NASCAR – Sprint Unlimited kicks off the season

There will be 18 drivers competing on the Daytona oval in Florida during the night from Saturday to Sunday (2 a.m. French time). Are eligible for Sprint Unlimited, which takes place during the week before the big meeting of the NASCAR Sprint Cup, all the pole-sitters from the previous season, or the former winners of this non-championship race.

Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson will lead the field alongside Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart (who is returning from his broken leg), Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Carl Edwards, Marcos Ambrose, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, the two newbies Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr and last year's winner Kevin Harvick.

The race will take place according to the following diagram. 75 laps will be completed divided into three segments. NASCAR fans will choose who starts from pole position, the length of the three segments and who takes the lead in the final segment.

The first tests will take place this evening from 23 p.m. French time, after technical checks. The Sprint Unlimited is one of the many events organized in the week preceding the Daytona 500 (the Budweiser Speedweeks), including the qualifications to determine the first row and the pole sitter (Danica Patrick took the pole in 2013) and the Budweiser Duels which determine the rest of the starting grid.