NASCAR at Daytona 2017: Start time, lineup, TV schedule, more
It's race day at Daytona International Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for tonight's Coke Zero 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race:
START TIME: Retired United States Army General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 1997 to 2000, will instruct drivers to start their engines at 7:41 p.m. ET, followed by the green flag at 7:59 p.m. ET.
RACE DISTANCE: The Coke Zero 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for a total of 400 miles.
SEGMENTS: Beginning this season, NASCAR is dividing every race into segments and awarding one bonus point to the winner of each stage. Segment lengths will be different for every race. Also, the top 10 finishers of the first two segments will be awarded regular-season points in descending order from 10 to 1. Here are the segments for the Coke Zero 400: Stage 1: 40 laps; Stage 2: 40 laps; Stage 3: 80 laps.
NATIONAL ANTHEM/FLYOVER: The United States Navy Band of the Southeast will perform the national anthem before Saturday night's race, followed by a flyover by F-18s from United States Navy VFA-204 strike fighter squadron.
MORE NASCAR:
TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: NBC will broadcast the race on TV and has a pre-race show beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM Radio will call the race on the radio.
LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials.
WEATHER: The National Weather Service is calling for scattered thunderstorms leading up to the race in the late afternoon and evening, giving way to mostly cloudy skies, a 15% chance of rain and temperatures around 80 at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Brad Keselowski edged Kyle Busch by 0.159 seconds at the 2016 Coke Zero 400 to win for the first time at Daytona Interrnational Speedway. In Feburary, Kurt Busch led the final lap to score his first Daytona 500 victory after three runner-up finishes.
STARTING LINEUP: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is retiring from fulltime racing at the end of the season, won the pole for what could be his final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona. It was the 14th career Cup pole for the series' most popular driver and his first since September 2013. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott will also start on the front row after qualifying second.
Here's the starting lineup for tonight's Coke Zero 400 (car number in parentheses):
1. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
2. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
3. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford
4. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
5. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford
6. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford
7. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
8. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
9. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford
10. (10) Danica Patrick, Ford
11. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford
12. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
13. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota
14. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford
15. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford
16. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota
17. (77) Erik Jones, Toyota
18. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
19. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
20. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota
21. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
22. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
23. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
24. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet
25. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
26. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford
27. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
28. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford
29. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet
30. (38) David Ragan, Ford
31. (43) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford
32. (75) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet
33. (7) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet
34. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
35. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet
36. (23) Corey LaJoie, Toyota
37. (55) Reed Sorenson, Toyota
38. (83) Ryan Sieg, Toyota
39. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet
40. (15) DJ Kennington, Toyota
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PHOTOS: 2017 NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS