[ad_1]
The NASCAR Cup Series will open its 73rd season on Valentine’s Day 2021 with the 63rd edition of the Daytona 500, aka The Great American Race, aka simply The 500.
This year’s event will be very different from the 2020 version due to the continued effects of COVID-19. On the one hand, participation in the races at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida will be limited to around 30,000 socially distant spectators. For another, the track program for Speedweeks has been condensed to six days, down from nine days in 2020, and fewer events will take place.
MORE: Recap of the 2020 final ranking
And for the first time in two decades, the racetrack will not include Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time Cup Series champion retired as a full-time NASCAR driver after last season. Johnson has already raced at Daytona this year, however; he participated in the Rolex 24 on the road route of the installation.
What has not changed is the importance of racing for the drivers, the teams and the sponsors. It remains NASCAR’s most prestigious event.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know to watch the 2021 Daytona 500 on Fox, the network’s 18th presentation of the race.
When is Daytona 500 in 2021?
- Dated: Sunday February 14
- Start time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Connected TV: Fox
- Direct: Fox sports go
- Radio: MRN
NASCAR lists the start time of the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. in fact, it’s the start time of the Fox race TV broadcast. The green flag is expected to drop around 3 p.m. ET, weather permitting.
Fox changed its broadcast team during the offseason. The Network hired retired driver Clint Bowyer as a race analyst, adding him to a team that flips Mike Joy (game by game), Bowyer’s former nemesis Jeff Gordon (analysis) and Larry McReynolds (analysis) . The four will lead the network’s Daytona 500 race coverage.
Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Vince Welch will be the reporters at the race stand. Chris Myers and Shannon Spake will anchor pre-game coverage on Fox and FS1. Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte and Tom Rinaldi will also provide Daytona 500 coverage for the networks.
Daytona 500 TV program 2021
Racing fans can watch the Speedweeks 2021 events on the Fox family of networks. Programming will begin with the annual Busch Clash exhibition run. NASCAR has moved the Clash from the 2.5-mile Oval from Daytona to the facility’s 3.61-mile road course for this year.
The Busch Clash, Daytona 500 practice, pole qualifying, Duels and Daytona 500 will be broadcast live on FS1, FS2 or Fox, and all practice sessions except practice sessions will be broadcast on MRN , the Motor Racing Network.
Below is the full TV schedule of all of the Daytona 500’s practice sessions, qualifiers and races. All events broadcast on FS1 or Fox can be streamed live on Fox Sports Go.
| Time | Event | TV | Radio |
| 7 p.m. ET | Busch Clash (Daytona Road Course) | FS1 | MRN |
| Time | Event | TV | Radio |
| 12:05 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 training | FS1 | |
| 7 p.m. ET | Qualifying Daytona 500 | FS1 | MRN |
| Time | Event | TV | Radio |
| 7 p.m. ET | Duels at Daytona | FS1 | MRN |
| Time | Event | TV | Radio |
| 9:30 am ET | Daytona 500 training | FS2 | |
| 12:05 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 training | FS1 |
| Time | Event | TV | Radio |
| 2:30 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 | Fox | MRN |
Qualifying 2021 Daytona 500
NASCAR uses a one-of-a-kind format to define the terrain for its premier event. It starts with qualifying for pole. Drivers who finish 1-2 in this session are locked in the front row for the race.
The full results of the pole qualifications are used to organize phase 2, the duel races. Pilots qualified in odd positions (first, third, etc.) will participate in the first Duel. The drivers qualified in even places (second, fourth, etc.) will participate in the second Duel. Each race is 150 miles (60 laps) long.
The results of the first Duel race will define the inside line of the Daytona 500 peloton; the results of the second Duel race will define the outside line.
NASCAR had not published an official entry list for the 2021 Daytona 500 as of February 4. What is certain is that the 36 “charter” teams in the series are guaranteed places in the 40-car peloton and that a group of “open” teams compete for the remaining four places. The drivers of the open cars will have to qualify for the qualifying pole or their arrival in the duel races.
Daytona 500 odds 2021
It’s no surprise that reigning two-time race winner Denny Hamlin is the betting favorite for the 2021 race, but 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott is a slight surprise as a second pick as he didn’t. not finished better than 14th of his five Daytona 500 despite winning pole twice.
Bubba Wallace, who signed with the new Hamlin-Michael Jordan 23XI Racing team last year, could be a valuable game at 20-1. Wallace is strong on restriction plate tracks, and he finished career second best in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Below are FanDuel Sportsbook odds (as of February 1) to win the 2021 Daytona 500:
| Driver | Chances |
| Denny hamlin | 8-1 |
| Chase Elliott | 10-1 |
| Brad Keselowski | 12-1 |
| Joey logano | 12-1 |
| Ryan blaney | 12-1 |
| Kevin harvick | 13-1 |
| Kyle busch | 14-1 |
| Kyle larson | 17-1 |
| Alex bowman | 18-1 |
| Kurt busch | 18-1 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 18-1 |
| Aric almirola | 20-1 |
| Austin dillon | 20-1 |
| Bubba wallace | 20-1 |
| Ross chastain | 20-1 |
| William byron | 20-1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 24-1 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 30-1 |
| Chase Briscoe | 40-1 |
| Chris Buescher | 40-1 |
| Christopher bell | 40-1 |
| Cole custer | 40-1 |
| Ryan newman | 40-1 |
| Tyler reddick | 40-1 |
| Erik Jones | 55-1 |
| Michael mcdowell | 70-1 |
| Corey LaJoie | 100-1 |
| Daniel Suarez | 100-1 |
| Ryan preece | 100-1 |
| Ty dillon | 130-1 |
| Brennan Poole | 150-1 |
| Timmy hill | 150-1 |
| BJ McLeod | 170-1 |
| Garrett smithley | 170-1 |
| JJ Yeley | 170-1 |
| James davison | 170-1 |
| Landon Cassill | 170-1 |
| Quin Houff | 170-1 |
| Reed sorenson | 170-1 |
[ad_2]
