It's NASCAR race day at Daytona International Speedway, and we've got all the information you need to get ready for today's 61st annual Daytona 500, the season-opener of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: START TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will instruct drivers to start their engines, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the pace car (Chevrolet Silverado truck) leading the field around the track. GREEN FLAG: New England Patriots wide receiver and Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman will wave the flag to start the race at 3:05 p.m. ET. TV: Fox. Pre-race broadcast begins at 1 p.m ET. RADIO: Motor Racing Network. STREAMING: Fox Sports Go. RACE DISTANCE: 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 500 miles. STAGE LENGTHS (laps per stage): Stage 1: 60, Stage 2: 60, Stage 3: 80. WEATHER: Absolutely ideal. The Weather Channel is calling for mostly sunny skies with highs in the low 80s. LAST TIME: Austin Dillon captured his first Daytona 500 win, taking the checkered flag in overtime after bumping and spinning race leader Aric Almirola on the white-flag lap. The Richard Childress Racing driver took the iconic No. 3 to victory lane 20 years after Dale Earnhardt Sr. captured his lone Daytona 500 title in the same car for Childress. JOHNSON:Seven-time champ fired up for new season, crew chief PREVIEW:Top drivers seek missing prize -- Daytona 500 triumph NASCAR:Enters new era, moves on from Brian France PLACE YOUR BET:Can gambling boost flagging interest in NASCAR? ALL-TIME WINNERS:Daytona 500 champions by year DAYTONA 500:Five unforgettable moments; five spectacular drivers LINEUP: William Byron won his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole last Sunday and will start on the front row alongside Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman, the 2018 pole winner. Here is the lineup for the 61st annual Daytona 500 (car number in parentheses; x-one of the four open teams that made the field. ): 1. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports 2. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports 3. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing 4. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske 5. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush Fenway Racing 6. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing 7. (21) Paul Menard, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing 8. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing 9. (95) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, Leavine Family Racing 10. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing 11. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing 12. (1) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing 13. (47) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, Richard Petty Motorsports 14. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Team Penske 15. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing 16. (40) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports 17. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports 18. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports 19. (6) Ryan Newman, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing 20. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing 21. (47) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing 22. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing 23. (41) Daniel Suarez, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing 24. (38) David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports 25. (96) x-Parker Kligerman, Toyota, Gaunt Brothers Racing 26. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing 27. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Starcom Racing 28. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing 29. (8) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing 30. (62) x-Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Beard Motorsports 31. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing 32. (32) Corey LaJoie, Ford, GO FAS Racing 33. (36) Matt Tifft, Ford, Front Row Motorsports 34. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, Front Row Motorsports 35. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske 36. