For over 50 years the Daytona 500 has been run, the majority of those years it being the first race of the year. No race means more to a driver or team than this one. Not only does the winner get a $1.5 million paycheck, but they also have their name written in Nascar history. While winning a race is big, winning this one will ensure that you are remembered as long as this race is here.

Drivers have been preparing for months for this race, and all of them are itching to get back to racing. Some drivers are looking for their third 500 win (Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to name a couple), Jeff Gordon is looking for his fourth 500, and many are looking for their first, like Tony Stewart.

For Jeff Gordon this is his last 500, and he has the most 500 wins of the running drivers. The winningest current driver at Daytona International Speedway itself is Tony Stewart, who has 18 wins over every racing platform he has been in. The winningest driver ever is Dale Earnhardt Sr., with 36 wins. Sadly, Earnhardt Sr. was killed in a last lap crash in the 500 in 2001. Trevor Bayne, who just signed a full-time contract with Roush-Fenway Racing, is the youngest driver ever to win the 500, when he won in just his second cup race ever. It was also his first 500 race.

There are many high-profile drivers who have yet to win the 500. Three of these are teammates. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards all have very good statistics on almost every track, and yet they have yet to claim the big race. And that’s not to say they haven’t been close. Both Edwards and Hamlin have finished second. And both of them nearly won the race. Busch also has had good runs he just hasn’t managed to finish the whole deal off.  Can any of them claim it? Well, it is always possible. At Daytona almost any one can win if they’re in the right place at the right time.

There are also some underdog drivers who have proven their worth at Daytona. Aric Almirola is one of these. He won last years Coca-Zero 400 at Daytona, and even though it was rain shortened he was racing very well. Another driver that is very good at Daytona is Danica Patrick, the lone female Cup driver. She won the 500 pole in 2013, and has finished in the top ten in half of her Daytona starts. She is very good at restrictor plate tracks, and it wouldn’t shock people if she claims a victory at Daytona this year. And she showed quite plainly she has a great dislike of losing, as was seen when she confronted Denny Hamlin after the second Duel race.

These facts stated, who will win? It does appear that drivers with Hendrick engines are the best in the business. After all, drivers with those engines have won the past two 500s, and three out of the past five. The driver in the field that appears to want to win most is Tony Stewart. After all, he has won every Cup series race here but the 500. But, many other drivers, want it just as much. Jeff Gordon would love to win his final 500, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would enjoy winning his second 500 in a row. All that said anyone could win this race.