out on the track rather than pitting when the initial caution came out and ended up being in the lead when the red flag appeared and the race was subsequently officially called. The win marks the second first-place finish for Stewart this season and puts him just one point behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the Sprint Cup standings. Earnhardt took third place on Sunday. Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick finished fourth and remains in second place overall in the standings, behind leader Greg Biffle.
The complete results of Sunday's Auto Club 400:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The Auto Club 400 in Fontana took place on Sunday. Although the race was shortened by rain, the fifth event in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series was still as good as could have been hoped for. It was an especially clean race on the very wide track, with no wrecks and no cautions before the rain began to fall and the yellow flag came out on Lap 124 as a result. After the jump, see some of the highlights from Fontana's only Sprint Cup race of 2012.
Tony Stewart did the right things on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway to win the rain-shortened Auto Club 400.
When it looked like Stewart was pit stopping on Lap 124, he faked everyone out and stayed on the track to stay with the pace car at a speed limit of 65 mph. Running those slow caution laps ended up being the difference to grabbing win number two. Stewart moved up to 14th in career victories by tying Buck Baker.
Kyle Busch also benefitted, finishing second, with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards finishing third, fourth and fifth in that order.
The event seemed to be a pretty clean one after 124 circles around the track, but rain brought out a yellow flag. Stewart had retained the lead through a third cycle of green-flag pit stops, with Denny Hamlin chasing him, but Hamlin opted for a late pit stop, costing him final position overall in the race.
To grab more NASCAR coverage, hit up SB Nation's NASCAR storystream.
The 2012 Auto Club race was held on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. The early forecasts showed rain about 70 miles east of the speedway but eventually the showers in Southern California found their way onto the track. The red flag came out on Lap 129 of 200 due to rain and half an hour later, the race was called as the rain showed no sign of letting up. As a result, the first-ever rain-shortened race in Fontana's history ended with the leader at the time, Tony Stewart, picking up the win.
There was some good news for Southern California race fans, as Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick finished fourth and remains in second place overall in the Sprint Cup standings with 188 points. Greg Biffle finished sixth and retains his spot atop the leaderboard with 195 points.
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick entered the 2012 Food City 500 on Sunday as the second-place overall points holder in the Sprint Cup Series standings. At the end of the day, he's still in second place, but the competition is certainly heating up.
Harvick finished in 11th place at Bristol Motor Speedway in the first short-track race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. He remains in second place overall, nine points behind leader Greg Biffle. Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex, Jr. had top-ten finishes and are nipping at Harvick's heels. Through the first four races of the season, Harvick has not finished below 11th place.
Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag in his second straight win at Bristol and his fifth career win.
Here are the full results from Sunday's race:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The fourth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season will take place on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Food City 500 is a 500-lap race that clocks in at 266.5 total miles, so it will be a race that runs on the shorter side. Kevin Harvick will be hoping to improve on his second-place standing in the Sprint Cup chase, but he'll be starting 14th in the opening lineup when the race begins. The man he's chasing atop the leaderboard, Greg Biffle, earned the pole position for Sunday's race.
The race will begin at 1:07 p.m. EDT and will be televised nationally on FOX. If you wanted to listen online, head over to the Performance Racing Network's Web site. You can also check PRN's site for a list of affiliate stations in the Los Angeles area.
Here's the full starting lineup for Sunday's race:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The third race of the 2012 Sprint Cup season was held on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick entered the day in third place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and looked to improve with a good placing in the Kobalt Tools 400.
Harvick accomplished his mission by placing 11th in the race. He leapfrogs last week's overall leader, Denny Hamlin. Harvick is now second overall in the Sprint Cup standings with 115 points, 10 points behind new leader Greg Biffle. For the third consecutive race, Biffle placed third. Biffle is easily off to the most consistent start to the 2012 season of any driver in NASCAR.
Tony Stewart ended up taking the checkered flag in the race, while Jimmie Johnson came in second. Johnson's fourth place finish last week and second place finish on Sunday are doing a good job of erasing his performance in the Daytona 500 to open the season, when he wrecked, finished 42nd and was penalized 25 points for rules infractions.
