Daytona 500: NASCAR embarks on a new season with a new champ and new challenges

The green flag will drop on the 2021 NASCAR season on Sunday with the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, the culmination of a week's worth of action at the World's Center of Racing.

The action starts on Tuesday with the Busch Clash.

The exhibition race is usually run on the oval, but will be run for the first time this season on the Daytona road course. Drivers eligible for that race include 2020 race winners, playoff drivers, stage winners and past Daytona winners, as well as past champions.

Qualifying drivers will move under the lights at Daytona on Wednesday, setting the front row for the sport's biggest race.

The rest of the field will be set by the Daytona Duels, a pair of 150 mile races run under the lights on Thursday night. There are 36 cars locked into the race with charters. The final four spots will be handed out to the top two qualifiers on speed from Wednesday and the top finishers from the two Duels.

Friday is the Camping World Truck Series Race, followed by the Arca and Xfinity Race on Saturday and the main event, the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Chase Elliott will begin defense of his 2020 Cup Series Championship in Daytona, and as the sports most popular driver, many will be rooting for a repeat.

The sport is also coming off of a historic season, racing through the pandemic. The leaders in the garage say there were many lessons learned last year that they can carry over to this season.

The 63rd Daytona 500 will air on February 14 on FOX.