Winners and losers from the 64th edition of The Great American Race.
CHECKERED FLAGS
Austin Cindric
The rookie drove like anything but a freshman Cup driver Sunday afternoon and it paid off with a thrilling victory in only the Team Penske driver’s eighth career start in NASCAR’s top division.
Bubba Wallace
He was definitely in position to score his second career NASCAR Cup Series win but came up one position short on Sunday. Wallace posted his second career Daytona 500 second-place finish in five starts.
Ryan Blaney
His fourth-place finish gave Blaney his fourth top-10 finish in the last six Daytona 500s. Another Team Penske driver who was a major player all week.
Kyle Busch
He sustained damage in a couple of incidents but Busch stayed on the radar for his first 500 win. He didn’t get it and is still winless in the Daytona 500 in 17 starts but his 324 laps led are the most by all drivers who have never won the race.
Michael McDowell
Last year’s Daytona 500 winner was again in the mix for another trip to Victory Lane. McDowell was involved in the crash to the checkered flag that ended the race but was able to put a seventh-place finish on the board.
BLACK FLAGS
Denny Hamlin
The driver who had won three of the last six Daytona 500s had his day cut short when he was swept up in a multi-car accident.
Martin Truex Jr.
His quest to finally win the 500 also ended with damage sustained in an accident even though Truex Jr. took the opening two stages.
Joey Logano
He came all the way from the back of the field in a backup car and at one point had the lead. But Logano was involved in an accident and his car got stuck in the grass after a spin adding insult to injury.
Brad Keselowski
He got Roush Fenway Racing a Daytona 500 top-10 but Keselowski didn’t make too many friends on Sunday with several displays of aggressive pushing that led to a series of accidents.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
He won a summer race at Daytona but never the 500 and looked like he might end that drought for JTG Daugherty Racing leading late until Stenhouse Jr. exited the race after a multi-car accident.
