By R. Cory Smith
For NASCAR fans, the winter was much more than freezing cold. It was miserable, unending and arduous following the Sprint Cup season's conclusion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Now, 2015 begins in the same state as the previous year ended in the fall.
The offseason was kind to some teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, which added another championship-caliber driver. Other teams, such as Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, remain the same but have heightened expectations for this season.
In order for any of those teams to take the title, they'll need to overcome reigning champion Kevin Harvick. For Harvick to remain competitive, he'll have to mute the distractions from the rest of his team.
Here's a look at the full schedule and preview for the 2015 Daytona 500.
Daytona 500 Information
Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
When: Sunday, Feb. 22
Start Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio: Motor Racing Network
As if the off season wasn't rough enough for Stewart-Haas Racing, one driver is already behind the eight ball. Danica Patrick, one of the most polarizing figures in the sport, destroyed her car during practice in a wreck with Denny Hamlin.
Patrick now has to go to a backup car for the biggest race of the year. Despite the unfortunate news, she knows it's a risk of going three-wide on the treacherous track, via Zack Albert of NASCAR.com:
I'm fine. I'm obviously disappointed and I know that it was a good car and it's never a good thing to crash. But, I was just riding along and it turned, so it's the nature of pack racing and that's what makes it challenging, too. Sometimes there's not much you can do about it. I could have collected more people and it wouldn't have been anything that they were a part of. But that's just group racing at Daytona.
This may be one of Patrick's best tracks, but reaching the top 10 will be a tall task in a backup.
If any driver knows about what it takes to overcome adversity in the Daytona 500, it's Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won his first 500 the year after his father passed. Last year, he won the race for a second time before putting together his best season in a Hendrick machine.
Looking to repeat, Earnhardt will need a top-15 finish during the Budweiser Duels to simply make the field. Junior offered his take on how difficult the race can be, per Marty Smith of ESPN:
Along with Hendrick, one team that looks promising heading into the season is JGR, which added Carl Edwards in the offseason. Edwards was already a dominant force with Roush Fenway, but he was never able to pull out a championship or even a Daytona 500 win.
He might be able to accomplish both this season. At the very least, a Gibbs car should be in contention to win the Great American Race, as Tom Jensen of Fox Sports points out:
Joe Gibbs Racing has a powerhouse driver lineup with Kenseth, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. Collectively, they've won 107 races, which ranks them No. 2 among current driver lineups behind only Hendrick Motorsports.
At the end of the race, the winner will need a good push on the final lap from one of his teammates. With the speed [of] the JGR Toyotas and a seasoned group of championship drivers, the JGR squad should be able to work together at the end and win. And Kenseth is the most likely beneficiary.
By the time the green flag waves on Sunday, there will be no more long-winded discussions about who will win the race. All of the narratives will finally be taken to the track, with the marbles from another winning burnout being all that remains.
Then—and only then—will the NASCAR season officially be underway.
