Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to make history at Daytona

After winning the “Great American Race” twice, Earnhardt will return to Daytona International Speedway and lead the field to the green flag on Feb. 17 in a new Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck for the first time.

“I’ve had a lot of fun and a lot of success at Daytona over the years, and now I can’t wait to get out on that track in a Silverado,” said Earnhardt. “Away from the track I’ve driven Chevy trucks all my life, and I’m excited to have this unique experience of pacing the Daytona 500 with the Silverado.”

In addition to winning the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014, Earnhardt was a two-time winner of the July race at Daytona, overall scoring four wins, 13 top-5 finishes and 19 top 10s in 36 Cup Series career starts at Daytona.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the perfect choice to pace the race because of his enthusiasm for the sport, his long history with Chevrolet and his love of trucks,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.

“It’ll be exciting to have Dale lead the field to green in the strongest, most advanced Silverado ever.”

In the previous 12 races Chevrolet has supplied the pace vehicle at Daytona for the season opener, the Camaro led the field seven times and the iconic Corvette has been used five times.