DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET) - NASCAR's biggest and most prestigious race - will carry a record purse of more than $19 million as well as a new contingency award that will payout $200,000 to the driver leading at the completion of Lap 100.

The posted awards for "The Great American Race" are $19,142,601 with the winner collecting a minimum of $1,431,325. The second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishers in the Daytona 500 will receive a minimum of $1,050,075, $759,600, $609,900 and $486,550.

The Daytona 500 Mid-Race Leader Award will reward the driver leading at the completion of lap 100 of the historic 200-lap, 500-mile race with a $200,000 bonus. If the race is under caution at Lap 100, the leader of the race at the completion of the fifth consecutive green flag lap following the caution will receive the award.

"There is plenty of incentive for drivers to run up front the entire race but even more so at the halfway point and the last lap of the Daytona 500," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "This year's 'Great American Race' stands to be one of the most exciting and thrilling ever seen, and will serve as a great kick-off to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season."

Tickets for the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 as well as other Speedweeks 2012 events can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP

If you are unable to attend in person, be sure to tune in to the Daytona 500 on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. ET.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway's social media channels on Twitter (@DISUpdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway). In addition, fans can also follow NASCAR (@NASCAR) and hashtags #NASCAR and #DAYTONA500.

January 30, 2012

Call it the calm before the storm begins anew. A wildly successful Rolex 24 went into the books this past weekend with Penske Racing's first-year driver AJ Allmendinger taking the checkered flag for Michael Shank Racing. A harbinger of the season to come, perhaps, the Daytona International Speedway infield was packed with fans before the start of the 50th anniversary of the twice-round-the-clock affair.

Now everyone takes a deep breath before the engines fire again. Speedweeks 2012 resume on Friday, Feb. 17, when practice gets underway for the Budweiser Shootout. The traditional opening event of the year, 75 laps around Daytona's 2.5-mile high banked superspeedway, will run at 8:10 p.m. ET on FOX.

With this year's Daytona 500 scheduled a week later than usual - on Feb. 26, live on FOX at 1 p.m. ET - teams receive a bit of extra prep time before assembling in Florida. Even so, there remain plenty of pre-season storylines upon which to chew. Several follow.

AJ Aims At Historic Double
AJ Allmendinger attempts to become the first driver to win the Rolex 24 overall title and the Daytona 500 in the same season. (Casey Mears won the 2006 Rolex 24 and finished 2nd in that year's Daytona 500 to Jimmie Johnson.) True to form, Allmendinger, the top Closer in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, ran the final three hours or 12.5% of the race for the win.

After winning the Rolex 24, a follow-up victory in the Great American Race would celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first time the No. 22 won the 500 - in 1962 with Fireball Roberts. It's been 10 years since Ward Burton won in the 22 in 2002. Roger Penske seeks his second victory in the Daytona 500 in five years, taking the 50th running of NASCAR's biggest race with Ryan Newman behind the wheel.

Turning 30 last month, Allmendinger could become the sixth driver to win the 500 at that age, tying 36 for most wins by a driver at a specific age. Allmendinger's best finish in the 500 came in his first try - 2009 when he finished third.

Harvick Heads Home An HOFer
After back-to-back third-place finishes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, Kevin Harvick hopes to jump-start his 2012 title hopes with a visit to Las Vegas on Tuesday to help promote the Kobalt Tools 400 on March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Harvick has three top-five finishes and four top-10s in 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at the track, including a runner-up finish two years ago to Jimmie Johnson.

On Wednesday, Kevin Harvick will be inducted into the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame in Bakersfield, Calif., his hometown. Harvick is just the fourth race car driver to be inducted, joining four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, off-road champion Roger Mears and many-time Indy 500 competitor George Snider. Harvick told the Bakersfield Californian: "To get this honor while still racing, it sort of makes me feel old. It's a pretty cool deal for me. You know how much this town and race track (Mesa Marin) supported my career.

"We've been fortunate all the way through my career to win championships," Harvick continued. "The Daytona 500 is the biggest race and to win that was great. Obviously, the biggest we want is the (NASCAR Sprint) Cup championship and we're still working towards that."

Last Wednesday during the Richard Childress Racing stop on the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour Hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, Harvick announced that he and wife DeLana, both raised in racing families, were expecting a child this year.

