Feb. 12 (UPI) — The Daytona 500 is the main sports event this weekend, as 40 drivers circle a 2.5-mile track at nearly 200 mph Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla. A tennis Grand Slam and dozens of basketball games also pack the schedule.
PGA Tour golfers have teed off for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which runs from Thursday through Sunday. A UFC title bout airs Saturday and NHL games air from Friday through Sunday.
Wrecks, close-calls and other daring vehicular maneuvers make the annual “Great American Race” one of the most exciting events of the NASCAR season. The annual event also launches the Cup Series calendar.
Defending champion Denny Hamlin is the betting favorite to win the 2021 Daytona 500, which starts at 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday and airs on Fox. 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are among the other favorites to claim the checkered flag.
Alex Bowman claimed pole position Wednesday when he got his No. 48 Chevrolet up to 191.262 mph on the tri-oval track.
“I’m going to floor it and hopefully stay up front,” Bowman told reporters Wednesday on a Zoom video conference.
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers also will compete this weekend in Daytona. The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 starts at 5 p.m. EST Saturday and airs on FS1.
Australian Open
The 2021 Australian Open is underway in Melbourne as men’s and women’s tennis stars advance through the singles draw.
Men’s defending champion Novak Djokovic still is in contention and remains the betting favorite to win the Grand Slam in Melbourne. Sofia Kenin, the 2020 women’s singles champion, was knocked out Thursday in her second-round match.
Naomi Osaka, Ash Barty and Serena Williams are among the favorites to win the 2021 women’s singles title. Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal are among the top contenders for the men’s title, behind Djokovic.
Williams can tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles if she wins the tournament, but she hasn’t claimed a major crown since 2017.
Third- and fourth-round action airs from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. EST on the Tennis Channel and ESPN networks this weekend through Monday morning.
Djokovic, Thiem, Williams, Osaka, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Simona Halep are among the top players in action on Friday.
Basketball matchups
NBA and college basketball teams continue to march through their respective seasons, despite constant disruption, postponements and player unavailability caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The NBA has several stellar matchups planned this weekend. Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans battle Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. EST Friday on ESPN. Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies then take on LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. EST Friday on the same network.
The Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder highlight Saturday’s NBA matchups. That game tips off at 8:30 p.m. EST Saturday on ABC.
Doncic’s Mavericks host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:30 p.m. EST Sunday on ESPN. The Denver Nuggets then host the Lakers at 10 p.m. EST Sunday in ESPN’s final game of the weekend.
Gonzaga, Villanova, Ohio State, Virginia and Missouri — who all rank inside the Top-10 in the men’s basketball coaches poll — also are in action on Saturday in nationally televised games. Duke, Kentucky, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State, UCLA and Iowa also play Saturday.
Michigan battles Wisconsin at 1 p.m. EST Sunday on CBS in a matchup between two ranked Big Ten teams. Houston and Loyola Chicago are among the other ranked teams with nationally televised games Sunday.
Friday
Tennis
Australian Open from 6 p.m. EST Thursday through 7 a.m. EST Friday and from 6 p.m. EST Friday to 7 a.m. EST Saturday on Tennis Channel, ESPN News and ESPN2
Golf
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Second round from 3 to 6…
Read More: Daytona 500, Australian Open, basketball highlight weekend sports schedule