Photos for Headline Surfer® / Austin Dillon in the No. 3 Chevrolet has the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
DAYTONA BEACH -- Sunday's line-up for the Daytona 500 features the traditional and the non-traditional.
For example, the No. 3 is on the pole. That's tradition, as it was the number of NASCAR's greatest driver, Dale Earnhardt, the 1998 Daytona 500 winner, tragically killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Could this be the year that 2004 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. breaks through and wins the 500 after finishing second each of the last two years?
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images / for Headline Surfer® / There are 43 drivers in the starting grid. Joining Earnhardt Jr., who starts in the 9th position Sunday, as previous Daytona 500 winners are Jimmy Johnson (2013, 2006) in the 32nd slot, Matt Kenseth (2012, 2009) starting third, Trevor Bayne (2011) in 14th, Jamie McMurray (2011) in 22nd, Ryan Newman (2008) in 19th, Kevin Harvick (2007) back in 38th and Jeff Gordon (2005, 1999, 1997) who starts in 6th.
Now, that's plenty of tradition.
Non-traditional? How about Danica Patrick, last year's Daytona 500 pole sitter, who finished eighth in that race. She starts 27th in the Go Daddy Chevrolet.
And back to traditional: How about Tony Stewart, three-time Sprint Cup Champion (2011, 2005, 2002), who is looking for his first Daytona 500 win? Stewart starts 21st.
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images / for Headline Surfer® /Other past Sprint Cup champs previously mentioned here for Sunday's starting line-up include Jimmy Johnson (2013, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006), Kurt Busch (2004), Matt Kenseth (2003) and Jeff Gordon (2001, 1998, 1997, 1995). And they join three other former Sprint Cup champions in Sunday's starting line-up as well: Bobby Labonte (2000) who starts 26th, Terry Labonte (1996) in 24th position and Brad Keselowski (2012) who starts 33rd.
Here is the complete line-up for the Daytona 500…
