When Ryan Blaney makes his debut in the iconic No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion in the 2015 Daytona 500 and the events leading up to the Great American Race, he will be mindful of his rookie status, but will be looking for ways to get to and stay near the front of the pack.

“I’d like to say being a rookie doesn’t change your thought process but it definitely does,” said the 21-year-old Blaney. “You go through it with every new series you go into. You have to give respect to get it. That’s what I’ve always done.

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:

-- Chevrolet drivers have won 20 of 36 Sprint Unlimited races. Wins by active drivers are:
o Tony Stewart, No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, has three (3) wins in the Sprint Unlimited (’01, ’02 & ’07)
o Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS, has visited Victory Lane three (3) times in the Sprint Unlimited (’09, ’10 & ’13)
o Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS, has two (2) Sprint Unlimited wins (’94 & ’97))
o Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, has two (2) trophies from the Sprint Unlimited (’03 & ’08)
o Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, has one (1) Sprint Unlimited win (’05)
o Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, has captured the checkered flag in the Sprint Unlimited once (’11)

-- A Chevrolet driver has won seven (7) of the last 10 Sprint Unlimited races

I get it.

Jeff Gordon is a great champion who has represented the sport of NASCAR well for two decades plus.

He was dominant in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, has four Cup championship trophies as a result, and will desperately be seeking another one in his final full-time year competing for Rick Hendrick in 2015.

He may well win, as he showed in 2014 that he is still fully capable of competing for a championship. If not for some bad luck toward the end of the 2014 Chase, he may well have been there in the end to compete for the title at Homestead.

2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

Date Race/Facility Network Race Start Radio

Sat, Feb 14 Sprint Unlimited FOX 8:00 p.m. MRN/SIRIUSXM
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
Sun, Feb 15 Daytona 500 Qualifying presented by Kroger FOX 1:00 p.m. MRN/SIRIUSXM
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL

Tickets, campsites and travel packages for all Michigan International Speedway events, including both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends, Michigan Wine and Beer Fest presented by Experience Jackson and Faster Horses Festival, are on sale starting Monday, Feb. 2.