Date: Saturday, Feb. 23
Start Time: 1:15 p.m. ET
Site: Daytona International Speedway -- Daytona Beach, Fla.
Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval - 3,800 feet (Frontstretch); 3,000 feet (Backstretch)
Laps: 120
Miles: 300
Capacity: 146,000 (Grandstand Seating)
Total purse:
Payouts:
Year: 32nd
On TV: ESPN
Announcers:
On Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio
Race record: Geoffrey Bodine, 1985 (157.137 mph)
Qualifying record: Tommy Houston, 1987 (194.389 mph)
2012 Finish
Defending champion: James Buescher (not defending)
Runner up: Brad Keselowski
Pole winner: Danica Patrick (182.741 mph)
Top 10:
1. James Buescher (Start: 15)
2. Brad Keselowski (9)
3. Elliott Sadler (3)
4. Cole Whitt (8)
5. Austin Dillon (5)
6. Tayler Malsam (25)
7. Timmy Hill (29)
8. Tony Stewart (7)
9. Kasey Kahne (11)
10. Kurt Busch (14)
Average speed: 129.636 mph
Time of race: 2 hrs., 18 mins., 51 secs.
Margin of victory: Caution
Caution flags: 8 for 35 laps
Lead changes: 38 among 16 drivers
Past winners
2012 James Buescher, Chevrolet, 129.636 mph
2011 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 139.679 mph
2010 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 123.683 mph
2009 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 138.479 mph
2008 Tony Stewart, Toyota, 154.154 mph
2007 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 156.227 mph
2006 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 125.129 mph
2005 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 150.021 mph
2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 127.179 mph
2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 143.770 mph
2002 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 147.662 mph
2001 Randy LaJoie, Pontiac, 135.152 mph
2000 Matt Kenseth, Chevrolet, 140.735 mph
1999 Randy LaJoie, Pontiac, 138.391 mph
1998 Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 137.213 mph
1997 Randy LaJoie, Chevrolet, 149.688 mph
1996 Steve Grissom, Chevrolet, 140.772 mph
1995 Chad Little, Ford, 150.732 mph
1994 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 144.135 mph
1993 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 146.440 mph
1992 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 132.434 mph
1991 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 144.192 mph
1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 149.357 mph
1989 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 131.211 mph
1988 Bobby Allison, Buick, 132.825 mph
1987 Geoffrey Bodine, Pontiac, 155.106 mph
1986 Dale Earnhardt, Pontiac, 148.924 mph
1985 Geoffrey Bodine, Pontiac, 157.137 mph (race record)
1984 Darrell Waltrip, Pontiac, 156.613 mph
1983 Darrell Waltrip, Pontiac, 147.642 mph
1982 Dale Earnhardt, Pontiac, 154.529 mph
Last race
Race: Ford EcoBoost 300 (Nov. 17, 2012)
Site: Homestead-Miami Speedway -- Homestead, Fla.
Miles: 300
Laps: 200
Finish line order: Regan Smith, Kyle Busch, Brendan Gaughan, Sam Hornish Jr., Austin Dillon
Time of Race: 2 hrs., 19 mins., 44 secs.
Average speed: 128.817 mph
Margin of victory: 1.375 secs.
Caution flags: 5 for 24 laps
Lead changes: 13 among 10 drivers
Lap leaders: K. Busch) 1-49; J. Logano 50; K. Busch 51-67; E. Sadler 68-70; K. Busch) 1-49; J. Logano 50; K. Busch 51-67; E. Sadler 68-70; K. Busch 71-93; R. Smith 94-95; D. Patrick 96-99; S. Hornish Jr. 100-105; A. Dillon 106-148; R. Stenhouse 149-150; K. Wallace 151-152; A. Dillon 153-175; K. Swindell 176-178; R. Smith 179-200.
