NASCAR fans from all over the country have the pedal to the metal to make their way to the famous track in Daytona, Florida this weekend for the 50^th Edition of what is considered to be “the Great American Race.”

This is a historic weekend for the famed race.  All 24 of the winning Daytona 500 Champions will be attending the race this Sunday to commemorate the bicentennial celebration.  Race fans will have an opportunity to meet some of their favorite winners during several extraordinary events that are scheduled to take place on the Speedway.  Never has the track offered a chance to meet such legends as Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Mario Andretti all at one race.  This weekend will be one of honor and opportunity.  The 24 men will be signing autographs and meeting people on the infield overlooking Gatorade Victory Lane.

The sexy and soulful Grammy Award-Winning Country singer, Trisha Yearwood, will be kick-starting the race with her beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.  She will also be one of the singers featured to take part in the Sprint pre-game show, along with Chubby Checker, Kool & the Gang, Brooks & Dunn and Michael McDonald.  Thousands of fans and millions of TV viewers will be thoroughly entertained.

The “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!” callout will be right at 2:00 p.m. as the race revs into high gear and the drivers take their positions for an exciting and fast-paced pursuit.  The stands will be packed with testosterone as the cars make their way around 500 laps to compete for this year’s ultimate 50^th Anniversary title.

Favorite drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Jeff Burton; Jeff Gordon; Tony Stewart; Kevin Harvick; and Kurt Busch are sure to give the other forty-plus drivers a run for their money.  Along with an impressive pot up for grabs, race winners attract notoriety and more bonuses with sponsorship endorsements and points that go toward future games.  Victories by avoiding accidents or car malfunctions are key.  Seasoned pros collect points throughout the 36-race season of NASCAR, making wins even more valuable.

Even though this year’s Daytona celebrates its 50^th Anniversary, the live TV coverage has only been made popular within the last thirty years.  It was Feb. 18, 1979 when CBS picked up the coverage with a helicopter to obtain footage.  It was heavily raining that day and snowing throughout the Northeast, but the rain subsided long enough for the race to begin.  At that time, NASCAR was not pop-culture like it is today.  There were three choices of networks on TV so there weren’t many shows for people to watch as they were snowed in with no alternative means of entertainment.  There was a captive audience all across the country.  A record-breaking 20 million viewers all over the U.S. tuned in to watch the first live Daytona 500 on that day thirty years ago.  It was the beginning of a new era for race drivers as a sporting event.  People began taking notice of the loud, fast cars and NASCAR became a household insinuation of manhood.

Part of the excitement of that first televised race was with the dramatic ending.  Many original NASCAR fans remember it to this day.  During the final lap, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison were neck-and-neck, vying for the lead and rubbing cars on the backstretch when both wrecked with under a mile to the finish line.  Richard Petty blew past them to take the win, while brothers Bobby and Donnie Allison got out of their cars to duke it out with Yarborough.  A modern-day reality show could not have planned a script that great.  Men love wrestling and hockey fights so that first show proved itself to be one for the history books.

Since then, there have been many memorable occasions in NASCAR and this Sunday’s battle should be filled with much testosterone and thrills.  The hype of the race itself is electrifying.  The city of Daytona counts on this boom in tourism as one of Florida’s best hosted events.  Everywhere from Cocoa Beach up to Jacksonville, there will be tailgate parties, RVs and campers, motorcycles, men and women wearing shirts of their favorite drivers, booths set up to pique interest of key sponsors and wall-to-wall crowds of people.

However, for those anxious fans that don’t enjoy crowds… the best view in the house may be right in front of the big screen TV at home.  No matter whether you’re attending live or in the comfort of home, this year’s 50^th Anniversary Daytona 500 Championship is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.