DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the reigning champion of the Daytona 500.
But for him, once the green flag drops this weekend, that win will be in the rearview mirror.
"Being the winner from last year doesn't really help you out there in the heat of the battle," Earnhardt said. "We've got a great car. We need to do everything right. We need to get that car all the way through the week and on to the starting grid on Sunday."
According to Earnhardt, the Daytona 500 is different than any other race on the schedule.
"What I mean is that in itself, it's kind of like a season from start to finish. You go through so many highs and lows throughout the event," Earnhardt explained. "For whatever reason, it feels like it's many times longer than any other race, mentally; not in length of time, but just the things that you go through emotionally and mentally in that race just make it feel like it's such a bigger challenge than any other event."
Adding to that challenge, Earnhardt said any car in the field is competitive enough to win at Daytona.
"The guy the makes the right move and the crew chief that makes the right choices can get anybody to Victory Lane in this race," he said. "So it makes it a real challenge. That makes me feel very fortunate to have won it twice."
Earnhardt still has to race in a 150-mile Duel before he battles it out on Sunday in the highly anticipated Great American Race.
Where he finishes in the Duel will determine where he starts in the Daytona 500. And his goal in Thursday night's race is to win.
"You don't want to tear the car up, but the goal is to go out there and win the race," Earnhardt said. "It just feels wrong to worry more about keeping the car in one piece than winning an event."
It is a new year, a new season, and anything could happen, but Earnhardt is glad to be back in Daytona to defend his 2014 title.
"Yeah, I'm glad we won," he said. "It feels good to come back to any race where you've won. You've got a little confidence as a driver but once you get in the race and get started, it really doesn't matter."