The opening week of the NASCAR season has seen a historic pole win by Danica Patrick in the Daytona 500 as well as exciting Duels on Thursday and on Saturday, the first taste of racing will gear up as the Nationwide Series kicks off at Daytona International Speedway.
Former Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne had the top speed at qualifying at 177.162 mph on Friday and took the pole to take the top spot in the opening race of the year. Bayne will be driving the No. 6 car for Roush Fenway Racing, which may have a bit of luck on it, as it was the vehicle Ricky Stenhouse Jr. used to win the past two Nationwide championships.
"This whole team, I've been talking them up all offseason, but that's because they deserve it," Bayne said to the Associated Press. "This group of guys, they've won two championships in a row, and that's for a reason.
The rest of the field behind Bayne included San Hornish Jr. in second, while Parker Kligerman, action sports star Travis Pastrana and Austin Dillon filled out the top five. The rest of the front part of the field includes full time Sprint Cup drivers Kyle Busch at seventh, Matt Kenseth at ninth, Tony Stewart in 10th, Brad Keselowski at 11th and Daytona pole winner Danica Patrick at 12th. Both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne are also participating in Saturday's 300-mile race.
Bayne rallied to win Daytona in 2011 and over the past two years he has driven in six Nationwide races.
"Anytime you can get experience in Victory Lane at a race track it brings your confidence up when you go back," Bayne said. "It's crazy because every time I come to Daytona it seems like I get the best car of our fleet -- the best engine, whether that has something to do with our win or whether that's just kind of the luck of the draw and the guys I have around me."
Patrick has all the attention after winning the pole at Daytona, but she will get her first feel of the track with everyone else on Saturday when she drives the No. 34 Chevrolet.
"I feel we have a chance to win [Daytona], and that has me excited,'' Patrick said during Thursday's media day.
The focus was on Patrick even before she won the pole, as news of her relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was confirmed publicly. Patrick will have the track all to herself on Saturday before going head to head with her boyfriend on Sunday in their first Sprint Cup race of the year.
Tony Stewart will be looking to make some history on Saturday as well, as he is attempting to tie Dale Earnhardt's record for opening Nationwide wins. Stewart has been excellent in Nationwide at Daytona, winning the race every year since 2005 apart from the 2007 season and last year, when he was taken down by a crash on the last lap.
"It's cool just to be even close to [Earnhardt]," Stewart said. "Whether we ever get another win and catch his mark or even surpass him, that's still a record that's pretty remarkable here at Daytona."
