Stenhouse Wins at Daytona and Climbs the Fence

AP Photo

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – RIS – It was the longest Daytona 500 in history at 530 miles, but Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. avoided the big wreck and won over a fast and Cup Champion Joey Logano to claim the victory.  The final laps became a wreck filled mess with two overtimes and a finish under caution.  Stenhouse's win in a Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing — a team part owned by former NBA player Brad Daugherty — was the third of his career. His only other victories came in 2017 — at Talladega and the summer race at Daytona in a Roush Fenway Ford.  came in his first race reunited with crew chief Mike Kelly, who guided Stenhouse to a pair of Xfinity Series championships earlier in his career.

Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano finished second in a Ford for Team Penske, which won the race last year with Austin Cindric.

“Second is the worst, man,” Logano said.

Though there was action throughout the race, the two overtimes caused the victory.  In the first overtime, Austin Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 winner, spun out in his No. 3 Chevrolet when the front of the inside line got stacked up behind him. Dillon got bumped by William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, setting off a chain reaction, which collected 13 cars, including three other Daytona 500 winners — Denny Hamlin (a three-time winner), Jimmie Johnson, who won it twice, and last year's winner Austin Cindric — though Hamlin had minimal damage. Also involved: Stage 2 winner Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Riley Herbst, Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, Zane Smith, Todd Gilliland, and Noah Gragson.

Daniel Suarez, in the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, spun out with three laps remaining in the race to set up the first overtime finish. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch (No. 8 Cheverolet), seeking his first Daytona 500 win in his illustrious career, was leading Dillon, his Richard Childress Racing teammate, when the caution flag flew.

An example of the chaos was Shortly after the final green-flag pit stops began on Lap 176 of 200, a couple of former Cup Series champions and a Daytona 500 winner got caught in some on-track chaos. As cars were spread out and trying to get back up to speed, Michael McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 champ, made contact with Ryan Preece, running 14th and 15th, causing Preece to spin and triggering a multi-car incident.

Stage two saw Ross Chastain, in the No. 1  Chevrolet, edge pole-sitter Alex Bowman at the line to win the second stage. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove  his car to third, Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano was fourth and Logano's teammate, Austin Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 winner, was fifth in the No. 2 Ford.

The first major incident occurred on Lap 118 of 200 when Tyler Reddick, battling for fourth in the No. 45, got loose after a bump from Kevin Harvick in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford. Reddick then careened into Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford and both cars spun out, setting off an eight-car accident.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Bowman, who won the pole, and Larson, led the field to the green flag in the opening stage. The Chevrolet drivers looked strong early, but following green flag pit stops starting on Lap 37 of 65, Toyota drivers took control of the race. Ford would have the final say, however, with the manufacturer's drivers claiming the top five spots and seven of the Top 10. Owner/driver Brad Keselowski surged to the lead on the final lap in the Roush Fenway Keselowski No. 6, Stewart-Haas

Racing's Ryan Preece (41) finished second, Keselowski's RFK teammate Buescher was third, Preece' teammate Harvick was fourth, and 2021 Daytona 500 champ Michael McDowell (34) of Front Row Motorsports was fifth.

The highest Toyota finisher was Ty Gibbs in sixth. Owner/driver Brad Keselowski surged to the lead on the final lap in the Roush Fenway Keselowski No. 6, Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Preece (41) finished second, Keselowski's RFK teammate Buescher was third, Preece' teammate Harvick was fourth, and 2021 Daytona 500 champ Michael McDowell (34) of Front Row Motorsports was fifth.

Next week the Cup Series heads to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for a race on the 2-mile oval.

Unofficial Results: DAYTONA 500, February 19, 2023 - Daytona International Speedway 
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, , Laps , St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 31, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet, 212, , 3, 1, 10, 5, 48, Running
2) 3, Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 212, , 4, 6, 12, , 42, Running
3) 5, Christopher Bell, No. 20 DeWalt/Rheem Toyota, 212, , 10, 3, 20, , 35, Running
4) 9, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 212, 3, 9, 5, 32, , 43, Running
5) 1, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 212, , 2, 3, 12, , 41, Running
6) 29, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, 212, , 8, 1, 1, , 34, Running
7) 24, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 212, , , 1, 3, , 30, Running
8) 7, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Blue DEF/PEAK Ford, 212, , , 1, 1, , 29, Running
9) 23, Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet, 212, , 1, 2, 6, 1, 38, Running
10) 38, Riley Herbst(i), No. 15 SunnyD Ford, 212, , , , , , 0, Running
11) 40, Travis Pastrana, No. 67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota, 212, , , 1, 2, , 26, Running
12) 13, Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Light Ford, 212, 4, , 1, 1, , 32, Running
13) 17, Zane Smith(i), No. 36 Wellcare Ford, 212, , , , , , 0, Running
14) 35, Cody Ware, No. 51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, 212, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 16, Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 212, 9, 6, 1, 13, , 29, Running
16) 12, Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Celsius Chevrolet, 212, , , , , , 21, Running
17) 18, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx 50 Toyota, 212, , , 2, 6, , 20, Running
18) 2, Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 211, , , 3, 6, , 19, Accident
19) 36, Kyle Busch, No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet, 211, , , 1, 6, , 18, Accident
20) 15, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, 211, , , 2, 5, , 17, Accident
21) 4, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 211, 8, , 8, 16, , 19, Accident
22) 10, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Nexlizet Ford, 211, 1, , 6, 42, 1, 25, Accident
23) 6, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford, 210, , 5, , , , 20, Accident
24) 22, Noah Gragson #, No. 42 Wendy's Chevrolet, 210, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 33, Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy/Interstate Batteries Toyota, 210, 6, , , , , 17, Running
26) 19, Harrison Burton, No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Ford, 210, , , 1, 9, , 11, Running
27) 14, Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Skills Ford, 208, 10, , , , , 11, Accident
28) 11, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 208, 5, , , , , 15, Running
29) 34, Conor Daly(i), No. 50 BitNile.com Chevrolet, 206, , , , , , 0, Running
30) 32, BJ McLeod, No. 78 Power Slap Rumble Chevrolet, 204, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 39, Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet, 203, 7, , , , , 10, Accident
32) 28, Justin Haley, No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet, 203, , , , , , 5, Accident
33) 27, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Chevrolet, 202, , , , , , 4, Accident
34) 21, William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 202, , 7, , , , 7, Accident
35) 30, Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 182, , , 2, 5, , 2, Accident
36) 20, Ryan Preece, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford, 181, 2, , 1, 4, , 10, Accident
37) 25, Erik Jones, No. 43 GUNS N' ROSES Chevrolet, 118, , , , , , 1, Accident
38) 8, Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 118, , , , , , 1, Accident
39) 26, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 117, , , , , , 1, Accident
40) 37, Ty Dillon, No. 77 Ferris Chevrolet, 26, , , , , , 1, Engine
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie

Race Distance: 212 Laps - 530. Miles
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 38 Mins, 53 Secs.
Average Speed: 145.283 MPH
Margin of Victory: Under Caution

Stage 1 Top 10: 6, 41, 17, 4, 34, 54, 84, 10, 19, 38
Stage 2 Top 10: 1, 48, 47, 22, 2, 19, 24, 16, 17, 20

Comments: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has won the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway, his third career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Prior to the start, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reason indicated: No. 8 (Backup Car).

Failed to Qualify: (2) 62 Austin Hill(i), 13 Chandler Smith(i).

Cautions: 8 for 38 laps;
Laps: 67-71 (Stage 1 Conclusion [16]);
119-124 (No. 45, 19, 12, 9, 43, 8, 5, 99, 4 Incident Turn 4 [23]);
132-137 (Stage 2 Conclusion [8]);
140-143 (Debris Turn 2 [15]);
183-187 (No. 4, 19, 41, 14, 54, 84, 34 Incident Turn 2 [12]);
199-202 (No. 99 Spin Frontstretch [12]);
204-210 (No. 2, 38, 21, 42, 3, 31, 15, 84, 24, 36, 11, 6, 1 Incident Turn 3 [99]);
212-212 (No. 12, 10, 2, 23, 6, 5, 8, 11, 16 Incident Turn 2 [None]).

Lead Changes: 52 among 21 drivers;
A. Bowman 0;
K. Larson 1;
A. Bowman 2-10;
K. Larson 11-12;
C. Bell 13-20;
K. Larson 21-23;
C. Bell 24-34;
A. Almirola 35;
A. Bowman 36-37;
C. Bell 38;
*. Pastrana 39-40;
D. Hamlin 41;
C. Briscoe 42;
D. Hamlin 43-47;
C. Briscoe 48-51;
M. Truex Jr. 52-64;
B. Keselowski 65-67;
R. Preece 68-71;
B. Keselowski 72;
A. Almirola 73;
B. Keselowski 74-76;
A. Almirola 77-79;
B. Keselowski 80;
A. Almirola 81;
B. Keselowski 82-108;
K. Harvick 109;
J. Logano 110;
R. Blaney 111;
J. Logano 112-115;
C. Buescher 116;
J. Logano 117;
C. Buescher 118-121;
J. Logano 122-125;
R. Chastain 126;
J. Logano 127;
R. Chastain 128-132;
A. Bowman 133;
B. Wallace 134-137;
A. Almirola 138-142;
B. Wallace 143;
A. Almirola 144-145;
C. Buescher 146;
A. Almirola 147-148;
C. Buescher 149-153;
A. Almirola 154;
C. Buescher 155-175;
D. Suarez 176-178;
H. Burton 179-187;
J. Logano 188;
A. Allmendinger 189;
B. Keselowski 190-196;
K. Busch 197-202;
R. Stenhouse Jr. 203-212.

Unofficial Driver Points: Daytona 500
Rank    Driver  Car      Starts  GL        Points  Ldr       Nxt      Race Wins       Stage Wins     Playoff Pts
1)         Joey Logano    22        1          1          52        0          0          0          0          0
2)         Chris Buescher            17        1          6          50        -2         2          0          0          0
3)         Ricky Stenhouse Jr      47        1          37        48        -4         2          1          0          5
4)         Christopher Bell          20        1          0          44        -8         4          0          0          0
5)         Alex Bowman  48        1          34        41        -11       3          0          0          0
6)         Ross Chastain  1          1          39        38        -14       3          0          1          1
7)         Ryan Blaney    12        1          -1         37        -15       1          0          0          0
8)         Kevin Harvick  4          1          4          37        -15       0          0          0          0
9)         AJ Allmendinger          16        1          32        34        -18       3          0          0          0
10)       Martin Truex Jr           19        1          5          32        -20       2          0          0          0
11)       Brad Keselowski          6          1          -4         32        -20       0          0          1          1
12)       Daniel Suarez  99        1          9          30        -22       2          0          0          0
13)       Aric Almirola   10        1          -12       29        -23       1          0          0          0
14)       Austin Cindric 2          1          -11       29        -23       0          0          0          0
15)       Corey LaJoie    7          1          -6         27        -25       2          0          0          0
16)       * Travis Pastrana        67        1          14        26        -26       1          0          0          0
17)       Kyle Larson      5          1          -6         24        -28       2          0          0          0
18)       Cody Ware      51        1          18        23        -29       1          0          0          0
19)       Denny Hamlin 11        1          -3         22        -30       1          0          0          0
20)       Bubba Wallace            23        1          -6         21        -31       1          0          0          0
21)       Michael McDowell      34        1          -11       21        -31       0          0          0          0
22)       Kyle Busch       8          1          6          18        -34       3          0          0          0
23)       Ty Gibbs #       54        1          14        17        -35       1          0          0          0
24)       Todd Gilliland  38        1          -11       15        -37       2          0          0          0
25)       Noah Gragson #          42        1          -5         13        -39       2          0          0          0
26)       Harrison Burton          21        1          -9         13        -39       0          0          0          0
27)       Ryan Preece    41        1          -9         11        -41       2          0          0          0
28)       * Jimmie Johnson       84        1          14        10        -42       1          0          0          0
29)       Chase Elliott    9          1          -24       9          -43       1          0          0          0
30)       William Byron 24        1          -11       8          -44       1          0          0          0
31)       BJ McLeod       78        1          -6         7          -45       1          0          0          0
32)       Justin Haley     31        1          -9         5          -47       2          0          0          0
33)       Austin Dillon   3          1          10        4          -48       1          0          0          0
34)       Chase Briscoe  14        1          -10       2          -50       2          0          0          0
35)       Erik Jones        43        1          9          1          -51       1          0          0          0
36)       Tyler Reddick  45        1          -14       1          -51       0          0          0          0
37)       Ty Dillon          77        1          -2         1          -51       0          0          0          0
38)       Riley Herbst(i) 15        1          -9         0          -52       1          0          0          0
39)       * Zane Smith(i)            36        1          7          0          -52       0          0          0          0
40)       * Conor Daly(i)            50        1          -14       0          -52       0          0          0          0
41)       Austin Hill                    0          -14       0          -52       0          0          0          0
42)       Chandler Smith                       0          -4         0          -52       0          0          0          0
 -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series