No major American sports league starts its season with its biggest event, but NASCAR does and that sport’s Super Bowl is this Sunday at Daytona International Speedway on the east coast of Florida with the 62nd running of the Daytona 500, also known as the “Great American Race.” It’s usually the highest-rated motorsports event in the USA every year as well as the most-wagered.

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NASCAR’s top circuit is no longer called the Monster Energy Cup Series but simply NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. Instead of having one mega-sponsor take over naming rights, NASCAR has four premier partners: Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity. This year also will be the last in NASCAR for the Gen-6 car, to be replaced by the Gen-7 in 2021.

Daytona and Talladega were the only two superspeedways on the circuit where drivers had to use restrictor plates. Those were to keep speeds down, but all they usually did was ensure everyone is grouped up and that there’s one monster wreck – always called the Big One in each race. Some drivers thrived in plate races for whatever reason. However, the 2019 Daytona 500 was the last with the plate. Instead, NASCAR switched to tapered spacers at every track to keep speeds in check.