Here are the full results from Sunday's race.
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The Kobalt Tools 400 will take place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Kevin Harvick will be hoping to do well and pick up another batch of points in the third Sprint Cup race of the 2012 season.
Harvick currently stands in third place overall in the Sprint Cup standings with 81 points, seven points behind overall leader Denny Hamlin and just two points behind Greg Biffle for second place. Harvick has top-ten finishes in each of the first two races and he'll hope to keep that streak going. Harvick has great placement in the starting lineup once again, as he qualified for the third slot, behind Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch.
Harvick did not participate in Saturday's Nationwide Series race, which was won by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The race will begin at 12:08 p.m. PDT on Sunday, so hopefully you remembered to set your clocks forward. The telecast can be found on FOX. No rain is expected, which of course is nothing but good news.
Here is the full starting lineup for Sunday's race:
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Las Vegas is on Sunday. Kasey Kahne, in the qualifying runs, earned himself his 23rd career pole position. His average lap speed was 190.456 mph, which was a track record at LVMS.
Kevin Harvick earned the third slot with his qualifying run.
Two drivers failed to qualify for the race. They were Scott Riggs and Robby Gordon.
Here is the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas:
Follow the SB Nation NASCAR Story Stream here.
The Subway Fresh Fit 500 took place on Sunday at the Phoenix International Raceway in Arizona. The second race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series saw a strange and unfortunate finish for Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick.
Due to some miscalculations, Harvick's car ran out of fuel with just two laps remaining in the 312-lap race. He was unable to overtake Denny Hamlin as a result, having to settle for second place. Harvick had led for nearly 90 laps in the race.
Jeff Gluck of SB Nation spoke with Harvick following the race. Harvick managed to keep a good attitude about the fuel mistake.
"When you come out of caution and they tell you you're nine laps short, you really don't think there's any possibility to make it," Harvick said. "But a couple cautions and a little bit of saving and a little bit tighter crunch on the numbers, we wound up about a lap short. But those are the types of things you've got to do to take the chances, and when you're close enough to at least coast around, they did a good job."
Following his second-place finish on Sunday and his seventh-place finish at the Daytona 500, Harvick is now sitting pretty in third place in the early going of the 2012 Sprint Cup chase, holding 81 points. Hamlin is in first place with 89 points, while back-to-back third-place finishes put Greg Biffle in second place overall with 83 points.
You can check out the full results of the race below.
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For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
Over a day and a half after the event was supposed to finish, after a series of rain delays, crashes, and various other issues, Matt Kenseth finally won the Daytona 500. And this was after his car had to relieve itself! Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, Greg Biffle third overall.
Kevin Harvick (originally from Bakersfield) couldn't make a leap anywhere during the last few delays, finishing in seventh place overall. Harvick's car is the Budweiser car, and he seemed lock into a top ten finish for most of the contest regardless of all the mishaps. Harvick's biggest asset during this event was staying out of trouble, as his car avoided damage while it ended up taking out plenty of other cars, particularly during the home stretch of the contest. It was a fairly strong finish for adverse conditions for Harvick.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
Just as Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick was making a move to the front of the 2012 Daytona 500, the weirdest Great American Race in a long time just got a little weirder.
During a caution on the 160th lap, Juan Pablo Montoya somehow spun into a jet dryer on the back stretch. His car slid up the track, past one jet dryer and into the back of a second. And everything exploded into flames.
The track exploded into flames and this could very well end the race. There is significant damage to the asphalt as a result of the crash and the fire is just now out. It was an absolutely odd scene -- one I'm not sure we'll ever see again.
It would be a crushing blow for Harvick, who had recovered from being as far back as the high 20's. But let's see if the race keeps going after all.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
Bakersfield native Kyle Harvick is in 29th position after 70 laps of the Daytona 500 on Monday evening.
Harvick's most recent speed was clocked at 198.190 and he is roughly five seconds behind leader Jeff Burton.
Burton has led 23 laps so far while Greg Biffle, currently in second place, led for 12. Denny Hamlin led the race for 24 laps but has faded back into the back.
