sBy Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

Ahead of each NASCAR race weekend, Kickin’ the Tires previews the upcoming races, looking at the storylines entering the events while highlighting when and where to watch them. 

Weekend Schedule

Friday, February 16

NASCAR XFINITY Series practice: 12:00 p.m.-12:55 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice: 1:05 p.m.-1:55 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)

NASCAR XFINITY Series practice: 2:05 p.m.-2:55 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice: 3:05 p.m.-3:55 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying: 4:30 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250: 7:30 p.m. (FOX Sports 1) 

Saturday, February 17

NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying: 9:35 a.m. (FOX Sports 1)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice: 12:05 p.m.-12:55 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)

NASCAR XFINITY Series PowerShares QQQ 300: 2:30 p.m. (FOX Sports 1) 

Sunday, February 18

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500: 2:30 p.m. (FOX)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Race Name: Daytona 500

Track: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

Race Length: 200 laps, 500 miles

Race Stages (Laps): 60, 60, 80

Track Length: 2.50 miles

Track Record: 210.364 mph (Bill Elliott, 1987)

What Happened Last Year: What appeared to be a standard – if crash-heavy – race turned into a surprising war of strategies, as late fuel-mileage gambles and frantic racing combined to make a classic finish. In the end it was Kurt Busch that delivered the fateful drive, claiming his first Daytona 500 in Monster Energy’s first race as presenting sponsor.

What to Watch For

Coming from the Tail

If you want to see all of the favorites to claim this year’s 60th Annual Daytona 500, you might have to look back in the pack – at least early on.

Eight different drivers will have to roll off at the tail-end of the field after reverting to backup cars following crashes in Thursday’s Can-Am Duels.

Among them are both a previous Daytona 500 winner and the top restrictor plate driver in the series.

Jimmie Johnson has claimed ‘The Great American Race’ twice in his illustrious career. But the seven-time Cup Series champion will have a steep hurdle to overcome on Sunday after tire woes eliminated him early in Thursday’s first Duel.

Joining Johnson in the back will be rookie Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) teammate William Byron, who was sent around when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. maneuvered his No. 17 Ford to Byron’s left-rear quarter panel. The crashes mean HMS will have two drivers at the front of the field – Alex Bowman on the pole, and Chase Elliott fourth after winning the second Duel – and two drivers at the rear.

Also starting from the back will be Advance Auto Parts Clash winner Brad Keselowski. The 2012 Cup Series champion was fighting for third during Thursday’s Duel when contact with Jamie McMurray sent him into the outside wall, heavily damaging his No. 2 Ford.

Kyle Larson will go to a backup after a crash in the Duels, as will Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, David Gilliland and Matt DiBenedetto.

A War of Attrition

If the first two Cup Series races of Speedweeks are any indication, then Sunday’s 500-miler will likely be as much about survival as it is speed and contention.

Teams have struggled mightily with the new 2018 restrictor plate rules package. The lower ride height has left drivers darting about on the 2.5-mile oval, with the unstable condition forcing a litany of early crashes as drivers complain of discomfort with the car.

Nearly a fourth of the field crashes out in Thursday’s races, and they were running less than one third of the Daytona 500 race distance with half of a field on comparatively favorable nighttime track conditions.

If that’s any indication of what’s to come, Sunday’s race winner might have to dodge a crash or two in order to pull into victory lane.

Danica’s Last (NASCAR) Ride

Five years removed from her surprising pole run in the 2013 Daytona 500, Danica Patrick is set to wrap up her NASCAR career in the race’s 60th running.

Patrick, 35, is competing in the race in the Premium Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet as part of a technical affiliation with Richard Childress Racing. She has both former sponsor Go Daddy and XFINITY Series crew chief Tony Eury Jr. back atop the box, reuniting a pairing that last ran together in 2012.

The Illinoisan was forced to play things safe in her Duel, dodging a crash and staying out of trouble to preserve her only car for the event. But while she might not have enjoyed that race, her 14th-place finish was enough to keep herself in good position to compete in Sunday’s crown jewl.

She may still have one final Indianapolis 500 run to make in the Verizon IndyCar Series, but Sunday offers the last chance to see Patrick in a stock car. Whether the end result is good or bad, it promises to be a storyline throughout the weekend.

Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Race Name: PowerShares QQQ 300

Track: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

Race Length: 120 laps, 300 miles

Race Stages (Laps): 30, 30, 60

Track Length: 2.50 miles

Track Record: 194.389 mph (Tommy Houston, 1987)

What Happened Last Year: A crash-filled NASCAR XFINITY Series opener saw a familiar face in victory lane as Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed survived the carnage for his second Daytona win in three years.

What to Watch For

War of Attrition

Sound familiar? If not, see above.

The 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series opener in Daytona turned into a demolition derby in the late stages of the race, with only 19 out of the race’s 40 entrants completing every lap of the event.

The XFINITY Series cars often look unstable on restrictor-plate tracks, leading the tour’s drivers to slide around as they attempt to draft. When the uncomfortable machines are paired with the relative lack of drafting experience for a large portion of the field, it becomes easy for attempted passes to go awry, leading to multiple-car melees and tearing up a large portion of the field.

Much like in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, it’s likely that the driver who claims a career-defining win in Saturday’s race will have to dodge a few bullets to get there.

Surprising Victors

Look at the list of winners at any regular season XFINITY Series race in recent years, and you’ll likely see a small group of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers – Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano among them.

Daytona is a little different story.

Due perhaps to the unpredictable nature of restrictor-plate racing, Daytona has become one of the biggest opportunities on the schedule for drivers and teams looking to surprise the field and earn an unexpected victory.

Reed has accomplished the feat twice in the past three years, earning his only two XFINITY Series wins with a host of aggressive moves. William Byron managed a victory last July as a rookie on the tour, beating some of the sport’s best outright in an impressive display of drafting prowess.

A host of Cup drivers have still won races, but they’re often not the ones most would expect. Aric Almirola delivered a victory to Biagi-Denbeste Racing in 2016, as did Chase Elliott. Austin Dillon claimed a victory in 2015, and Kasey Kahne accomplished the feat in 2014.

Only Reed has won multiple races on the high banks of Daytona in the last six seasons. If Saturday’s race plays out similar to the others in recent years, that’s not likely to change.

PowerShares QQQ 300 Entry List

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Race Name: NextEra Energy Resources 250

Track: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

Race Length: 100 laps, 250 miles

Race Stages (Laps): 20, 20, 60

Track Length: 2.50 miles

Track Record: 188.774 mph (Ty Dillon, 2015)

What Happened Last Year: A last-lap melee led to a surprising winner, as Kaz Grala dodged the wreckage from mid-pack and emerged with a shocking victory and a berth in the 2017 Truck Series playoffs.

What to Watch For

War of Attrition

I know. Surprising, right?

Like the two series above them on the NASCAR tour, the Truck Series knows a thing or two about mid-race mayhem at restrictor-plate tracks. It was at Daytona last February where Grala snagged a win by dodging a wreck, of course.

Only 13 trucks completed all 100 laps in last year’s season-opener, which was marred by six cautions including two crashes that combined to include 26 machines.

Due to the tour’s place on the NASCAR ladder, the Truck Series race often sees the least-experienced field on any given race weekend. That combines with the oft-unpredictable nature of the trucks to lead to a race defined by near-misses and damaged sheet metal.

The 250-mile event has seen four or more cautions in every edition of the race. There’s no reason to think the same won’t occur this season.

Early Opportunity

With only eight trucks making the field, the Truck Series playoffs are arguably the most difficult the qualify for in NASCAR.

That makes wild card races like Friday’s season-opener paramount for teams that figure to be at or below the postseason bubble.

Kaz Grala used a victory at Daytona to claim a playoff berth despite a subpar regular season last year, beating out Ryan Truex for a position despite the Hattori Racing driver’s stronger year.

The battle for playoff spots among the Truck Series field promises to be exciting again in 2018, which means regular season wins could be critical for many drivers to keep their championship hopes alive.

Getting in Spec

The 2018 season-opener offers the first chance for Truck Series teams to compete with the new spec motor, and a few organizations in the field have already committed to the new motors.

The battle between the old motors and new spec motors promises to be a storyline throughout the season. The tour’s top teams will have to gauge which offers stronger power and results during the duration of the year. Those that make the correct decision will likely find themselves hoisting the the championship trophy at season’s end.

The true test of the new spec engine’s performance won’t come until the “standard” races on the tour, where drafting isn’t as crucial. But the new engines will still be a topic of discussion on Friday night, as teams get their first experience with them.

NextEra Energy Resources 250 Entry List