At the track that bursts with triumph and tragedy for his family, Earnhardt celebrated Thursday night when JR Motorsports and driver Justin Allgaier qualified for Sunday’s season-opening race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was emotional after Justin Allgaier raced the JR Motorsports car into the Daytona 500 for the first time on Feb. 13. The NASCAR legend tells why.

"Where else do you go and barely make the field and cry tears of joy? Nowhere," Earnhardt said of the fabled speedway and race.

Here’s when and what the Daytona 500 is, how many laps the race is, what to know about the race and a list of all the past winners.

The Daytona 500 is one of the biggest and most illustrious NASCAR races of the year, and the festivities at Daytona International Speedway will be happening all week long in the lead-up to Sunday's big race.