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Newest jurist is native of Orlando; practiced law in Daytona Beach

Photo for Headline Surfer® / Chief Judge Terence Perkins swears in Dawn Nichols as the newest judge of the 7th judicial Circuit on Monday at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand. Holding the Holy Bible during the swearing-in ceremony is Circuit Judge James R. Clayton.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The newest jurist in the 7th Judicial Circuit started on the bench this week, presiding over family law cases at the Volusia County Courthouse.

Dawn Nichols was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Hubert L. Grimes.

Getty Images/NASCAR /

DAYTONA BEACH -- Running on only one hour of sleep, now two-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr. embarked on his week-long whirlwind media tour Monday morning after installing his No. 88 National Guard Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet inside the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building.

DAYTONA BEACH -- It can easily be argued to a jury of 12 NASCAR fans that the single greatest race in the history of stock car racing beyond a reasonable doubt has to be the 1998 Daytona 500.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Regan Smith got “redemption,” today by edging out last year's winner Brad Keselowski by .013 seconds for the green-white-checkered win in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

DAYTONA BEACH -- This certainly wasn't one of my finest moments in a long, distinguished journalism career, but it's better to be honest than to pretend otherwise: Fresh off his thrilling victory in the Nationwide race earlier today at Daytona International Speedway, I asked Regan Smith how he liked his chances for a repeat in Sunday's Daytona 500 as one of 43 drivers in the field.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Fireball Roberts was the early leader of the 1960 Daytona 500 run on Feb. 14, but he would end up out of the race with engine problems and Junior Johnson took over and won the crash-marred affair.

He started ninth and was at home in North Carolina until a week earlier when he was convinced by Masoni to race. Masoni even supplied him with a car, a 1959 Chevrolet, sponsored by the Daytona Kennel.

Photos for Headline Surfer® / Austin Dillon in the No. 3 Chevrolet has the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Sunday's line-up for the Daytona 500 features the traditional and the non-traditional.

For example, the No. 3 is on the pole. That's tradition, as it was the number of NASCAR's greatest driver, Dale Earnhardt, the 1998 Daytona 500 winner, tragically killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.