How to qualify for the Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The qualifying procedure for the Daytona 500 is a unique and complicated process that began Sunday with Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip locking in the front row starting positions in the 43-car field.

All 53 drivers who made qualifying attempts Sunday earned starting positions in one of two 150-mile qualifying races Thursday.

2008 Daytona 500 Winner - Car Racing Odds

Ryan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering, and is the only active NASCAR driver to have a college degree. In 2002, he was the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. He enjoys driving and working on vintage cars, particularly 1950s Chryslers. Newman's car was featured on the cover of the 2005 EA Sports computer game NASCAR SimRacing, and he was actively involved in its development.

Daytona 500 - Event Description

The 200-lap, 500 mile Daytona 500 race is run at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The Speedway was opened in 1959 and the Daytona 500 has been held there every year since. This year, from the 15th through the big race on the 18th, Speedweeks features traditional action-packed races - like the Gatorade Duel - to decide starting positions before the big race which, in 2007, will be televised on Feb. 18.

The race begins later than the traditional mid-day start time this year, with pre-race festivities beginning at 3:30PM ET and the race beginning about 4PM ET, making it the first time that the race will be ending after sundown.

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