Daytona Int'l Speedway today will hold its 61st Daytona 500 before a sellout crowd of 101,000. Weather is sunny with a high of 83 for the event, which airs on Fox at 2:30pm ET and has now been sold out four straight years. VIPs in attendance today include Carlos Slim Domit, Edsel Ford II, NBC's Brian Williams and A.J. Foyt. Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy and other Barstool talent are broadcasting a live show from the track today as part of a new partnership between NASCAR and the outlet. NASCAR also will debut a new spot during the race previewing action next week at Atlanta. NASCAR last night held an industry party at an airport hangar near the track, with attendees including President Steve Phelps and Fox Sports' Jeff Gordon and sponsors including Busch and Geico.
Meanwhile, there will be several commemorations today for late Joe Gibbs Racing co-Chair J.D. Gibbs. Fox and Toyota worked together to set up an on-air remembrance of Gibbs that will happen at lap 11, Gibbs' former racing number. JGR President Dave Alpern also told THE DAILY this morning that one of J.D.'s sons, Miller, is in attendance and wearing J.D.'s actual pit crew uniform from the '93 Daytona 500 when J.D. was a tire changer for the winning car driven by Dale Jarrett. Alpern: "It's easy to say it would be special (to win today), but it's the truth."