The race was marred by a nasty wreck, claiming Jimmie Johnson's car for the day. Johnson took a nasty shot to the driver's side from Trevor Bayne, but he got out of his car under his own power. In any event, his day is done.
Besides Johnson and Bayne, the wreck also involved Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch and David Ragan. Here's the video of the wreck.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
Sunday's anticipated running of the 2012 Daytona 500 was met with some scattered showers...and then some more rain...and then some more. The start time kept getting pushed back further and further, with race officials saying it should get started any time now. Finally, and for the first time in history, it was announced that the Daytona 500 would be postponed to Monday at noon. All of the new television info and start times can be found below.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick will participate in the 2012 Daytona 500 on Mondayy. Once the green flag drops, the 2012 Sprint Cup season will finally, officially, be underway. Harvick will enter the starting grid in the No. 13 slot. The driver will be hoping for a much better placement in the race than last year, when he came in 42nd out of 43 drivers. Harvick has won the Daytona 500 once before, in 2007.
What time is the Daytona 500 scheduled to start? After rain postponed the Great American Race for the first time in its 54-year history on Sunday, NASCAR announced a 12:01 p.m. EST start for today. But here's the problem: It's supposed to be raining at that time. SB Nation meteorologist Brian Neudorff believes the race is more likely to take place tonight than around midday – or perhaps even Tuesday.
Race name/distance: The Daytona 500 is NASCAR's greatest spectacle, most prestigious race and also its Sprint Cup Series season opener. NASCAR's Daytona races used to take place on the hard-packed sand of Daytona Beach itself, but this will be the 54th year of running 500 miles on the 2.5-mile high banks of Daytona International Speedway.
TV and radio: The race can be seen on FOX, with coverage beginning at noon EST. Every Sprint Cup race will be on FOX for the first part of the season. If you aren't near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of stations where you can listen (or you can also listen online for free here). If you're looking for something more mobile, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter.
National anthem/celebrities: A local woman will sing the nation anthem today after Train's Pat Monahan did the honors on Sunday. Monahan left Daytona before the race was called, along with most of the other celebrities – including the co-grand marshals, Kate Upton and Jane Lynch. The only celebrity who is left is WWE wrestler John Cena, who was already the honorary starter but will add grand marshal duty to his activity list.
Tickets: There are plenty of tickets available, and you should be able to get your pick of seats today at Daytona International Speedway. If you're planning a last-minute trip, buy a frontstretch ticket and then just move to whatever seat you want (the grandstands will probably only be half full).
Weather: Neudorff, the unofficial NASCAR weatherman, is predicting rain throughout the day that will taper off in the evening. The track takes three hours to dry and the race usually lasts three hours and 45 minutes, so Daytona will need a seven-hour dry window sometime today; that might not happen.
Last time: In one of the greatest upsets ever, 20-year-old rookie Trevor Bayne stunned the racing world to win the 2011 Daytona 500. The Tennessee native was a virtual unknown entering last year's Speedweeks but beat Carl Edwards to the finish line to put himself into the history books as the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever.
Starting lineup: Here's the starting grid for today's Daytona 500.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick is going to have to wait a little longer than usual to try and win the Daytona 500. After copious thunderstorms, the Daytona 500 will be missing a day for the first time since forever.
Harvick and everyone else will try and run it again Monday at 9 AM PT, on FOX. Harvick has won one Daytona 500 in 2007. Harvick drives the Budweiser Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing, and the car will have to wait at least one day before it gets a chance to earn its driver a second victory.
The Daytona 500 has always had to deal with rain, but it's never been postponed until now. In 1963, 1979 and 1992 they had to deal with a yellow flag; in 1965, 1966 and 2009 they shortened the overall length of the lane.
To check the coverage of the Daytona 500, hit up the official SB Nation storystream covering the event.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick will participate in the 2012 Daytona 500 on Sunday. Once the green flag drops, the 2012 Sprint Cup season will officially be underway. Harvick will enter the starting grid in the No. 13 slot. The driver will be hoping for a much better placement in the race than last year, when he came in 42nd out of 43 drivers. Harvick has won the Daytona 500 once before, in 2007.
