Elliott on Daytona 500 pole, Junior considered guy to beat

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) It's Daytona Day!

The 58th running of the Daytona 500 is Sunday, and although rookie Chase Elliott is on the pole, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. is considered the man to beat in ''The Great American Race.''

Earnhardt and his car nicknamed ''Amelia'' have been nearly unstoppable at recent restrictor-plate races. Junior has four wins in six races with Amelia over the last 13 months.

Earnhardt says his team has been talked up quite a bit this week but he hopes people don't underestimate the competition. He says a lot of cars and drivers are capable of winning.

Driver Denny Hamlin believes only a handful of teams are capable of winning Sunday. Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are among Earnhardt's toughest competition. Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano also are expected to contend.