NASCAR drivers, fans come together at Fan Fest

Counting down the days until Speedweeks? The NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest this weekend at Daytona International Speedway can help fans satisfy their need for speed.

On Friday and Saturday, some of the biggest names in NASCAR – including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Kurt Busch - will be on hand to interact with fans and build anticipation for the 52^nd running of the Daytona 500. Race fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers from the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

Activities during the two-day event include autograph sessions, interactive fan forums, show cars, displays, an online auction, blood drive and the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Fans can also participate in the Daytona 500 Experience Pit Stop Challenge.

Drivers scheduled to appear Friday in the Sprint Fanzone are Daytona 500 champions Matt Kenseth, Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman, as well as Martin, 2009 runner-up to the Sprint Cup championship; Jeff Burton, Raybestos Rookie of the Year Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Travis Kvapil and AJ Allmendinger.

Set to appear Saturday are Kevin Harvick, a Daytona 500 champion; Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann, Morgan Shepherd, Michael Annett, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Todd Bodine and Sam Hornish Jr.

Speedweeks starts with a bang Saturday, Feb. 6, with a full day of racing: Daytona 500 qualifying, Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race and the Budweiser Shootout. The Gatorade Duels qualifying races will be held Thursday, Feb. 11, followed by the NextEra Energy Resources 250 Camping World truck race Friday, Feb. 12, and the Camping World 300 Nationwide race on Saturday, Feb. 13. It all leads up to the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Click here for more information on tickets for the Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at Daytona or a schedule of events.