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2013 Daytona 500 start time and TV coverage: The big race is finally upon us

The start of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season roars in with the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

By Bryan Kilpatrick
USA TODAY Sports

After an exciting week of NASCAR action, the 2013 Daytona 500 is officially upon us. The Sprint Cup Series season will begin with the Super Bowl of stock car racing at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, with FOX providing the TV coverage starting at noon.

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Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon locked down the two spots at the front of the starting grid with their performances in the qualifying session last Sunday. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch will start directly behind them by virtue of winning the Budweiser Duel races on Thursday.

Of course, it wouldn't be the Daytona 500 without the "big event" atmosphere surrounding the event. The Zac Brown Band will provide pre-race entertainment 40 minutes before the the engines start, while Super Bowl-champion linebacker Ray Lewis will serve as the honorary starter.

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Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.