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports 37. (52) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing 38. (51) BJ McLeod, Ford, Petty Ware Racing 39. (31) x-Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing 40. (27) x-Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Germain Racing Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow<doc-sep>Feb 14, 2019; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) leads the field to the checkered flag to win the Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway. I placed my first bet for the 2019 Daytona 500 back on Jan. 11 when I snagged Ryan Blaney at 20-1 to win The Great American Race. With odds available for more than a month now, I’ve also added more drivers to my card, doing my best to grab drivers at the peak of their value, therefore beating closing odds. Here’s a look at my Daytona 500 betting card, including the odds I got compared to current numbers from Westgate in Las Vegas: Kevin Harvick: +1500 (Now: +800) Ryan Blaney: +2000 (Now: +1200) Kyle Busch: +2095 (Now: +1400) Paul Menard: +3684 (Now: +2000) Ryan Newman: +5500 (Now: +4000) Matt DiBenedetto: +15000 (Now: +8000) Michael McDowell: +20000 and +15000 (Now: +8000) Overall, I’m extremely happy with my Daytona 500 bets, especially considering the current odds. Does this mean I’m sure to have the winner? Absolutely not. But as bettors, we can’t control what happens on the field, or in this case on the racetrack. All we can get do is get our money down with maximum value and hope we have the driver who crosses the finish line first. Besides simply getting the best of the number, another huge advantage to beating the market so consistently is that I now have enough in my bankroll to add one more driver. For the most part throughout this process, I’ve been picking off mid-range and long-shot drivers undervalued by odds at the time. But now it’s time to hammer a favorite. And because favorites have the worst payouts based on the odds, the following bet is my biggest for the 2019 Daytona 500. Finish reading this entire article absolutely FREE in our app GET OUR FREE APP Joey Logano (+850) to win the Daytona 500 When it comes to restrictor plate racing, there is nobody better than Logano. Joey has four career wins at plate tracks, including the most recent race at Talladega and the 2015 Daytona 500. Logano has also been incredibly fast throughout Speedweeks this year, finishing third in the Advance Auto Parts Clash and winning his Gander RV Duel race. As a whole, the Fords have dominated since unloading in Daytona and the Penske Racing driver checks in as my top-ranked driver for today’s race. Give me Logano at +850 as my final bet for the 2019 Daytona 500.<doc-sep>Denny Hamlin was one of the few drivers able to finish the Daytona 500 on Sunday. And after a crash-packed final stage wiped out most of the field and led to a pair of red-flag delays, Hamlin emerged victorious for his second career Daytona 500 win (his first came in 2016). It was a bounce-back performance by the 38-year-old driver, who went winless last season. MORE: 'Big One' with 10 to go takes out group of front-runners After the race, an emotional Hamlin dedicated the win to J.D. Gibbs, the co-founder of the Joe Gibbs Racing organization under which Hamlin races. Gibbs died last month of a degenerative neurological disease at age 49. "It was just one of those days where I felt like it was meant to be,” Hamlin told reporters. "Hats off to Kyle as well. I know he was eagerly wanting his first victory in the Daytona 500, but today we just weren’t going to be denied. "The whole (Gibbs) family — they did so much for me over the course of my career. This one is for J.D. We’re desperately going to miss him the rest of our lives. His legacy still lives on through Joe Gibbs Racing and I’m proud to do this for them." Sporting News tracked lap-by-lap results and highlights from the 2019 Daytona 500. See below for how Hamlin won the race. (Material from the NASCAR Wire Service was used in the section above.) Daytona 500 results: 2019 winner, order of finish The top 20 finishers from the 2019 Daytona 500 are in order below. Here's a full list of results. Finish Driver Team (Car No.) Laps led 1. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing (11) 30 2. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing (18) 37 3. Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing (20) ... 4. Joey Logano Team Penske (22) 11 5. Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports (34) ... 6. Ty Dillon Germain Racing (13) ... 7. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing (42) ... 8. Ryan Preece Joe Gibbs Racing (47) ... 9. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports (48) ... 10. Ross Chastain Premium Motorsports (15) ... 11. Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports (88) ... 12. Brad Keselowski Team Penske (2) ... 13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing (17) 16 14. Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing (6) ... 15. Parker Kligerman Gaunt Brothers Racing (96) ... 16. Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing (3) ... 17. Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports (9) ... 18. Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports (32) ... 19. B.J. McLeod Rick Ware Racing (51) ... 20. Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing (14) ... MORE: Full 2019 schedule | New rule changes explained Daytona 500 live updates, highlights (All times Eastern) 7:33 p.m. — DENNY HAMLIN WINS IT! After going winless in 2018, Hamlin claims a chaotic Daytona 500. 7:32 p.m. — Logano takes second! Can he catch Hamlin for first? 7:14 p.m. — Almost every car has taken at least some damage today. Apparently only top five cars don't have any damage: 1. Denny Hamlin, coming off winless season, looking for second 500 win 2. Kyle Busch, has never won the 500 3. Joey Logano, last year's Cup champ 4. Michael McDowell, no career Cup wins in 285 starts 5. Ryan Preece, rookie — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 18, 2019 7:10 p.m. — Red flag. 7:02 p.m. — Welp. Bowyer smashes into Byron going for a late pass. Caution up again. 7:01 p.m. — Back to green. Two more laps. 6:55 p.m. — ANOTHER WRECK. Stenhouse, Harvick and Larson all seriously involved. 6:52 p.m. — After a lengthy delay from a crash that involved 21 cars, according to NASCAR, it's green again at Daytona. Six laps to go. 6:31 p.m. — Logano avoided catastrophe, but many of his fellow drivers did not. How big was the Big One? Believe that was a 19-car wreck. Per MRN, the drivers involved were A. Dillon, Newman, Hemric, Elliott, Almirola, Blaney, TDillon, Stenhouse, Truex, Jones, Menard, Reddick, Tifft, Buescher, Ragan, Larson, Suarez, Johnson, DiBenedetto. #Daytona500 — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 17, 2019 6:26 p.m. — Here's a look at the big crash. Yikes. THE BIG ONE STRIKES AT DAYTONA. Matt DiBenedetto goes around, and multiple cars are totaled in this #Daytona500 . pic.twitter.com/BLnJweOjEa — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 17, 2019 6:21 p.m. — HUGE wreck with 10 laps remaining. We were trending toward this. Involved: 21, 95 6, 19, 41, 10, 31, 8, 37, Red Flag — Jim Utter (@jim_utter) February 17, 2019 6:15 p.m. — Now it's Keselowski's turn to spin out. It's been an eventful final stage at Daytona. . @keselowski goes around and we're under caution with 12 laps remaining. Do NOT miss the finish of the #DAYTONA500 on FOX! pic.twitter.com/HAOt7NA5Ia — NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2019 6:06 p.m. — Right after the latest restart, Kyle Larson spins into the wall. This is anyone's race. 5:57 p.m. — Argh. Caution flag back out for debris. 5:55 p.m. — OK, we have the green flag again with 29 laps remaining. 5:44 p.m. — The wreck was not Johnson's fault, but he took some of the worst damage. That is not ideal for Jimmie Johnson. pic.twitter.com/9nzmFUvF46 — FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2019 5:35 p.m. — Caution. Crash at pit road. Jimmie Johnson was caught up in that. "Well damn, that was unlucky, huh." @JimmieJohnson says to crew in understatement of the race. #Daytona500 — Holly Cain (@_HollyCain) February 17, 2019 5:25 p.m. — Remember what we said about aggressive driving? Geez Louise. 5:20 p.m. — There are 60 laps left in the Daytona 500. We're about to get to the point when things get very real. Byron remains in the lead, but there are likely many twists and turns left in this one. 5:11 p.m. — The young buck William Byron takes the lead! 5:05 p.m. — So, some thoughts: This race has been a pleasant surprise to this point given concerns about boring, single-file racing. Drivers are taking more chances, opting to go into the bottom lane more than they did in qualifying. 4:59 p.m. — Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2! He's followed by Keselowski and Byron. DiBenedetto is still in the top 10 after pitting. Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2. Playoff point for him. Others getting stage points: 2. Byron 3. Almirola 4. Keselowski 5. Stenhouse 6. DiBenedetto 7. Harvick 8. Suarez 9. Johnson 10. Logano — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 17, 2019 4:45 p.m. — Caution near the end of Stage 2. 4:39 p.m. — Twenty laps remain in Stage 2. DiBenedetto is hanging onto his improbable lead. He has now led 42 laps today. Top six still need to pit, though. 4:26 p.m. — DiBenedetto is back in the lead 23 laps into Stage 2. With his 24th lap led, @mattdracing has led more today than his entire career to this point combined. #DAYTONA500 | @LFR95 pic.twitter.com/3JftVHJwrS — NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2019 4:20 p.m. — Paul Menard is penalized for speeding on pit road. 4:03 p.m. — We're done with Stage 1. Kyle Busch is still in the lead, but his brother, Kurt Busch, was involved in the biggest crash of the day so far. Alex Bowman is in second place and Joey Logano runs in third. 3:51 p.m. — Caution. Kurt Busch involved in an accident. Caution! Kurt Busch, Bubba Wallace and Jamie McMurray all involved. pic.twitter.com/jUPjLzzfkc — FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2019 3:40 p.m. — Kyle Busch takes the lead, his first of the day. 3:35 p.m. — With the green flag back in effect, we're halfway through Stage 1. Stenhouse leads the way. 3:23 p.m. — Caution. Twenty laps in, Corey LaJoie has an issue. 3:15 p.m.. — After the first 10 laps, Matt DiBenedetto is in the lead. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in second place, followed by Martin Truex Jr. 3:07 p.m. — Green flag. Let's do this. 3:01 p.m. — Cars are rolling off pit road.<doc-sep>
