‘So Damn Close’: Reprising Atlanta’s three-wide thriller with all the key players

Posted on February 18, 2025February 18, 2025 by Jerry Bonkowski

Last February’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was truly an extraordinary race, as it resulted in the closest three-wide finish — .007 seconds from first to third — in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Every driver, as well as fans who blew up social media after the race, knew they had been part of or witnessed something extremely rare and special.

Last month, NASCAR brought together the top three finishers — winner Daniel Suárez, runner-up Ryan Blaney and third-place Kyle Busch — plus their respective crew chiefs and spotters — to the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, North Carolina, to relive the thrilling photo finish outcome of a race that is sure to be talked about for decades to come.

Now airing on NASCAR’s YouTube channel, fans can catch the appropriately named “So Damn Close” — a documentary hosted by driver-turned-broadcaster Clint Bowyer — and once again watch how the race excitingly transpired, but from a new vantage point.

“We could tell this story in a lot of ways, including interview each guy individually and get their own perspective, which would be in a more traditional way of doing it,” said Griffin Van Malssen, NASCAR Studios’ supervising producer for unscripted content. “But we thought what would really make this show stand out is to have all these guys together and able to bounce off each other and learn things from each other, and talk about what they were thinking. We wanted them to navigate and relive the race together.”

The end result is a rare and fascinating up-close illustration of synergy and strategy between drivers, crew chiefs and spotters that fans don’t often have a chance to experience.

Equally as fascinating was how Van Malssen and his crew of nearly 30 camerapersons, producers and editors pulled everything together in just over a month’s time.

“It was stressful,” he said. “Having to line all these people up wasn’t easy, knowing we had to have time to do (the interviews) and then having time to edit it all together. But everybody pitched in and understood how important the show was going to be, how cool it was going to be and having everyone together was going to make it special. It was awesome to just have it all come together.

“There’s not one single frame, other than footage from the original race, that was part of this until (the taping at the Gem Theatre on) January 8. The team really went into overdrive to put together an hour-long show. Sometimes, we have months to put together something like this, and they did it in weeks. I’m really proud of the team and thankful for all the work they put in and how fun and interesting and exciting they made the show. That’s what stands out about all this.”

That Suárez would ultimately earn his second career Cup Series win, despite his Chevrolet suffering minor damage in a multicar crash on Lap 2, is a testament to his and his team Trackhouse Racing’s persistence and determination to take the checkered flag.

“Any of us could have won that race,” Suárez said of the three-car last-lap battle to the checkered flag. “It was a matter of inches. It was just a matter of timing. Fortunately, the timing worked out good for me.”

And in so doing, Suárez, Blaney and Busch will forever be part of history in a race they and NASCAR fans will likely never forget.

“That replay will be played forever,” Bowyer said. “You think about the moments that we still use of Richard Petty’s wins or Dale Earnhardt’s wins; those are still used today. That finish will be a hard one to top.”

Posted on February 17, 2025February 19, 2025 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rolls into Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Fr8 208 on Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Weekend schedule

Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will make his first of five starts with Spire Motorsports, while another Spire entry will be filled by 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, who will contest his second Truck Series race in a row.

Here’s a look at the full entry list for the event:

Entry	Veh #	Driver	Organization
1	1	William Sawalich (i)	Tricon Garage
2	02	Nathan Byrd	Young's Motorsports
3	2	Keith McGee	Reaume Brothers Racing
4	5	Toni Breidinger	Tricon Garage
5	07	Michael McDowell (i)	Spire Motorsports
6	7	Kyle Busch (i)	Spire Motorsports
7	9	Grant Enfinger	CR7 Motorsports
8	11	Corey Heim	Tricon Garage
9	13	Jake Garcia	ThorSport Racing
10	15	Tanner Gray	Tricon Garage
11	17	Giovanni Ruggiero	Tricon Garage
12	18	Tyler Ankrum	McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
13	19	Daniel Hemric	McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
14	22	Josh Reaume	Reaume Brothers Racing
15	26	Dawson Sutton	Rackley W.A.R
16	33	Frankie Muniz	Reaume Brothers Racing
17	34	Layne Riggs	Front Row Motorsports
18	38	Chandler Smith	Front Row Motorsports
19	42	Matt Mills	Niece Motorsports
20	44	Bayley Currey	Niece Motorsports
21	45	Kaden Honeycutt	Niece Motorsports
22	52	Stewart Friesen	Halmar Friesen Racing
23	66	Luke Fenhaus	ThorSport Racing
24	71	Rajah Caruth	Spire Motorsports
25	76	Spencer Boyd	Freedom Racing Enterprises
26	77	Andrés Pérez de Lara	Spire Motorsports
27	81	Connor Mosack	McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
28	88	Matt Crafton	ThorSport Racing
29	90	Justin Carroll	Terry Carroll Motorsports
30	91	Jack Wood	McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
31	98	Ty Majeski	ThorSport Racing
32	99	Ben Rhodes	ThorSport Racing
33	63	Akinori Ogata	Akinori Performance

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

Posted on February 17, 2025February 19, 2025 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series rolls into Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday for the Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the second race of the 2025 season.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