What time does the Daytona 500 actually start? The Daytona 500 is listed as an 1 p.m. Eastern start time, but it's important to note the green flag won't actually fly until 1:29 p.m. So if you're looking to tune in just as the race is about to start, perhaps flip on your TV at 1:17 p.m. – that's when co-grand marshals Kate Upton (the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model) and Glee's Jane Lynch will give the command for drivers to fire their engines. WWE superstar John Cena will then wave the green flag at 1:29.
Race name/distance: The Daytona 500 is NASCAR's greatest spectacle, most prestigious race and also its Sprint Cup Series season opener. NASCAR's Daytona races used to take place on the hard-packed sand of Daytona Beach itself, but this will be the 54th year of running 500 miles on the 2.5-mile high banks of Daytona International Speedway.
TV and radio: Today's race can be seen on FOX, with pre-race coverage beginning at noon EST. Every Sprint Cup race will be on FOX for the first part of the season. If you aren't near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of stations where you can listen (or you can also listen online for free here). If you're looking for something more mobile, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter.
National anthem: Train's Pat Monahan will sing the national anthem today following a pre-race concert by rocker Lenny Kravitz. Country singer Martina McBride sang the anthem last season, and Harry Connick Jr. did the honors in 2010.
Tickets: The Daytona 500 is not a sellout. As of late this week, there were still tickets available for NASCAR's Super Bowl – mostly on the Daytona "Superstretch" (the backstretch), but also a few in Turn 1. If you're thinking about making a last-minute trip to the race, you may be able to pull it off with face value tickets.
Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman is concerned today's Daytona 500 may be the first Great American Race ever to be postponed. A system of rain showers is moving into north Florida around midday today, and there's a concern the showers may drop further south and affect the race. If the rain hits, there will not be any windows of dry weather in which to get the race completed. Even more concerning is the weatherman's prediction that Monday may not be any better.
Last time: In one of the greatest upsets ever, 20-year-old rookie Trevor Bayne stunned the racing world to win the 2011 Daytona 500. The Tennessee native was a virtual unknown entering last year's Speedweeks but beat Carl Edwards to the finish line to put himself into the history books as the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever.
Starting lineup: Here's the starting grid for today's Daytona 500.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
The Daytona 500 Qualifying was held on Sunday, which determined the front row for next week's race and awarded berths to four drivers who did not receive automatic entry into first points-earning race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Season.
It was one of the closest finishes for a qualifying event in the history of the Daytona International Speedway, as Carl Edwards bested teammate Greg Biffle by just one-tenth of a second to set the front row for the 2012 Daytona 500. Although the pole and outside pole positions do not typically result in any significant advantage toward winning the race, it is nice bragging rights for both men.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick, who is expected to do well in this year's chase for the Sprint Cup, had some trouble for the second day in a row, as his car caught fire toward the end of his laps in the qualifier, but still managed to finish 20th. He also saw his car destroyed in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout, so he'll be hoping for much better luck in the race itself on Sunday.
The final grid will be determined in the duels later this week.
Here's the full list of how Qualifying finished, but this is not the starting lineup. Non-qualified drivers are in bold.
- Carl Edwards
- Greg Biffle
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Marcos Ambrose
- Casey Mears
- Jeff Gordon
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Trevor Bayne * (clinched berth in Daytona 500)
- Tony Stewart
- Mark Martin
- Jimmie Johnson
- AJ Allmendinger
- Paul Menard
- David Ragan
- Matt Kenseth
- Ryan Newman
- AJ Allmendinger
- Brad Keselowski
- Kevin Harvick
- Joey Logano
- Clint Bowyer
- Jeff Burton
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Kasey Kahne
- Tony Raines * (clinched berth in Daytona 500)
- David Stremme * (clinched berth in Daytona 500)
- Kyle Busch
- Jamie McMurray
- Danica Patrick
- Kenny Wallace
- Terry Labonte * (guaranteed spot via past champion's provisional)
- Dave Blaney
- Kurt Busch
- Elliott Sadler
- Michael Waltrip
- Joe Nemechek
- Denny Hamlin
- Regan Smith
- Michael McDowell
- Landon Cassill
- David Gilliland
- Bobby Labonte
- Bill Elliott
- Mike Wallace
- David Reutimann
- Robert Richardson Jr.
