2021 DAYTONA 500: Feb 14, 2021

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile, NASCAR Cup Series season opener that is held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is considered the most prestigious and important race in NASCAR, and referred to as "The Great American Race."

Since its inception, the Daytona 500 has been held in mid to late February. This year, the Daytona 500 was held on February 14, 2021. The event started at 2:30pm ET. Next year, the race will be held on February 20, 2022.

Michael McDowell won the the Daytona 500 in 2021, which was his first cup win. You can find the full event recap here. Last year, Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500, becoming the fourth driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s.

The Daytona 500 trophy is called "The Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy." It permanently resides inside the Daytona International Speedway, and bears the name of every Daytona 500 champion. This year’s winner, McDowell, took home a replica of the trophy as well as prize money.

Richard Petty holds the record for Daytona 500 wins at 7, followed by Cale Yarborough with 4. Denny Hamlin is the only active driver with multiple victories, of which he has 3.

The Daytona 500 is 500 miles, which equates to 200 laps on a 2.5-mile track. The race takes approximately 3.5 hours for the drivers to complete.

This year, the Daytona 500 was broadcast on FOX Sports. It was also available to stream live on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app. Alternative ways to watch included YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, and Sling TV. Streaming information about the 2022 Daytona 500 will become available as the event draws closer.