11:03 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 qualifying races in a pair of Ford sweeps that have the new Mustang positioned for a strong showing in “The Great American Race.” Harvick won the first of the 150-mile qualifying races Thursday night that set the

11:08 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Parker Kligerman will be back on TV for the Daytona 500. He’ll enjoy driving in “The Great American Race” more than he ever could analyzing a Cup race as a pit reporter. The driver-turned-broadcaster is behind the wheel again, and the 28-year-old Kligerman claimed one of

3:11 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — New England Patriots wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman has been named the honorary starter for Sunday’s Daytona 500. The honor caps a whirlwind two weeks for Edelman, who since winning his third Super Bowl on Feb. 3 has visited Disney World with quarterback

7:46 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch says he’s deep into negotiations on a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch has driven the No. 18 Toyota for Gibbs since 2008 and is in a contract year with the organization. He was surprised Wednesday to learn his contract status was public

7:25 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Johnny Sauter has salvaged his 2019 season roughly a month after it fell apart with no notice. Sauter lost his ride with GMS Racing in January when the team decided to instead use reigning Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt. The decision blindsided Sauter, who won six

11:12 AM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin is dedicating this NASCAR season to the memory of Joe Gibbs Racing co-founder J.D. Gibbs. The eldest son of team owner and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs died in January at age 49. J.D. Gibbs discovered Hamlin at a late-model test

3:18 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Houston Texans star J.J. Watt will serve as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, making him the first NFL player to give the command for drivers to starts their engines before NASCAR’s most famous race. Daytona International Speedway made the announcement Monday, six days before

5:44 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson triggered a wreck that wiped out nearly the entire field at Daytona, then zipped to the lead to win the rain-shortened exhibition Clash on Sunday. The seven-time Cup Series champion failed to win a race last season for the first time in his career

2:02 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR has ejected the car chiefs for Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon and Austin Dillon through the Daytona 500 for repeated inspection failures before qualifying for the race. The drivers also were docked 15 minutes from the final Cup practice before next Sunday’s race. NASCAR has cracked

6:56 PM ET Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron put Hendrick Motorsports in a familiar position: on the pole for the Daytona 500. His bigger goal is to make the starting spot pay dividends for the NASCAR powerhouse. The 21-year-old Byron and 25-year-old teammate Alex Bowman locked in the front row for “The