AUTO RACING: NASCAR begins 75th year with 65th Daytona 500

Updated Feb. 14, 2023 5:17 p.m. ET

Associated Press

All Times Eastern

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Daytona 500

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Thursday, Duel 1, 7 p.m., and Duel 2, 8:45 p.m.; Friday, practice, 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, practice, 10:30 a.m.; Sunday, race, 2:30 p.m. (Fox)

Track: Daytona International Speedway

Race distance: 200 laps, 500 miles

Last year: Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric won after starting fifth.

Last race: Joey Logano won at Phoenix in the season finale to claim his second NASCAR Cup Series championship for Roger Penske.

Fast facts: With Will Power claiming the IndyCar tile, Team Penske won two major auto racing titles in the United States last year. ... Logano (2018) and Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) are the ony active drivers with more than one NASCAR Cup Series title. ... Busch now races for Richard Childress after his long run with Joe Gibbs Racing came to an end. ... Ty Gibbs replaced Busch in the JGR ride. ... Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson will make his return to NASCAR as a part-time driver (five races) and owner of the Legacy Motor Club, previously Petty GMS. ... 2014 champion Kevin Harvick is beginning his final season as a driver before moving into the broadcast booth. ... Martin Truex Jr., winless last year, opened this season with a victory in the exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. ... IndyCar driver Conor Daly will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with the NASCAR team owned by Floyd Mayweather. ... Chevrolet drivers have won the last 10 pole positions.

Next race: Feb. 26 at Fontana, California.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Beef It's What's For Dinner 300

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 11:30 a.m., and race, 5 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Daytona International Speedway

Race distance: 120 laps, 300 miles.

Last year: Austin Hill won after starting second.

Last race: Ty Gibbs, the only non JR Motorsports driver in the four-driver finale, held off Noah Gragson for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix.

Fast facts: Gibbs and Gragson (Petty GMS) are among the drivers who have moved up to the Cup Series. They combined (Gibbs 7, Gragson 8) to win 15 of the 33 series races last season. ... Kyle Busch, the career leader with 102 victories in the series, will drive five races for Kaulig Racing, sharing the No. 10 car with AJ Allmendinger, Austin Dillon and Justin Haley. Busch will race at Las Vegas, Phoenix, Charlotte, Watkins Glen International and Darlington.

Next race: Feb. 25, Fontana, California.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

NextEra Energy 250

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Thursday, practice, 5:05 p.m.; Friday, qualifying, 3 p.m., and race, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)

Track: Daytona International Speedway

Race distance: 100 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: Eventual series champion Zane Smith won after starting second.

Last race: Smith held off Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith in a two-lap overtime sprint to win his first championship at Phoenix.

Fast facts: Zane Smith also won the first two stages in the championship race, but fell back after a slow pit stop. ... Smith led the series with four victories in 23 races last year. ... Smith will also race in seven Cup Series races this year. ... Kyle Busch will also race five races in the series this year for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Next race: March 3, Las Vegas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Last race: Max Verstappen, who had already clinched his second straight series championship, won for the 15th time of the season at Abu Dhabi to finish one of the most dominant seasons in series history.

Next race: March 5, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Last race: Alex Palou won at Laguna Seca and Will Power finished third in the season finale to beat Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden for the season championship by 16 points. It was the second title for Power, who also won in 2014, and the 17th for the Penske organization.

Next race: March 5, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Next event: March 9-12, Gainesville, Florida.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: March 5-6, Barberville, Florida.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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