DAYTONA BEACH, Florida: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500 in double overtime and under caution Sunday night in the longest running of “The Great American Race.”
The two overtimes pushed the 65th running of the race to a record 212 laps — a dozen laps beyond the scheduled distance and a whopping 530 miles.
Stenhouse’s win in a Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing — a single-car team partly owned by former NBA player Brad Daugherty — was the third of his career. JTG is the first single-car team to win the Daytona 500 since The Wood Brothers Racing did it with Trevor Bayne in 2011.
Stenhouse’s only other victories came in 2017, at Talladega and the summer race at Daytona.
Now the 35-year-old from Olive Branch, Mississippi, has a repeat win at Daytona in NASCAR’s biggest race of the season. And it 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.
Clockwise from top, Aric Almirola (10), Brad Keselowski (6), Kyle Larson (5), Ryan Blaney (12), Daniel Suarez (99), and Travis Pastrana (67), and Alex Bowman (48) crash during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race on Feb. 19, 2023. (AP)
“I think this whole offseason Mike just preached how much we all believed in each other. They left me a note in the car that said they believe in me and to go get the job done,” Stenhouse said. “Man, this is unbelievable. This was the site of my last win back in 2017. We’ve worked really hard. We had a couple shots last year to get a win and fell short.
“It was a tough season, but man, we got it done, Daytona 500.”
Kyle Larson was collected in the race-ending crash after he jumped out of line too early in an attempt to win the race. His disappointment was alleviated by Stenhouse’s victory.
“Happy that Ricky won. I’m super happy. That’s all I could think about after I crashed, waiting to hear that he won,” Larson said. “He’s one of my best friends, so I was like yelling into my helmet when I helped push him to the lead there. I was hoping it was going to stay green so it would have been me or him win.
“I can’t wait to go get changed and go give him a big hug because he is one of my great buddies.”
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. “Congratulations to Ricky. There’s nothing like winning the Daytona 500. That’s why it stings so much finishing second.”
Christopher Bell was third in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and followed by Chris Buescher in a Ford for RFK Racing and pole-sitter Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports in a Chevrolet. It marked the first time the pole-sitter has finished in the top five since Bill Elliott in 2001.
AJ Allmendinger was sixth for Kaulig Racing, Daniel Suarez seventh for Trackhouse Racing, and Ryan Blaney eighth for Team Penske. Ross Chastain of Trackhouse and Riley Herbst of Rick Ware Racing rounded out the top 10.
Action sports star Travis Pastrana finished 11th in his Daytona 500 debut, and Kevin Harvick was 12th in his final Daytona 500. Harvick is retiring at the end of the year.
Kyle Busch dropped to 0 for 18 in the Daytona 500, but contended for his new Richard Childress Racing team. He was the leader ahead of teammate Austin Dillon with three laps remaining in regulation when a spin by Daniel Suarez brought out the caution and sent the race to overtime.
“Back in 1998, that would be the win, boys,” Busch radioed his team in deliberate reference to how the late Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500. There was no overtime then and Earnhardt won under caution.
Busch wound up 19th after the race-ending crash in second overtime.
“I think this is the first time I led lap 200, so I wish it was 1998 rules. But, no, it’s just par for the course, just used to it and come down here every year to just find out when and where I’m going to crash and what lap I come out of the care center,” Busch said. “Who won? I don’t even know who lucked into it.”
Busch was told Stenhouse was the victor.
“There you have it,” he replied.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson made his return to the series and ran inside the top 15 for most of the race. He was collected in one of the crashes in overtime and finished 31st. Johnson has returned from two years racing in the IndyCar Series as part owner of Legacy Motor Club and he plans to enter a handful of races.
Brad Keselowski led a race-high 42 laps, but finished 22nd. He declined to speak to reporters after dropping to 0 for 14 in a race he desperately wants to win.
Race of champions
The 65th running of the Daytona 500 marked the first time the reigning Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series champions were all part of the field.
Cup champion Logano finished second, while Xfinity Series champion Ty Gibbs was 25th and Truck Series champion Zane Smith 13th.
Smith had to race his way into the 40-driver field and won the Truck Series opener Friday night. It was the Daytona 500 debut for both Gibbs and Smith.
Next up
The Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, next Sunday in the final race in the track’s current configuration. It will be renovated into a short track after the race — a project that will prevent the track from hosting any racing in 2024. Kyle Larson won last year’s race.
