DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Hendrick vs. Gibbs. Jimmie, Jeff and Junior vs. Tony, Denny and Kyle.

Hendrick Motorsports' top two drivers hold a combined six Cup series championships — and the other guy just happens to be NASCAR's most popular driver and a restrictor-plate racing wizard. Joe Gibbs Racing has a two-time champion and two of the series' rising stars.

How big is this Daytona 500 showdown?

"It's going to be the epic battle, and it should be the battle of a lifetime and the century," Gibbs driver Tony Stewart quipped. "There may not be another battle of this proportion for the rest of my life, my career, for the century."

OK, so Stewart was exaggerating. Still, when Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin each won a qualifying race Thursday, it set the stage for a heck of a show Sunday.

Oh by the way, Hendrick's overshadowed driver, Casey Mears, is starting ninth. That means six of the top nine spots will be filled by drivers from those two teams. Gibbs driver Kyle Busch will roll off from the 24th position. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson, the two-time defending Cup series champion, will start from the pole.

It makes either team the obvious favorite to win the 50th running of The Great American Race. But Stewart, who finished second to teammate Hamlin in Thursday's second qualifier, said it wasn't that simple.

"I think you can't just limit to those two teams," Stewart said. "But like I said, if it helps us make a better headline for tomorrow, yeah, it's going to be the battle of a lifetime."