Daytona 500 preview

What: First race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season.

When: 1 p.m. Sunday (Ch. 9).

Where: Daytona International Speedway (tri-oval, 2.5 miles).

Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Denny Hamlin beat Martin Truex Jr. by 0.01 of a second, the narrowest margin ever in the 500.

Qualifying: Chase Elliott nipped Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final qualifying lap last Sunday to win his second straight pole for the 500. Elliott turned a lap at 192.872 mph to just edge Earnhardt's speed of 192.864 and become the first repeat pole winner in 27 years.

The drive for eight: No driver in history has won eight championships, but Jimmie Johnson has positioned himself to become the first. He won the knockout-style format a season ago, and there is no reason to think he can't repeat. Johnson is the best driver of this era and is driving for a powerhouse team at Hendrick Motorsports.

New sponsor: Monster Energy came aboard as the sport's top series title sponsor in December after Sprint's 10-year contract with NASCAR ended in 2016. But NASCAR is also looking to attract a new, more youthful demographic and Monster stepped forward with the intentions of delivering that. The company already has created somewhat of a ripple at Daytona with appearances by its "Monster Energy Girls" and their tight-fitting, black outfits.

New format: The Chase format is gone — including the word — and replaced by a playoffs format. Races now will consist of three stages, with championship implications in each. The new format will award a playoff point to the winners of the first two stages, and the race winner will receive five points. Those points will be accrued through the first 26 races and count toward any driver who makes the 10-race playoffs. The number of drivers qualifying for the playoffs is still 16, and that will be whittled down to four for the November finale in Homestead. Daytona will feature two 60-lap stages followed by an 80-lap showdown to determine a winner.

Changing of the guard: Veteran Tony Stewart hung up his firesuit, as previously announced, but the stunning proclamation involved Carl Edwards, who unexpectedly walked away from the sport and his Joe Gibbs Racing team in January. Greg Biffle, another veteran, ended his 19-year career at Roush Fenway Racing last November when he chose not to re-sign. He announced Friday on Twitter that he has no plans to race full-time in 2017. Daniel Suarez, 25, will become the first Mexican-born competitor to race full-time in NASCAR's top series. He replaces Edwards at Joe Gibbs.

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