Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney win stages in the 2019 Daytona 500
Staff Report
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Kyle Busch won Stage 1 in the 61st annual Daytona 500 on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. Busch, who started the race in the 31st position, took the lead on Lap 35 and held onto the top spot as the green-white-checkered flag waved on Lap 60.
Busch, who has a hole in his trophy case reserved for the Harley J. Earl Trophy, was part of a pack of Toyotas and Chevrolets that took fresh tires on a pit stop after the first caution of the stage (for debris on Lap 21). That group assembled on the low line and gave each other a good push to overcome a group of Fords that had the early advantage.
RELATED: Stage 1 results | Fantasy
Alex Bowman, who started on the front row, came in second behind Busch after falling back in the field early on in the stage. A pack of Fords --Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.
There were two cautions during the first stage, including one for a wreck involving Kurt Busch, Bubba Wallace and Jamie McMurray.
Finish
Driver
Team
Race Points
1
Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing
10
2
Alex Bowman
Hendrick Motorsports
9
3
Joey Logano
Team Penske
8
4
Daniel Suarez
Stewart-Haas Racing
7
5
Ryan Blaney
Team Penske
6
6
Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing
5
7
Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports
4
8
Kyle Larson
Chip Ganassi Racing
3
9
Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing
2
10
Erik Jones
Joe Gibbs Racing
1
STAGE 2
Ryan Blaney won Stage 2 of the Daytona 500 on Sunday to reassert Ford’s spot at the top of the leaderboard after Toyota driver Kyle Busch won Stage 1. Blaney took the lead following a late caution and reached the line just ahead of Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola was third, followed by Blaney’s Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski in fourth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five.
RELATED: Stage 2 results
Matt DiBenedetto, the new driver for the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota, finished sixth in Stage 2 and led the most laps through the first two stages with 49.
There was one caution during the stage for an incident in Turn 1 involving Casey Mears and Parker Kligerman on Lap 106.