- Robby Gordon
- JJ Yeley
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
Kevin Harvick is one of the best drivers out there in NASCAR and is expected to have a big season, and is one of the favorites overall in the Daytona 500. He didn't have a great qualifying round this Sunday though, as this happened to his car when he was driving it.
Harvick didn't seem to care too much when he was driving it though, as he just kept on going even as his car was burning. Harvick finished 20th overall, with an average speed of 192.914, a time of 46.653, and finishing -0.437 behind the leader.
Still, the fact that Harvick was able to perform with his car burning up will probably bode well for his chances at the Daytona 500 race coming up next week.
To follow more on the Daytona 500 in general, go to SB Nation's NASCAR coverage by checking out the Daytona 500 stream and looking at more updates.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick participated in the 2012 Budweiser Shootout on Saturday. The exhibition race did not quite go Harvick's way, as he had his car destroyed in a crash with just 20 laps remaining in the exhibition race. On Sunday, Harvick will be back in action as he participates in the Qualifying for next week's Daytona 500, which kicks off the 2012 Sprint Cup season.
The Qualifying begins on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT and will be televised nationally on FOX. Harvick will have the 19th slot in the qualifiers.
Here is the full Qualifying order:
1, No. 27, Paul Menard, Menards/Peak Chevrolet
2, No. 1, Jamie McMurray, Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
3, No. 51, Kurt Busch, Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet
4, No. 13, Casey Mears, GEICO Ford
5, No. 99, Carl Edwards, Fastenal Ford
6, No. 20, Joey Logano, The Home Depot Toyota
7, No. 11, Denny Hamlin, FedEx Express Toyota
8, No. 39, Ryan Newman, U.S. ARMY/Quicken Loans Chevrolet
9, No. 16, Greg Biffle, 3M Ford
10, No. 9, Marcos Ambrose, Stanley Ford
11, No. 14, Tony Stewart, Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
12, No. 10, Danica Patrick(i), GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
13, No. 2, Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite Dodge
14, No. 43, Aric Almirola, Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford
15, No. 47, Bobby Labonte, Kroger Toyota
16, BLANK
17, No. 24, Jeff Gordon, Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
18, No. 31, Jeff Burton, Caterpillar Chevrolet
19, No. 29, Kevin Harvick, Budweiser Chevrolet
20, No. 42, Juan Pablo Montoya, Target Chevrolet
21, No. 22, AJ Allmendinger, Shell Pennzoil Dodge
22, No. 33, Elliott Sadler(i), General Mills/Kroger Chevrolet
23, No. 18, Kyle Busch, M&M's Brown Toyota
24, No. 6, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(i), Ford EcoBoost Ford
25, No. 48, Jimmie Johnson, Lowe's Chevrolet
26, No. 88, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet
27, No. 83, Landon Cassill, Burger King Toyota
28, No. 56, Martin Truex Jr., NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
29, No. 17, Matt Kenseth, Best Buy Ford
30, No. 78, Regan Smith, Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
31, No. 55, Mark Martin, Aaron's Toyota
32, No. 5, Kasey Kahne, Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
33, No. 15, Clint Bowyer, 5-hour Energy Toyota
34, No. 93, David Reutimann, Burger King Toyota
35, No. 34, David Ragan, Scorpion Truck Bedliners Ford
36, No. 38, David Gilliland, MHP/Power Pak Pudding Ford
37, No. 97, * Bill Elliott, AM FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
38, No. 87, * Joe Nemechek(i), AM FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
39, No. 21, * Trevor Bayne(i), Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
40, No. 40, * Michael Waltrip, Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
41, No. 09, * Kenny Wallace(i), American Ethanol Toyota
42, No. 36, * Dave Blaney, Ollie's Bargain Outlet Chevrolet
43, No. 26, * Tony Raines(i), Ford
44, No. 37, * Mike Wallace(i), Poynt.com Ford
45, No. 32, * Terry Labonte, C&J Energy Ford
46, No. 23, * Robert Richardson Jr.(i), North Texas Pipe Toyota
47, No. 49, * JJ Yeley, America Israel Racing Toyota
48, No. 7, * Robby Gordon, MAPEI/Menards/SPEED Energy Dodge
49, No. 30, * David Stremme, Inception Motorsports Toyota
50, No. 98, * Michael McDowell, No.98 KLOVE/Curb Records Ford Ford
* Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
The 2012 Budweiser Shootout was marred by four big crashes. Although there were no significant injuries, the crashes decimated the field in the pre-season race on Saturday night. In fact, the crashes were so extensive that only three of the 25 cars involved were able to finish the race without sustaining major car damage.
Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick had good position and was a potential winner with 20 laps left in the race, when Marcos Ambrose hit Joey Logano and triggered a crash that destroyed six cars, including those of Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kyle Busch picked up the win down the stretch as he passed Tony Stewart right at the finish line for the closest finish in the history of the Budweiser Shootout exhibition race.
Harvick will be right back out on the track at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, as he races in the Daytona 500 Qualifier for next week's Daytona 500 race that will kick off the 2012 Sprint Cup season.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
The 2012 Daytona 500 will take place on Sunday, February 26. It will be the start of the 2012 Sprint Cup season and will be the first event in which drivers can earn points toward the Cup at year's end. Before that gets underway, the Daytona 500 Qualifying will take place on Sunday, February 19.
Kevin Harvick likely remembers last year's event very well. He qualified for the No. 7 grid but finished with just two points on 22 laps when his engine failed. In spite of the dismal finish, the Bakersfield native had a tremendous year and finished third in the final Sprint Cup standings. It marked back-to-back years of finishing in the No. 3 spot.
Harvick is hoping that this will be his year. He'll certainly be thinking of a top-three finish once again, but his goal is, of course, to win the whole thing. That long road will begin on Sunday as he tries to qualify for the best grid at the 2012 Daytona 500.
Harvick does have one checkered flag at the Daytona 500, when he won the race just .02 seconds ahead of Mark Martin. It was the closest finish at the race since the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959.
For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.
NASCAR At Darlington Raceway 2012 Results: Kevin Harvick Finishes 16th
On Saturday night, the 2012 Southern 500 took place at Darlington Raceway. The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was where Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick hoped he could regain some ground after back-to-back disappointing finishes cost him valuable points in the standings.
Although Harvick remained in the top five late in the race, he lost ground and could not regain it, finishing the race in 16th place. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished in 17th. Despite the poor finish, Harvick should remain in the top 10 in the 2012 Sprint Cup standings.
Jimmie Johnson took home the checkered flag in his first Sprint Cup win of the year and will move to fifth place overall in the points standings with the win ... the spot previously held by Harvick.
Here are the full results for Saturday night's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway:
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kyle Busch
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Carl Edwards
8. Kasey Kahne
9. Marcos Ambrose
10. Joey Logano
11. Clint Bowyer
12. Greg Biffle
13. Paul Menard
14. Regan Smith
15. Brad Keselowski
16. Kevin Harvick
17. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
18. Jeff Burton
19. Aric Almirola
20. Mark Martin
21. Kurt Busch
22. Casey Mears
23. Ryan Newman
24. Juan Montoya
25. David Gilliland
26. Landon Cassill
27. Dave Blaney
28. David Ragan
29. Bobby Labonte
30. Reed Sorenson
31. Danica Patrick
32. Travis Kvapil
33. A.J. Allmendinger
34. Jamie McMurray
35. Jeff Gordon
26. David Reutimann
37. J.J. Yeley
38. Cole Whitt
39. David Stremme
40. Joe Nemecheck
41. Mike Skinner
42. Scott Speed
43. Jose Wise
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
May 12 9:22p by Bill Hanstock