Unlike most sports that save the best for last, NASCAR kicks off its season with their most iconic race, the Daytona 500.
Not your average race.
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The Daytona 500 marks the start of the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) season, which runs until November. The race is 500 miles long, hence the “500” after Daytona. A face you won't see this year? Driver Danica Patrick who retired after last season. FAMILIAR FACE
2. Monster Energy is paying a monster amount of money for their season-long naming rights. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will cost the company $20 million this year. A MONSTER BILL
3. The stars come out for this iconic race. Houston Texans (NFL – National Football League) star J.J. Watt is the first NFL player to ever be named grand marshal. And while Watt may yell “Drivers, start your engines,” former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be the pace car driver. Also for the first time, the pace car will be a truck. VROOM
4. NASCAR is known for its creative paint schemes on the cars, but driver Corey LaJoie’s take the cake…we mean the face. His Old Spice sponsored car features LaJoie’s face. Yes, the entire car is his face, beard and all. WONDER IF HE’S ALSO SPONSORED BY BIORE STRIPS?
5. Clearly he’s won enough on wheels, so seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has taken to running. The champ ran the Daytona Beach Half Marathon and is scheduled to partake in the Boston Marathon. WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
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