Monday, February 19, 2024

Daytona 500

Assuming the race finishes today, this will be the fourth time since 2012 that the Daytona 500 has finished on Monday.

Here are the last 10 winners of the Daytona 500:

2014:  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Number 88 car)
2015:  Joey Logano (22)
2016:  Denny Hamlin (11)
2017:  Kurt Busch (41)
2018:  Austin Dillon (3)
2019:  Denny Hamlin (11)
2020:  Denny Hamlin (11)
2021:  Michael McDowell (34)
2022:  Austin Cindric (2)
2023:  Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (47)

Here are the last 10 winners of the Winston Cup:

2014:  Kevin Harvick (Number 4 car)
2015:  Kyle Busch (18)
2016:  Jimmie Johnson (48)
2017:  Martin Truex, Jr. (78)
2018:  Joey Logano (22)
2019:  Kyle Busch (18)
2020:  Chase Elliott (9)
2021:  Kyle Larson (5)
2022:  Joey Logano (22)
2023:  Ryan Blaney (12)

In the last ten years, Joey Logano is the only man to win both the Daytona 500 and the Winston Cup.

64 comments:

  1. Joey Logano starts on the pole today.

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  2. After 5 laps, there's a big wreck and they're under caution. Welcome to Daytona.

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  3. Seven cars were affected by the wreck, but none of the major contenders. Jimmie Johnson, running in the 84 car, is the biggest name in the wreck. Harrison Burton, in the 21 car, appears to be out of contention.

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  4. Kaz Grala, Harrison Burton, and Carson Hocevar appear to be eliminated after that wreck.

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  5. Right now, they're all running nose to tail in two long lanes of traffic.

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  6. After 20 laps:

    1. Christopher Bell (Number 20 car)
    2. Ryan Blaney (12)
    3. Daniel Hemric (31)
    4. Joey Logano (22)
    5. Michael McDowell (34)
    6. Chase Elliott (9)
    7. Brad Keselowski (6)
    8. Austin Cindric (2)
    9. Denny Hamlin (11)
    10. Tyler Reddick (45)

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  7. Austin Dillon is ten laps behind, so I think we can assume he was finished by the wreck. Jimmie Johnson is only two laps behind, so presumably he is still running.

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  8. In the 42d lap, the leaders are in the pit and Michael McDowell moves into the lead, followed by Denny Hamlin.

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  9. After 50 laps:

    1. Chase Elliott (Number 9 car)
    2. Kyle Busch (8)
    3. Bubba Wallace (23)
    4. Martin Truex, Jr. (19)
    5. Noah Gragson (10)
    6. William Byron (24)
    7. Kyle Larson (5)
    8. Denny Hamlin (11)
    9. Alex Bowman (48)
    10. Zane Smith (71)

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    1. Bell, Hemric, Blaney, and McDowell were all forced to pit under green and they are all now a lap down.

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    2. They didn't pit during the caution, like everyone else.

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    3. Now on lap 56, everyone else is coming into the pits.

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  10. Everyone has gone into the pits, and now they're battling to win Stage One. Elliott wins the Stage after 65 laps:

    1. Chase Elliott (Number 9 car)
    2. Kyle Larson (5)
    3. Ross Chastain (1)
    4. Alex Bowman (48)
    5. William Byron (24)
    6. Kyle Busch (8)
    7. Denny Hamlin (11)
    8. Bubba Wallace (23)
    9. Martin Truex, Jr. (19)
    10. Daniel Suarez (99)

    Chevy took the top six places, while Toyotas were running 7th through 9th.

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  11. Now that the stage is over, the field is under a scheduled caution.

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  12. The green flag comes out as they start lap 71. They've also turned on the lights at Daytona.

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  13. On Lap 72, they go three lanes wide, and Joey Logano jumps into the lead.

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  14. Lap 93:

    1. Todd Gilliland (Number 38 car)
    2. Joey Logano (22)
    3. Martin Truex, Jr. (19)
    4. Justin Haley (51)
    5. Tyler Reddick (45)
    6. Bubba Wallace (23)
    7. Austin Cindric (2)
    8. Chris Buescher (17)
    9. Brad Keselowski (6)
    10. Josh Berry (4)

    Ford and Toyota have all 10 of the top 10 spots.

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  15. With 5 laps to go in Stage 2, Austin Cindric is hanging onto the lead.

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  16. Stage 2 is won by Ryan Blaney, and they are under a scheduled caution after 133 laps.

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  17. Now everyone is coming into the pits during the scheduled caution.

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  18. We're back under green. With 61 laps to go, A.J. Allmendinger takes the lead.

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  19. Now they're racing three wide. It's really pretty to watch, but it's a wreck waiting to happen.

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  20. With 54 laps to go, they are flying around the track -- all bunched together as they would if they were being pushed by a five-year-old. It's an amazing thing to watch, and there's really nothing else like it in sports.

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  21. On Lap 149, Kyle Busch (number 8 car) takes the lead.

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  22. Fox is telling us that "the Big One" -- a major crash that will scramble the field -- is inevitable. Let's hope they are wrong.

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  23. Allmendinger has fallen way back in the pack. Now Corey Lajoie (number 7) and Denny Hamlin (number 11) are battling Kyle Busch for the lead.

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  24. On lap 152, Kyle Busch is leading one lane at the bottom of the track, while Hamlin is leading the lane at the top of the track.

