The race is running at a fast pace with an average speed around 180 mph and so far caustion free. Denny Hamlin (#11) has just taken back the lead from team mate Kyle Busch (#18) who has come up from mid-field.  First lap leader Michael Waltrip (#55) has dropped to the back of the field.

At the front the lead continues to be contested by a breakaway group of cars including Hamlin, Busch, Jeff Gordon (#24), with Dale Earnhardt Jr (#88), Matt Kenseth (#17) and Jimmie Johson (#48) a little further back.

Richard Petty, 7 times winner, waves the green flag and the 50th running of the Daytona 500 is under way. At the end of the first lap Michael Waltrip (#55) briefly took the lead but was quickly passed by pole sitter Jimmie Johnson (#48). Lap 4 Denny Hamlin (#11) and team mate Tony Stewart (#20) go to the front.

Settling down to watch the Daytona 500, I thought it might be fun to repeat last year’s experiment and live blog the event.

Before the green flag drops, here’s a few thoughts and the inevitable predictions. It seems that following his Bud Shootout and Duel 125 victories this week Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on a roll with his new team. On Speed TV this morning they showed a local Daytona newspaper headline that declared that Jr had been “Reborn to Run.” A Jr win seems to be on the cards. But my gut feeling is that Tony Stewart will give Toyota its first Cup win, as well as his first 500 win.

Our family favorite is Juan Montoya (who we’ve seen race most of his career), but given the current perfomance of the Dodge and Ganassi team track record at Daytona (in NASCAR that is), I seriously doubt he’ll add the 500 to his recent Rolex victory.

Last week Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala became, at 22 years old, the youngest person in the sports history to win a round of the World Rally Championship, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that this was only his second start as a works Ford driver.

Latvala began driving when he was eight years old, after receiving a Ford Escort from his father Jari Latvala, also a rally driver. At the age of ten, Latvala started practicing with an Opel Ascona on a frozen lake.  Latvala’s first world rally was the 2002 Rally Great Britain at the age of 17. He finished in 17th position with a Mitsubish Lancer Evolution VI. In 2003, Latvala competed in four WRC events with a Ford Focus. In 2004, Latvala mostly competed with an S1600 class Junior World Rally Championship car with a Group N Subaru Impreza WRX STI. In the 2005 season, Latvala competed in nine world rallies; six with the Group N Impreza and three with a World Rally Car.

In 2006, Latvala competed in 11 world rallies. He drove the Subaru Impreza WRX STI in six, a Ford Focus WRC in four and a Toyota Corolla WRC at his home event. With the Focus WRC, he recorded his career-best result by finishing fourth at the last event of the season, the Rally Great Britain and he was placed 13th overall in the drivers’ championship.

Last year Latvala competed a full 16-event programme for Stobart M-Sport Ford, where he took his first stage win and podium finish.

For 2008 Latvala joined Ford’s factory team as a number two driver, and scored his historic win at the Swedish Rally.

Official Latvala Motorsport website