The Daytona 500 from A to Z ...

An alphabet soup salute to the 50th running of The Great American Race:

A AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola are neck-and-neck for pole position based on alphabetical order.

B Kurt Busch wasn't worried so much about the Budweiser Shootout as he was about the Tony Stewart punchout.

C Clint Bowyer is being touted for a breakthrough season? Uh ... he finished third in the final points standings last year.

D Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s change of teams is bigger than all of Shaq's trades combined.

E Can Elliott Sadler take it to the highest level, or will he continue spinning his wheels?

F Fox is broadcasting the race, so insert endless "American Idol" promos here.

G Hendrick Motorsports must be glad to know that if Dale Jr. and Jimmie Johnson flame out they have Jeff Gordon as a fall-back.

H It's possible Kevin Harvick can cut the finale closer this year and win Daytona by 0.01 seconds.

I Spend enough time in the Daytona infield, and you'll be so intoxicated you won't know your ABCs from your 123s.

J Jimmie Johnson is clearing out the junk in his car trunk for a third consecutive series trophy.

K Matt's favorite R.E.M. song -- "What's the Frequency, Kenseth?"

L It's nice that Bobby Labonte drives the famous No. 43; let's just hope he doesn't start finishing 43rd.

M Jeremy Mayfield is the designated driver of the car sponsored by Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon (a.ka. moonshine).

•"Front Row Joe" Nemechek aims to keep his Furniture Row-sponsored car a hot seat.

O David Reutimann looks to keep the 00 car in overdrive.

P How much more mileage is on Kyle Petty's odometer? He started racing in the series in 1979, hasn't won a race since 1995.

Q To help us round the list, we'd like to thank our sponsor, Quakerstate.

R My mommy and pappy went to the Daytona 500, and all I got was this souvenir restrictor plate.

S Like the Winston Cup, the Nextel Cup has been smoked out -- say hello to the Sprint Cup.

T If you've got some cash to spare, Travis Kvapil is looking for a full-time sponsor.

U The No. 8 U.S. Army car is the perfect ride for old soldier Mark Martin.

V Did Brian Vickers pick up his new hobby from that Tim McGraw song? "I went skyyyyyyyy-divin' ..."

W Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip hopes he won't have to answer any illegal fuel supplements questions on Capitol Hill.

X As the toast of D.E.I., Martin Truex Jr. hopes he can be more than a mere X-factor.

Y Hall of Fame Racing's J.J. Yeley was dropped last year by NFL hall of fame coach Joe Gibbs' team.

Z Keeping Tony Stewart from getting cranky is the No. 1 job of crew chief Greg Zipadelli. Good luck with that!