Contested over 200 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the first race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

This was the 27th career victory for Hamlin, first of the season, first at Daytona International Speedway and fifth win at the track for Joe Gibbs Racing.

This event featured guest star WWE wrestler John Cena as a pace car driver.

Gordon retired at the end of 2015 and called the 2016 race from the commentators to stand, and Stewart injured his back while riding a dune buggy outside San Diego.

Also, this was the last Daytona 500 starts for Bobby Labonte, Robert Richardson Jr., Michael Annett, Brian Vickers, HScott Motorsports, and Carl Edwards.

[24] It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start.

The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers.

[40] Elliott became the 6th rookie to win the pole for the Daytona 500 joining Loy Allen Jr. (1994), Jimmie Johnson (2002), David Gilliland (2007), Danica Patrick (2013), and Austin Dillon (2014).

"[41] After qualifying seventh and being all but guaranteed into the Daytona 500 based on speed, Ryan Blaney said that he "wasn't really too nervous going into today.

[44] The Stewart Haas Racing cars of Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers had their times disqualified after their track bars failed inspection.

[46] Kyle Larson and Michael Waltrip will start from the rear of the field in their respective Duel races after being involved in a four-car crash in turn 1.

The procedure for qualifying changed from the 2015 edition - the Duels now set the lineup for positions 3–38, while positions 39 and 40 are filled by the two "Open" (teams without a charter) cars that set the fastest times in qualifying, but did not lock in a spot in the Duels.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. put on a clinic leading 43 of 60 laps on his way to scoring his fifth Can-Am Duel race victory.

With Thrivent Financial and KLOVE and all our partners coming onboard, all our sponsors coming onboard, really partnering with Joe Falk at Circle Sport, allowed us to say…”[51] Kyle Busch led 35 of 60 laps to score his third career Can-Am Duel win.

There was just a lot gone wrong.”[55] Robert Richardson Jr. transferred into the Daytona 500 while David Gilliland and Reed Sorenson failed to make the race.

Got to give all the glory to Him.”[56] Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in the sixth practice session with a time of 46.372 seconds and a speed of 194.083 mph (312.346 km/h).

[58] Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the seventh practice session with a time of 45.077 seconds and a speed of 199.658 mph (321.318 km/h).

[59] Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 45.655 seconds and a speed of 197.131 mph (317.252 km/h).

Exiting turn 4, Elliott got loose, came down across the nose of Carl Edwards, slid down into the grass and destroyed the front of his car.

Jimmie Johnson tried to lead the outside line up towards the front, but it began losing steam and fell back.

Denny Hamlin and the first five cars hit pit road to kick off a cycle of green flag stops.

Heading towards turn 3, Greg Biffle got into the left-rear corner panel of Patrick and sent her spinning through the grass.

When the white flag waved for the final lap, Kevin Harvick in his Chevy drafted up the outside, overtaking the Toyota of Carl Edwards.

Denny Hamlin saw the advancing Harvick and jumped to the outside line from 4th to block his advance, was bumped by Harvick on the back straight and drafted all the way to the front past Kyle Busch and Martin Truex and drew alongside his teammate Kenseth.

He beat me by a couple of feet.”[72] After an injury kept Kyle Busch out of the previous year's Daytona 500, he said of his third-place finish that it was "definitely a lot better to be in the race where I’m supposed to be than standing on the sidelines watching across the street.

We were probably the top (Joe Gibbs Racing) running car most of the day, but you have to lead the last laps and I didn’t get a chance to.”[73] After finishing sixth in his quest to repeat as Daytona 500 champion, Logano said that Harvick "got in front of me and we started moving and then the 11 (Hamlin) saw that and jumped up there and got the push from both of us and then it was a heck of a finish.

The booth crew consisted of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, three-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon, and 1989 race winner Darrell Waltrip.

Pit road was manned by Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum.

The booth crew consisted of longtime announcer Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and 1989 Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace.

Mike Bagley worked the backstretch for the Daytona 500 from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track.