At last, Stewart finds his way to Daytona 500 victory lane

Kurt Busch, center left, and team members raise the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017. Brad Keselowski, right, and Kurt Busch, left, greet fans before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017.

Hamlin upsets Junior’s return

Hamlin charged past Dale Earnhardt Jr. with one lap remaining Thursday night to deny Earnhardt a victory in a 150-mile qualifying race that Earnhardt dominated. Earnhardt led 53 of the 60 laps in the second qualifying Duel, but couldn’t hold off a Hamlin charge at the end.

Elliott nips Earnhardt to win 2nd straight Daytona 500 pole

As the series shifts into a new era, those distinguished names are out front again and will give the start of the Daytona 500 a throwback feel. Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – teammates and sons of Hall of Fame drivers – will start 1-2 and should give a sagging series a sorely needed boost this week headed into its marquee event.

Owen Wilson Named Grand Marshal For 59th Annual DAYTONA 500

Donate Now! Help PaddockTalk.com go ad-free in 2017! Actor Owen Wilson, the voice of the animated character Lightning McQueen in Disney*Pixar’s upcoming movie ‘Cars 3,’ will serve as Grand Marshal for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway. The DAYTONA 500, the season-opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, will begin at 2 p.m. following Wilson delivering the famous ‘Drivers, start your engines’ command to the 40-car field.

The Rolex’s time has come

Healthy numbers of fans - certainly by test-day standards – and, in the garage, a variety of international motorsports machinery from an ever-increasing variety of international manufacturers, along with a wide array of international driving talent, has rebuilt the Rolex 24 At Daytona into a world-class event. “It’s pretty dramatic if you think of where we’ve come from,” says Wayne Taylor, former sports-car racer, Rolex winner and current team owner.