After two of NASCAR's best young prospects, William Byron and Alex Bowman, clinched the front-row positions for the Daytona 500 last weekend, the rest of the starting lineup was determined by Thursday's Gander RV Duel qualifying races at Daytona. Kevin Harvick won Duel 1, while reigning champ Joey Logano took Duel 2 with a furious late surge. MORE: Watch NASCAR live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) In the first race, Jimmie Johnson's 48 car hit the 18 car of Kyle Busch, who spun out of control. Busch was not happy afterward. Brad Keselowski, meanwhile, was assessed two penalties, sending him to the back of the pack. In the second race, Logano passed Clint Bowyer in the last lap to earn the full 10 regular-season points for winning a duel race. Sporting News tracked live results and highlights from Thursday's Gander RV Duel qualifying races and the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. Daytona 500 starting lineup Duel 1 results The first Duel race set the inside row for the Daytona 500. (See below for highlights.) William Byron was locked into the pole position for the Daytona 500 after logging the fastest lap in single-car qualifying Sunday. Starting position Driver Car No. 1. William Byron 24 3. Kevin Harvick 4 5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 17 7. Paul Menard 21 9. Matt DiBenedetto 95 11. Martin Truex Jr. 19 13. Bubba Wallace 43 15. Chris Buescher 37 17. Jimmie Johnson 48 19. Ryan Newman 6 21. Ryan Preece 47 23. Daniel Suarez 41 25. Parker Kligerman 96 27. Landon Cassill 00 29. Daniel Hemric 8 31. Kyle Busch 18 33. Matt Tifft 36 35. Brad Keselowski 2 37. Cody Ware 52 39. Tyler Reddick 31 MORE: NASCAR's 2019 rule changes explained Duel 2 results The second Duel race set the outside row for the Daytona 500. (See below for highlights.) Alex Bowman locked himself into the second-place starting position with his single-car qualifying run Sunday. Starting position Driver Car No. 2. Alex Bowman 88 4. Joey Logano 22 6. Clint Bowyer 14 8. Aric Almirola 10 10. Denny Hamlin 11 12. Kurt Busch 1 14. Ryan Blaney 12 16. Jamie McMurray 40 18. Chase Elliott 8 20. Austin Dillon 3 22. Ty Dillon 13 24. David Ragan 38 26. Kyle Larson 42 28. Erik Jones 20 30. Brendan Gaughan 62 32. Corey LaJoie 32 34. Michael McDowell 34 36. Ross Chastain 15 38. BJ McLeod 51 40. Casey Mears 27 MORE: Full NASCAR schedule for 2019 races Daytona Duels 2019: Results, highlights (All times Eastern) 9:39 p.m. — Logano wins Duel 2, coming out of nowhere to pass the field. Bowyer finishes second. 9:38 p.m. — Logano overtakes Bowyer! 9:31 p.m. — As we go down to the wire here, Bowyer is maintaining his advantage. Hamlin and Almirola are on his tail. 9:26 p.m. — Fifteen more laps. Bowyer, Hamlin and Almirola lead the way. 9:16 p.m. — Halfway there. Clint Bowyer is in first place. 9 p.m. — Through 10 laps, Bowman and Chase Elliott lead the way. 8:45 p.m. — Duel 2 is underway. Duel 1 8:12 p.m. — Harvick wins it! Stenhouse edged Menard for second. 8:08 p.m. — Harvick, Stenhouse, Menard, Truex Jr. Four to go. 8:04 p.m. — Something to watch at the back: Tyler Reddick's in front of Parker Kligerman, who's in front of Ryan Truex. If Reddick stays in front of Parker, he and Truex make the #Daytona500 . If Parker passes Reddick and stays ahead of Truex, Truex doesn't make it in. #GanderRVDuel pic.twitter.com/0Z54C1CsHh — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) February 15, 2019 8 p.m. — Fifteen laps to go. Harvick continues to pace the field. 7:50 p.m. — Jimmie apologized to Busch, but Busch wasn't having it. Kyle Busch isn't happy ... pic.twitter.com/zbQBJeRGiy Around goes Kyle Busch! With help from Jimmie Johnson, "Rowdy" goes for a slide. #GanderRVDuel pic.twitter.com/t9xuu7rM6u — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) February 15, 2019 7:48 p.m. — Halfway through, Harvick leads the pack. 7:44 p.m. — Caution. Kyle Busch spins out. Jimmie Johnson appeared to make contact with him. Around goes Kyle Busch! With help from Jimmie Johnson, "Rowdy" goes for a slide. #GanderRVDuel pic.twitter.com/t9xuu7rM6u — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) February 15, 2019 7:37 p.m. — On Lap 15, Keselowski received a one-lap penalty for pitting outside the box. Not a good night so far for @keselowski :persevere: He's forced to serve a one-lap penalty, and THEN speeds off pit road.