Nascar Race Today

The 2014 season got off to a fast start in Daytona. Rains caused heavy delays at the Great American Race, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave his fans another big victory to cheer about, pulling away from the field in the final stages.

Earnhardt recently spoke to Jeff Owens of Sporting News about the great atmosphere during 's signature race to start the year:

Earnhardt and other drivers called Sunday's Daytona 500 one of the most intense races they have ever run, and the whole sport is riding a wave of momentum following Earnhardt's dramatic win.

The drivers will get back to the track Sunday from the sunny site of Phoenix International Raceway, where 's best will go at it in The Profit on 500, Presented by Small Business Fueling America.

This marks something of a trial run for , as this week marks the first race with the new group qualifying format and aerodynamic rules.

So, who's going to be cheering in Victory Lane in Phoenix? Here's a look at three top contenders for Sunday.

The Profit on CNBC 500, Presented by Small Business Fueling America

Where: Phoenix International Raceway

When: Sunday, March 2

Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Distance: 312 miles (312 laps)

Kevin Harvick

Happy Harvick at PIR @PitNotes @NASCAR http://ift.tt/1ddsJZC

- Agnel Philip (@agnel88_philip) February 28, 2014

Happy Harvick was the talk of the town Saturday in Phoenix after winning the final tuneup practice before Sunday's main event.

relayed the speeds and top finishers from Saturday:

Rookie Kyle Larson was second-fastest at 136.596 mph, followed by Ryan Newman (136.508), Kurt Busch(136.503) and Jeff Gordon (136.374).

This boost of momentum bodes well for Harvick, who historically been able to drive very well at throughout his career. In fact, it was just about four months ago that he was able to capture a victory in the second-to-last race of the 2013 season in Phoenix.

Not to mention, he finished second at the rain-shortened Nationwide Series race Saturday behind Kyle Busch.

FINAL: Busch, Harvick, Brad, Larson, Matt, Sadler, Trevor, Regan, Chase, Ty, B. Scott, J. Buescher, Dylan K, Sieg, C. Buescher, Brendan.

- NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) March 2, 2014

In all, Harvick has four wins and seven top-five finishes here, helping him earn a 101.3 driver rating at , second-best only to Jimmie Johnson (116.7). Given his track record of success, Harvick should be considered a favorite to win in Phoenix once again.

Carl Edwards

The No. 99 car nearly pulled off a sweep at in 2013 but fell short on gas right before the white flag went up at the 500 in November, allowing Harvick to steal the victory on the final lap.

Still, Edwards was able to finish the deed last March in this event, and he has a history of recent success at .

Chris Estrada of NBC MotorSports Talk recently relayed comments Edwards made to Rick Allen on NBC Sports Network about his success in the desert:

The secret is we' been building really good race cars. [Crew chief] Jimmy and those guys, everyone at the shop - you spent a lot of time at and you know how hard those guys work. But they' really stepped it up.

While he finished 17th at the Daytona 500, Edwards was a late leader in the Great American Race before he was involved in a last-lap crash that pushed him down the leaderboard.

If recent history is any indication, he will be a major force to reckon with Sunday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It's rare that a driver follows up his victory in the Daytona 500 with a victory the following week, but Junior is a rare driver. After waiting out the rain, Earnhardt was able to outlast the field in a scintillating opening race for . And he isn't expecting to have a letdown as the regular season gets under way in the Sprint Cup Series

passed along recent comments from Earnhardt about following up on his strong start to the season:

"I feel like I shouldn't have any problem getting out there on the racetrack and doing the best I can do," he said. "I've been doing this a long time and have had the opportunity to win races and get back the next weekend and do well. It should be no problem."

It's already been an entertaining 2014 for Junior, who also joined the Twitter world recently. Earnhardt has been very active on the social media service and gave his thoughts on his practice run following Saturday's action:

Decent practice. Felt like we made some gains that last run or two. Gonna watch this NW and talk setup w/ .

- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 1, 2014

Junior finished in the top five at both of the Phoenix races last year, and he's got the momentum right now, so don't be surprised if he snaps his 10-year victory drought at .