Champ-a Bay: Stenhouse Jr. Hits Tampa In Advance Of Daytona 500 Debut

Defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will visit Tampa on Thursday on his way to making his Daytona 500 debut February 26 on FOX. Stenhouse hopes to become the second NASCAR Nationwide Series champion to follow a title with a win in the Great American Race, following the example set by 2006 champ Kevin Harvick who went on to win the 2007 Daytona 500. Stenhouse will drive the No. 6 car, which won the last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona, the Coke Zero 400 last July. David Ragan piloted the ride in that event.

Stenhouse will attend the Carolina Hurricanes-Tampa Bay Lightning NHL game as part of a tour around Tampa, the hometown of Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III, who will accompany Stenhouse.

Another Different Daytona 500 Winner?

Trevor Bayne became the 10th consecutive different Daytona 500 winner in 2010 - a streak that began in 2002. Only three drivers have won the Great American Race in consecutive seasons: Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95). While the Daytona 500 has validated the careers of many NASCAR superstars, the race also has produced some huge surprises. Bayne had just turned 20 years of age and became the race's youngest winner in his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Who might be next? Danica Patrick, bidding for her first Daytona 500 start, no doubt hopes it will be her.

Harraka, Wauters Bring Ford Back to NASCAR Camping World Trucks

Former Drive For Diversity driver Paulie Harraka, who is completing his final semester of studies at Duke University, will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The New Jersey native will drive a Ford for newly minted Wauters Motorsports. The team is owned by Richie Wauters, one of the series' most successful crew chiefs winning 17 times between 2004 and 2010 with drivers Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Shane Hmiel. Ford has not had a major presence in the series since Roush Fenway Racing exited after the 2009 season. Harraka, 22, posted three victories in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and also won a championship in NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series. He owns a pair of NASCAR rookie of the year titles: Whelen All-American Series and K&N Pro Series West.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2012) - For one day at least, Sam Alverson of Jacksonville, Fla., could lay claim to being NASCAR's No. 1 fan. It wasn't just because of his devotion to the sport; it's because he was first in line.

After a marathon 26-hour campout session, Alverson was the first of thousands of fans through the doors Saturday for the inaugural NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center. The fan-friendly event, part of NASCAR's Acceleration Weekend, followed an overflow crowd for Friday evening's NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony of Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.

Many fans were in line the day before the event, forming a human chain that went halfway around the convention center and weathered cool, drizzly conditions. For Alverson, the reward of a 5 1/2-hour drive and extensive wait in the elements was a chance to greet his favorite driver, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

When Gordon jokingly questioned his motives for spending more than a day in line to meet him, Alverson shot back, "It's because you are the champ!"

"We have the most amazing fans," Gordon said. "It blows you away any time you hear something like that. ... All the fans that came out, some of them traveled long distances, get up early in the morning or stayed up late at night on the sidewalk. That's pretty amazing, and that's what makes events like this so successful."

Gordon also entertained fans during a question and answer session with Richard Petty, unveiling a new paint scheme commemorating 20 years in the sport with longtime sponsor DuPont. More than 60 drivers were on hand to sign autographs and greet fans, with several participating in fan Q&As. Additionally, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees new and old led fans on personal guided tours of the Hall's exhibits.

"We're thrilled with the turnout and the passion our fans continue to express," said Steve Sweeney, NASCAR's director of consumer marketing. "The NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented By Sprint offered a perfect lead-in for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 [on FOX, MRN Radio], and will only grow in the upcoming years."

Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said the NASCAR Preview event was a direct result of listening to fans - including Alverson - clamoring for more of the sport during the offseason and a revival of the preview held in Winston-Salem, N.C., years ago.

"It's met or exceeded all the expectations we had, and we think this is the foundation we can just grow on," Kelley said. "This is just the start to us, and I think we can make it even bigger and better."

Two pieces of news came out of today's event, as Sprint unveiled its Miss Sprint Cup lineup for 2012, and American Ethanol announced sponsorship for two highly visible race teams.

Kristen Beat, a former on-air talent for Fuel TV, joins returning Miss Sprint Cup members Kim Coon and Jaclyn Roney for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Additionally, American Ethanol announced that it will continue relationships with Richard Childress Racing and RAB racing for the 2012 season. Austin Dillon, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, will drive the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet for six races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as one race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012. Dillon's No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet paint scheme was unveiled at the event. American Ethanol will also partner with Kenny Wallace and RAB Racing for the Daytona 500 on FOX, as well as five races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

NASCAR Acceleration Weekend culminates Sunday morning with more events at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This year's class of inductees will see their exhibits and spires in the Hall of Fame for the first time and will unveil their engraved granite markers in the Walk of Fame Garden outside the Hall's doors.