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  25. Lap 155: Still Kyle Busch and Hamlin.

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  26. Lap 162: Hamlin has pulled ahead, with Lajoie and Kyle Busch following him in the top lane.

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  27. Lap 163: Now Joey Logano -- leading the group in the bottom lane -- has soared into the lead.

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  28. Lap 165: Logano and a collection of Fords: David Ragan (number 60), Brad Keselowski (6), and Chase Briscoe (14) are in the lead.

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  29. The Fords are leading from the bottom lane. But Hamlin and Kyle Busch are leading the top lane.

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  30. Lap 170:

    1. Joey Logano (number 22 car)
    2. Denny Hamlin (11)
    3. Kyle Busch (8)
    4. David Ragan (60)

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  31. Logano now switches to the top lane to hold off Hamlin, and then goes back down to the bottom lane. Great, great stuff.

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  32. With 18 laps to go, everyone is going in and out of the pits. It's too early to know who's the winner of the pit changes.

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  33. With 17 laps to go, a collection of Chevys led by Ross Chastain (the number 1 car) are in the lead, but Logano and the Fords are running them down.

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  34. Lap 184:

    1. Ross Chastain (number 1 car)
    2. Joey Logano (22)
    3. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (47)
    4. Brad Keselowski (6)

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  35. With 13 laps to go, Daniel Suarez (number 99 car) is in the lead. But then he's overtaken by Chastain. It's all three wide.

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  36. William Byron (24) is leading the bottom lane, Suarez leads the middle lane, and Chastain leads the top lane.

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  37. Logano pushes Chastain into the lead, and then tries to pass Chastain. 10 laps to go.

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  38. And there's the big wreck. Keselowski was trying to pass Chastain, he got clipped by someone, and then those two cars basically wrecked the whole field. Chastain escaped without damage, but I don't know who else is still running.

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  39. Logano is wiped out. Suarez is wiped out. There are 8 laps left, but it will be awhile before we know who is still running.

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  40. So it was William Byron, in the number 24 car, who clipped Keselowski, thus precipitating a wreck that effectively wiped out most of the field. The red flag is out, and one of the safety trucks is stuck in the grass. It will be awhile before we know who's left.

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  41. I feel bad for Logano. I think he had the best car. But after all these years, I can tell you that you had better be in the lead with 20 laps to go, because a huge wreck is coming.

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  42. It's amazing to think that these guys spend all this time at Daytona knowing that there's going to be a huge wreck with less than 20 laps to go.

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  43. Here is the top 10:

    1. Ross Chastain (Number 1 car)
    2. Alex Bowman (48)
    3. William Byron (24)
    4. Austin Cindric (2)
    5. Chase Elliott (9)
    6. Christopher Bell (20)
    7. Chase Briscoe (14)
    8. Kyle Busch (8)
    9. A.J. Allmendinger (16)
    10. Erik Jones (43)

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  44. Eight laps to go. Still under red flag.

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  45. Ryan Blaney states that Alex Bowman bumped Byron, that caused Byron to clip Keselowski, and then Keselowski wiped out everyone else. Ironically, Bowman and Byron appear to have made it through without incident.

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  46. The red flag has been withdrawn, and the yellow flag is out.

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  47. They will go green with 4 laps to go.

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  48. Chastain is leading the top lane, and Byron is leading the bottom lane.

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  49. With 2 laps to go, Byron and the lower lane start to pull away.

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  50. With one lap to go, there's another huge wreck. But now it appears that William Byron took the white flag just before the caution flag came out. Thus, the race does NOT go to overtime. Instead, Byron gets to circle the track one more time with Bowman next to him, and the WILLIAM BYRON TAKES THE 2024 DAYTONA 500.

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  51. So the 24 car wins the Daytona 500 for the first time since Jeff Gordon won the race in 2005.

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  52. Final top 10:

    1. William Byron (Chevy) (Number 24)
    2. Alex Bowman (Chevy) (48)
    3. Christopher Bell (Toyota) (20)
    4. Corey Lajoie (Chevy) (7)
    5. A.J. Allmendinger (Chevy) (16)
    6. Bubba Wallace (Toyota) (23)
    7. John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota) (42)
    8. Chase Briscoe (Ford) (14)
    9. Erik Jones (Toyota) (43)
    10. Noah Gragson (Ford) (10)

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  53. William Byron is 26 years old, he drives Jeff Gordon's old car, and he's from Charlotte, North Carolina.

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  54. Does NASCAR still have the great radio coverage of these races? I loved listening to NASCAR on the radio back in the 80's.

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    1. I listened to the whole race on the radio, and it was fantastic. Possibly the best radio coverage of any sport.

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    2. Radio announcers are generally good, while TV announcers are generally bad. Having said that, here is the best national radio coverage:

      1. Westwood One for the NFL (especially if you get Kevin Harlan)
      2. NASCAR Radio
      3. PGA Tour Radio
      4. Westwood One for the NCAA Basketball Tournament
      5. ESPN Radio College Football
      6. ESPN Radio MLB
      7. ESPN Radio NBA

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    3. NFL Westwood One is amazingly great.

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  55. Tony Kornheiser appears to have discovered someone he really likes to come on his podcast and talk about NASCAR, and that guy is really great. So I'm hopeful for paying a little closer attention to stock-car racing this year than I typically do.

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