Here’s all you need to know xr tonight’s restrictor-plate race.
(All times are Eastern):
START: First responders Victor Irland (a 17-year veteran of the Daytona Beach Fire Department), David Aiken (EMT with Volusia County EMS), Brett Whitson (Deputy with Volusia County Sheriff’s Office) and Ryan Forrest (Officer with the Daytona Beach Police Department) will give the command at 7:56 p.m. Green flag is set for 8:08 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 160 laps (400 miles) around the 2.5-mile speedway.
PRERACE SCHEDULE: Sprint Cup garage opens at 3 p.m. Driver/crew chief meeting is at 5:45 p.m. Driver introductions begin at 7:15 p.m. The invocation will be given at 7:45 p.m. by Ronnie Barton, pastor at First Baptist Church of South Daytona.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: The U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Band from Fort Benning, Georgia, will perform the anthem at 7:46 p.m. Four F-16s from the 93rd Fighter Squadron at Homestead Air Reserve Base will perform the flyover.
TV/RADIO: NBC will broadcast the race at 7 p.m. (Countdown to Green will air on NBCSN from 6:30 - 7 p.m.). Motor Racing Network’s broadcast on radio and at MRN.com begins at 6:30 p.m. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast.
FORECAST: wunderground.com forecasts a temperature of 81 degree with 44 percent chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Denny Hamlin nipped Martin Truex Jr. at the finish line to win the Daytona 500 in February. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 96 of 161 laps to win this event last July. Jimmie Johnson was second with Hamlin third. Austin Dillon finished seventh and crashed into the fence after crossing the finish line.
STARTING LINEUP: