Green flag at Daytona (2024)

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Mark Cooper·Staff Editor, News

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Summary

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won NASCAR's Daytona 500 on Sunday after two overtime restarts, staying ahead of Joey Logano. NASCAR deemed Stenhouse was in the lead when a caution was called on the final lap of the race.

Ross Chastain topped Stage 2, while Brad Keselowski picked up a Stage 1 win. Alex Bowman started on the pole alongside Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson on the front row.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and action sports legend Travis Pastrana also joined this year's field as open entries, qualifying for Sunday's race along with Zane Smith and Conor Daly.

Follow along here for full highlights and results from the 65th running of the Daytona 500.

Required reading

  • Daytona 500 reaction: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and JTG Daugherty get a massive win

(Photo: Getty Images)

February 19, 2023 at 3:17 PM ESTJordan Bianchi·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Green flag at Daytona

Green flag! The race is officially underway.

"Season starts today," Bubba Wallace says. "Let's get after it. ... This is the best car we've ever had."

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February 19, 2023 at 3:08 PM ESTJeff Gluck·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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NASCAR’s GOAT debate

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The “greatest of all time” debate in football? There isn’t one. It’s Tom Brady.

Hockey? Easy, it’s Wayne Gretzky.

In the NBA, there’s certainly a conversation to be had: Michael Jordan or LeBron James?

But in NASCAR, the picture is murkier, despite strong opinions throughout the fan base and the garage.

“It’s a toss-up between five guys,” Kyle Busch said. “It’s always up for debate. In other sports, you can kind of say one guy is a GOAT. But ours is hard to pick.”

As Busch suspected, there were indeed five drivers who received at least one first-place vote from our 26-member panel during the selection process for The Athletic’s 75 Greatest NASCAR Cup Series Drivers voting.

Here’s how the numbers shook out, with the case for and against each person to be No. 1.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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The Athletic Staff

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Engines fired

The race is 200 laps (500 miles) on Daytona's 2.5-mile superspeedway. Stage 1 ends at Lap 65 and Stage 2 ends at Lap 130. Let's go racing.

NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Bill Elliott, Bobby Allison, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano are the grand marshals for the race.

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The Athletic Staff

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Daytona 500 weather forecast

This afternoon’s weather forecast in Daytona Beach, Fla., is mostly sunny with a high near 77 degrees, then partly cloudy tonight, according to the National Weather Service. AccuWeather indicates there could be an afternoon shower in spots, with Weather Underground giving a 15 percent chance of rain from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET that drops to a 4 percent chance at 5 p.m. ET.

February 19, 2023 at 2:41 PM ESTJeff Gluck·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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A Thunderbirds special

At approximately 3 p.m. ET, after pre-race ceremonies have already concluded, the Thunderbirds will do an additional special air show over the track to celebrate their anniversary.

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February 19, 2023 at 2:37 PM ESTJeff Gluck·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Five NASCAR questions to be answered this year

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We’ve noticed a pattern through the first three years of our annual preseason NASCAR questions contest.

Each season so far has gotten progressively more difficult to predict. In 2022, for example, nearly one-quarter of respondents didn’t get a single correct answer out of five questions. And more than two-thirds of participants failed to get even two right answers. Only a pair of players (out of 272) got at least three correct, including winner Craig Swiecki (who was declared champion with a score of 3.5).

How will we collectively fare this year? Do you think you have what it takes to join our list of winners? Read through the questions here, then either click the link to fill out the form or leave your answers in the comments section.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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February 19, 2023 at 2:30 PM ESTJordan Bianchi·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Kyle Larson changes mindset as he seeks first superspeedway win

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One style of track has frequently befuddled Kyle Larson throughout his NASCAR career, those being superspeedways like Daytona International Speedway, site of today's Daytona 500. The 2021 Cup Series champion has made 17 starts at Daytona but has never finished better than sixth while eight times he’s failed to finish.

There once was a time when Larson thought his lack of success at Daytona was solely attributed to bad luck and that winning and losing on a superspeedway had more to do with factors outside a driver’s direct control. But over time his mindset about racing at Daytona, and its sister track Talladega Superspeedway, has evolved.

“It’s definitely a unique style of racing and one that I haven't quite figured out yet,” Larson said. “I've had good races where I'm like, 'OK, I’ve got a handle on this,' and then come back the next time you crash on like Lap 20, and you're like, 'OK, no I don't.' It’s unique. It’s hard to study for because it changes. Almost every time you go, you go back to a place where setups evolve, cars evolve, so it's hard. There’s a handful of guys that seem to always be up front no matter what generation car it is or what rules package it may be. They just have a good understanding of it.”

Larson will start second in the Daytona 500, sharing the front row with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman. A win Sunday would represent Larson’s first on any superspeedway.

“I'm sure at some point in my career the stars will align and I will (win),” Larson said. “I also need to do a better job of putting myself in the right spot. I used to always say, ‘Oh, I've got bad luck at these places.’ I don't think those guys that are always in contingent have better luck than me. I think they're putting themselves in a better position to avoid crashes. I seem to always find my way to around 10th, and that's kind of where you get swarmed up in a crash. Just got to continue to try and evolve and figure it out quickly to be up front.”

(Photo: Getty Images)

February 19, 2023 at 2:25 PM ESTJordan Bianchi·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Five NASCAR drivers facing the most pressure in 2023

Sports are often about “what have you done for me lately?” Any success you’ve previously had can be forgotten if your results take a downturn. Yesterday’s hero can quickly become today’s scapegoat.

NASCAR is no different, with drivers constantly under pressure to meet ever-changing expectations, which may or may not be reasonable. Sometimes even winning isn’t enough to assure job security.

So with the 2023 NASCAR season kicking off, let’s assess which drivers are facing the most pressure to perform this year.

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The Athletic Staff

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Top-tier trolling by Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain fans

Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain feuded last season after a series of on-track incidents and fans have rallied in their drivers’ respective corners. For example, someone wrote, “Go Denny Hamlin!!” on a Chastain showcar displayed at Daytona that fans signed. Chastain fans have also clapped back.

February 19, 2023 at 2:15 PM ESTJeff Gluck·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Drivers making an entrance

Something to watch today if you’re at Daytona: After the drivers’ meeting (first one since March 8, 2020, by the way!), the drivers will parade through the fan zone straight out to the grid. So if you have infield access, watch for that before driver intros.

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The Athletic Staff

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Tiffany Haddish, Pete Davidson among Daytona celebrity sightings

NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy gave a garage tour to the comedians today. Haddish is the honorary starter who will wave the green flag to start the race. Davidson is just … everywhere.

February 19, 2023 at 2:05 PM ESTJordan Bianchi·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Best Daytona 500 paint scheme?

Here’s my vote.

February 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM ESTJeff Gluck·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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12 questions with Joey Logano

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Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. For the fifth straight season, Joey Logano opens our series — this time as the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion.

  1. You must pick one chore or obligation to do every day for a year. But if you do this successfully for a whole year, you never have to do it again for the rest of your life. So what chore do you pick?

Well, I’ll tell you what. This chore I’ve been doing for the last five years is changing diapers every day. (Laughs) And I don’t see the end in the near future anytime soon. So at some point, yes, I will be done changing diapers until grandkids or my sister’s kids or something.

It doesn’t really bother me that much anymore, though. It would if it were someone else’s kids. Changing your own kids’ crap isn’t that bad. Changing someone else’s kid? I always say no. I’ve never done it. I just say no.

Read the rest of the conversation here.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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February 19, 2023 at 1:50 PM ESTJeff Gluck·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric was a juror on murder trial

Whether or not someone wins the Daytona 500 — as Austin Cindric did last year as a NASCAR rookie — it doesn't help you escape jury duty.

Two weeks after winning the 500 last year, Cindric received a jury summons. But seeing as though the NASCAR season had just begun, Cindric couldn't serve and received a deferral for after the season.

Sure enough, he was not only summoned again but actually picked to serve on a week-and-a-half-long murder trial in December.

"It was a good life experience, but horrible timing," said Cindric, who added the defendant was "very guilty."

Cindric said he didn't want to serve as jury foreman because enough people already knew who he was and he "didn't want to be the one to deliver the bad news."

Now in his second NASCAR Cup Series season, Cindric will start today's Daytona 500 in sixth place.

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The Athletic Staff

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Jimmie Johnson qualifies for Daytona 500: 'It is a huge relief'

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Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, raced himself into a starting spot in the Daytona 500, qualifying based on time Wednesday. Driving the No. 84 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club, the 47-year-old is making his return to NASCAR after retiring from full-time Cup racing after the 2020 season.

"It is a huge relief," Johnson, who spent the last two years in IndyCar, said after qualifying. "Came down here for my rookie season when the 48 team was just started up. We had to get in through qualifying. That was a very stressful moment. So I've kind of fallen back on that experience, although it was 20-something years ago now."

"I didn't know what to expect, honestly," Johnson added. "I mean, I really didn't. To be the fastest of the non-chartered cars, be in the middle of the pack, in the situation we're in, how late this program got off the ground, I'm really happy with where we landed ... It was just about making the race."

(Photo: Getty Images)

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February 19, 2023 at 1:30 PM ESTJordan Bianchi·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Chase Elliott tops 2023 preseason driver rankings

With the season-opening Daytona 500 today, it’s the time of year when optimism reigns for every driver and team.

Of course, that optimism isn’t always based in reality. And before long, the confidence a driver and team have now can devolve into a combination of befuddlement and frustration that they’re not performing better.

So then, which drivers should truly feel good about themselves and which drivers have reason to worry about what’s ahead?

Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell top our preseason rankings of all 33 drivers who are planning to race in all Cup Series races in 2023. See the full list here.

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February 19, 2023 at 1:20 PM ESTJordan Bianchi·Staff Writer, Motorsports

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Jordan Bianchi's pick to win the Daytona 500

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Bubba Wallace has evolved into one of the best on superspeedways, scoring a win at Talladega in 2021 and twice finishing second in the Daytona 500 — including last year when he finished runner-up to Austin Cindric by 0.036 seconds. Despite this track record, Wallace surprisingly has a little bit higher odds than you’d expect (+1800) as he’s behind two drivers who’ve never won at Daytona (Kyle Larson, +1400, and Ross Chastain, +1600).

(Photo: Getty Images)

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The Athletic Staff

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Odds to win the Daytona 500

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney are co-favorites to win this year’s race with 12-1 odds, per BetMGM. But keep in mind long shots have won the past two Daytona 500s, with Michael McDowell taking the checkered flag in 2021 and Austin Cindric winning in 2022. Cindric’s odds heading into last year’s race were 33-1. Those banking on the underdogs could hit it big if this year brings another surprise winner.

2023 Daytona 500 odds

  • Denny Hamlin: 12-1
  • Chase Elliott: 12-1
  • Ryan Blaney: 12-1
  • Kyle Busch: 14-1
  • Kyle Larson: 14-1
  • Joey Logano: 14-1
  • William Byron: 16-1
  • Ross Chastain: 16-1
  • Brad Keselowski: 18-1
  • Bubba Wallace: 18-1
Green flag at Daytona (2024)

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