Event: 62nd Daytona 500
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (65 laps/65 laps/70 laps)
Start/Finish: 10th/5th (Running, completed 209 of 209 laps)
Point Standing: (3rd with 39 points, 11 out of first)
Notes: Rain 20 laps into the Daytona 500 postponed the remainder of the race to Monday.
Race extended nine laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):
● Started 10th and finished 31st.
● The Busch Light #Pit4Busch Ford Mustang pitted on lap 23 for four tires and fuel, then restarted in fifth place.
● On lap 60, Harvick pitted on lap 60 for four tires and fuel and left pit road in 18th place.
● Just two laps later, Harvick pitted for fuel only.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-130):
● Started fourth and finished 30th.
● The Busch Light #Pit4Busch Ford Mustang got shuffled to the back and then got minor damage when the cars of BJ McLeod and Quin Houff got together. Harvick pitted for minor repairs on lap 91 and lap 92.
● On lap 120, Harvick was 30th and said he too tight off of turn four.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 131-209):
● Started 33rd and finished fifth.
● The Busch Light #Pit4Busch Ford Mustang pitted on lap 120 for four tires and fuel and more repairs.
● Harvick came back to pit road one lap later for more repairs.
● He pitted on lap 185 for four tires and fuel and said his car was very loose.
● After a series of multicar accidents, Harvick found himself in fifth place on a green-white-checkered restart. He managed to stay in fifth place.
Notes:
● Harvick earned his 10th top-five and 15th top-10 in 38 career, points-paying NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona.
● Denny Hamlin won his second-straight Daytona 500. It was his third victory in the Great American Race and his 38th career NASCAR Cup Series victory.
● Hamlin is now tied with Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon for third-most on the all-time Daytona 500 win list.
● Hamlin’s margin of victory over second-place Ryan Blaney was .014 of a second, the second-closest victory in Daytona 500 history.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 39 laps.
● Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the Daytona 500 finished on the lead lap.
● Hamlin leaves Daytona as the championship leader with a seven-point advantage over second-place Blaney.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light #Pit4Busch Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We did exactly what we wanted to do. We just got a little bit of bumper damage and abandoned stage points to be around at the end to have a chance. We did at the end; we just ran out of pushers. I knew we needed to be fourth on that restart. The bottom wasn’t where we needed to be. We didn’t get a good shove, and then everything jumbled up and we were able to get back close to the front. It was a solid night for the Busch Light Ford.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Las Vegas 400 on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