Entry list
#00 Jason White (Richmond, VA) Toyota/JW Demolition
#01 Mike Wallace (St. Louis, MO) Chevrolet/G&K Services
#1 Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Chevrolet/Guy Roofing
#2 Brian Scott (Boise, ID) Chevrolet/Shore Lodge
#3 Austin Dillon (Welcome, NC) Chevrolet/AdvoCare
#4 Danny Efland (Irmo, SC) Chevrolet/TBA
#5 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Chevrolet/Great Clips
#6 Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) Ford/Cargill
#7 Regan Smith (Cato, NY) Chevrolet/Clean Coal
#8 Scott Lagasse Jr. (St. Augustine, FL Chevrolet/Hybrid Light
#10 Jeff Green (Owensboro, KY) Toyota/TriStar Motorsports
#11 Elliott Sadler (Emporia, VA) Toyota/One Main
#12 Sam Hornish Jr. (Defiance, OH) Ford/Alliance Truck Parts
#14 Eric McClure (Chilhowie, VA) Toyota/Hefty/Reynolds Wrap
#18 Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Toyota/Game Stop/Afterglow
#19 Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) Toyota/G-Oil
#20 Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) Toyota/Grime Boss
#22 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI Ford/Discount Tire
#23 Robert Richardson Jr. (McKinney, TX) Chevrolet/Stalk It / World Ventures
#24 Blake Koch (West Palm Beach, FL) Toyota/Second/Salt Life
#27 Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) Toyota/Support Military
#30 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brasilia, Brazil) Chevrolet/Worx
#31 Justin Allgaier (Riverton, IL) Chevrolet/Brandt
#32 Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA) Chevrolet/Clorox
#33 Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) Chevrolet/Oreo/Ritz
#34 Danica Patrick (Roscoe, IL) Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com
#40 Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA) Chevrolet/The Motorsports Group
#41 Donnie Neuenberger (Brandywine, MD) Chevrolet/TBA
#43 Michael Annett (Des Moines, IA) Ford/Pilot Travel Centers/Flying J
#44 Hal Martin (Galliano, LA) Toyota/American Custom Yachts
#51 Jeremy Clements (Spartanburg, SC) Chevrolet/TBA
#52 To Be Announced Toyota/Translife FL
#54 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/Monster
#55 Jamie Dick (Albuquerque, NM) Chevrolet/vivaautogroup.com
#60 Travis Pastrana (Annapolis, MD) Ford/Roush Fenway Racing
#70 Johanna Long (Pensacola, FL) Chevrolet/Foretravel
#74 To Be Announced Dodge/TBA
#77 Parker Kligerman (Westport, CT) Toyota/Bandit Chippers
#79 Jeffrey Earnhardt (Mooresville, NC) Ford/UPONOR
#85 Bobby Gerhart (Lebanon, PA) Chevrolet/Lucas Oil
#87 Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/Maddie's Place
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) Chevrolet/taxslayer.com
#89 Morgan Shepherd (Ferguson, NC) Chevrolet/Hylands
#92 Dexter Stacey (Kahnawake, Canada) Ford/Maddie's Place
#99 Alex Bowman (Tucson, AZ) Toyota/St. Jude Children's Hosp.
Leading contenders
| Name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 16 | 22 | 13 | 30 | 2 | ||||
| Elliott Sadler | 28 | 38 | 3 | ||||||
| Austin Dillon | 5 | ||||||||
| Tony Stewart | Won | Won | 8 | Won | Won | Won | Won | 8 | |
| Kasey Kahne | 43 | 5 | 33 | 41 | 35 | 9 | 11 | 9 | |
| Kurt Busch | 10 | ||||||||
| Trevor Bayne | 41 | 10 | 11 | ||||||
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | Won | 3 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 4 | 15 |
| Kyle Busch | 24 | 32 | 25 | 37 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 18 |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | 31 | 36 | 20 | ||||||
| Justin Allgaier | 40 | 3 | 27 | 33 | |||||
| Brian Scott | 19 | 34 | 37 | ||||||
| Danica Patrick | 35 | 14 | 38 | ||||||
| Matt Kenseth | 5 | 12 | 5 | 10 | |||||
| Brian Vickers | 32 | 4 | 6 | 5 | |||||
| Regan Smith | 26 | 26 |
Notes
The 300-mile season-opener in Nationwide has been held at Daytona each year since the inception of the series in 1982. Dale Earnhardt won the first race of NASCAR's new national touring series that year, taking the checkered flag for the Goody's 300. Earnhardt holds the record for most Nationwide wins at Daytona with seven. He won five in a row there from 1990-95.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart have the second most Nationwide wins at Daytona with six each. Both drivers are entered in this weekend's race. Earnhardt Jr. had three consecutive victories in the spring event there from 2002-04, while Stewart won this race consecutively from 2005-06 and then 2008-11. Stewart's first career victory in the series came at Daytona in '05.
James Buescher won last year's DRIVE4COPD 300. Buescher avoided a big wreck on the frontstretch and then miraculously pulled ahead of the field on the final lap before NASCAR displayed the caution flag to end the race. He was running in the 11th position when he came out of turn four on the penultimate lap. He drove down the track to avoid the multi-car wreck and then moved into the lead. It took NASCAR race officials a couple of minutes to review the running order after they issued the caution. Buescher was declared the winner, as he claimed his first win in a NASCAR national touring series race. He is not entered in this year's event.
The 2012 spring race at Daytona featured a then track record 38 lead changes among 16 different drivers. When the series returned to Daytona in July, 41 lead changes occurred in the 250-mile event.
Joe Nemechek holds the record for most Nationwide poles at Daytona with five. One year ago, Danica Patrick won the pole for the Nationwide race there, becoming just the second female to earn the top starting position for an event in the series. Shawna Robinson first did it in March 1994 at Atlanta. Patrick has competed in five Nationwide races at Daytona, with an average starting position of 6.0, which is best among those entered for this year's event.
On Sunday, Patrick made NASCAR history by becoming the first woman to win a pole for a race in its premier series (Sprint Cup). Patrick grabbed the top starting position for the Feb. 24 Daytona 500 with a qualifying lap at 196.434 mph.
Since NASCAR began using electronic timing and scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in a Nationwide race at Daytona occurred in Feb. 2011. Stewart nipped Clint Bowyer to the finish line by only 0.007 seconds. The greatest margin of victory for a Nationwide event there happened in Feb. 2007. Kevin Harvick beat Dave Blaney to the line by just 0.460 seconds.
Those drivers entered in this race that made their first career start in Nationwide at Daytona include: Stewart (1996), Patrick (2010), Robert Richardson Jr. (2007) and Johanna Long (2012).
The next Nationwide Series race is the March 2 Dollar General 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Elliott Sadler is the defending race winner.
Hamlin takes Coca-Cola 600 pole with record lap
