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Here’s the starting lineup for Sunday’s 57th Daytona 500

Dale Jr. 2014 Daytona 500 AP

Defending Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start third in Sunday’s 57th running of The Great American Race and seeks to become the first back-to-back winner of the 500 in 20 years, and just the fourth to do so in the event’s history.

The field for the 57th Daytona 500 is set.

The top three qualifiers, all from Hendrick Motorsports, have seven victories in the 500 between them: three by pole-sitter Jeff Gordon, and two each by outside pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson and defending 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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But there are other key storylines to watch based upon how drivers qualified:

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the first of Thursday night’s twin Budweiser Duel 150 races, is seeking to become only the fourth driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s. The others are Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95).

2. Tony Stewart, looking like the Smoke of old, will start seventh in his 17th bid to finally win his first Daytona 500.

3. Reed Sorenson, after tearing up the only race car his team brought to Daytona in a wreck during pole qualifying on Sunday, qualified a back-up car and will start 14th.

STARTING LINEUP FOR THE 57TH DAYTONA 500

Row 1: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson
Row 2: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch
Row 3: Joey Logano, Carl Edwards
Row 4: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle
Row 5: Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr.
Row 6: Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney
Row 7: Kasey Kahne, Reed Sorenson
Row 8: Jamie McMurray, Mike Wallace
Row 9: Landon Cassill, Justin Allgaier
Row 10: Cole Whitt, Danica Patrick
Row 11: Paul Menard, Ryan Newman
Row 12: Michael McDowell, Kurt Busch
Row 13: JJ Yeley, David Gilliland
Row 14: Michael Annett, David Ragan
Row 15: Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon
Row 16: Ty Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Row 17: Aric Almirola, Michael Waltrip
Row 18: Matt Kenseth, Johnny Sauter
Row 19: Trevor Bayne, Sam Hornish Jr.
Row 20: Brad Keselowski, AJ Allmendinger
Row 21: Casey Mears, Denny Hamlin
Row 22: Bobby Labonte

FAILED TO QUALIFY

Alex Bowman
Jeb Burton
Justin Marks
Ron Hornaday Jr.
Brian Scott
Josh Wise

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