A look at tonight’s Sprint Unlimited

Kevin Harvick will look to win his fourth Sprint Unlimited tonight

Tonight, NASCAR will hold its annual Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway. The exhibition event features the 16 pole-winning drivers from 2013, plus prior Sprint Unlimited winners Tony Stewart and Terry Labonte. Overall, there will be nine previous winners in tonight’s field. The race will feature three segments totaling 75 laps. Fans will decide the number of laps for each segment and how the field whether the field will be determined by the following criteria:

1. Most career poles
2. 2013 championship finishing order
3. Results from final practice before Sprint Unlimited

We obviously won’t know the results of final practice, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET today. However, we can give the starting order for the first two.

Should the field be set by career poles with career poles in parentheses.

1. Jeff Gordon (74)
2. Ryan Newman (51)
3. Jimmie Johnson (32)
4. Terry Labonte (27)
5. Denny Hamlin (17)
6. Kurt Busch (16)
7. Tony Stewart (14)
8. Kyle Busch (13)
9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (13)
10. Carl Edwards (13)
11. Matt Kenseth (11)
12. Jamie McMurray (7)
13. Joey Logano (7)
14. Kevin Harvick (6)
15. Brad Keselowski (3)
16. Marcos Ambrose(3)
17. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.(1)
18. Danica Patrick (1)

*****Mark Martin finished 25th in the 2013 championship standings and has 56 career poles. However, Martin did not qualify for this year’s Sprint Unlimited, and is not racing in this year’s Daytona 500. Bobby Labonte and Kasey Kahne both have 26 career poles, the most of any active drivers not in tonight’s field.

Should the field be set by 2013 standings; championship finish in parentheses.

1. Jimmie Johnson (1)
2. Matt Kenseth (2)
3. Kevin Harvick (3)
4. Kyle Busch (4)
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (5)
6. Jeff Gordon (6)
7. Joey Logano (8)
8. Kurt Busch (10)
9. Ryan Newman (11)
10. Carl Edwards (13)
11. Brad Keselowski (14)
12. Jamie McMurray (15)
13. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (19)
14. Marcos Ambrose (22)
15. Denny Hamlin (23)
16. Danica Patrick (27)
17. Tony Stewart (29)
18. Terry Labonte (42)

*****Clint Bowyer (7th) and Greg Biffle (9th) are the two-highest ranking drivers in the 2013 standings to not be in tonight’s field.

Previous winners in tonight's field:

Stewart (2001, 2002, 2007)
Harvick (2009, 2010, 2013)
Gordon (1994, 1997)
Earnhardt, Jr. (2003, 2008)
Labonte (1985)
Johnson (2005)
Hamlin (2006)
Kurt Busch (2011)
Kyle Busch (2012)

AR1 Staff