Here’s a look at the full entry list for Saturday’s event:

Entry	Veh #	Driver	Organization
1	00	Sheldon Creed	Haas Factory Team
2	1	Carson Kvapil	JR Motorsports
3	2	Jesse Love	Richard Childress Racing
4	4	Parker Retzlaff	Alpha Prime Racing
5	5	Kris Wright	Our Motorsports
6	07	Nick Leitz	SS-Green Light Racing
7	7	Justin Allgaier	JR Motorsports
8	8	Sammy Smith	JR Motorsports
9	10	Daniel Dye	Kaulig Racing
10	11	Josh Williams	Kaulig Racing
11	14	Garrett Smithley	SS-Green Light Racing
12	16	Christian Eckes	Kaulig Racing
13	18	William Sawalich	Joe Gibbs Racing
14	19	Aric Almirola	Joe Gibbs Racing
15	20	Brandon Jones	Joe Gibbs Racing
16	21	Austin Hill	Richard Childress Racing
17	25	Harrison Burton	AM Racing
18	26	Dean Thompson	Sam Hunt Racing
19	27	Jeb Burton	Jordan Anderson Racing
20	28	Kyle Sieg	RSS Racing
21	31	Blaine Perkins	Jordan Anderson Racing
22	35	Joey Gase	Joey Gase Motorsports
23	39	Ryan Sieg	RSS Racing
24	41	Sam Mayer	Haas Factory Team
25	42	Anthony Alfredo	Young's Motorsports
26	44	Brennan Poole	Alpha Prime Racing
27	45	Mason Massey	Alpha Prime Racing
28	48	Nick Sanchez	Big Machine Racing
29	51	Jeremy Clements	Jeremy Clements Racing
30	53	Mason Maggio	Joey Gase Motorsports
31	54	Taylor Gray	Joe Gibbs Racing
32	70	Leland Honeyman Jr.	Cope Family Racing
33	71	Ryan Ellis	DGM Racing
34	74	Carson Ware	Mike Harmon Racing
35	88	Connor Zilisch	JR Motorsports
36	91	Josh Bilicki	DGM Racing
37	92	CJ McLaughlin	DGM Racing
38	99	Matt DiBenedetto	Viking Motorsports

Posted on February 17, 2025February 19, 2025 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series treks to Atlanta Motor Speedway to race in the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Weekend schedule

Here’s a look at the full entry list for Sunday’s event:

Entry	Veh #	Driver	Organization
1	01	Corey LaJoie	Rick Ware Racing
2	1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing
3	2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske
4	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing
5	4	Noah Gragson	Front Row Motorsports
6	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports
7	6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing
8	7	Justin Haley	Spire Motorsports
9	8	Kyle Busch	Richard Childress Racing
10	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports
11	10	Ty Dillon	Kaulig Racing
12	11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
13	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske
14	16	AJ Allmendinger	Kaulig Racing
15	17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing
16	19	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing
17	20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing
18	21	Josh Berry	Wood Brothers Racing
19	22	Joey Logano	Team Penske
20	23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing
21	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports
22	34	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports
23	35	Riley Herbst	23XI Racing
24	38	Zane Smith	Front Row Motorsports
25	41	Cole Custer	Haas Factory Team
26	42	John Hunter Nemechek	Legacy Motor Club
27	43	Erik Jones	Legacy Motor Club
28	44	J.J. Yeley	NY Racing Team
29	45	Tyler Reddick	23XI Racing
30	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Hyak Motorsports
31	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports
32	51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing
33	54	Ty Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing
34	60	Ryan Preece	RFK Racing
35	71	Michael McDowell	Spire Motorsports
36	77	Carson Hocevar	Spire Motorsports
37	78	BJ McLeod (i)	Live Fast Motorsports
38	88	Shane van Gisbergen	Trackhouse Racing
39	99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

Posted on February 17, 2025February 17, 2025 by Nate Ryan

Joey Logano rallied from a lap down to nearly win the 67th Daytona 500, but those moves weren’t why some were pointing fingers at the three-time Cup champion afterward.

On Lap 186 of a scheduled 200, Logano swung from the outside line to the middle in an attempt to reach third by squeezing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney. But Stenhouse blocked and was tapped in the left rear by Logano, triggering an eight-car crash on the backstretch.

RELATED: At-track photos | Race results

Among the victims was Kyle Busch, who had been running fifth in pursuit of a breakthrough Daytona 500 win in his 20th attempt.

“Looks like the fastest car got in a hurry to get to the wreck,” said the Richard Childress Racing driver, whose No. 8 Chevrolet finished 34th. “Logano was by far the fastest car today. Saw a lot of laps led. And he could about do anything. The Penske cars were very strong.

“We still got (15) laps to go, and he’s trying to go through the middle and make a hole that isn’t there and just created chaos. I hate it for all of our guys. We had a fast car, and we were in position and just kind of biding our time. You’ve got to know how wide your race car is to be able to find a hole that it’ll fit in, and he obviously doesn’t know that.”

The criticism of Logano continued two hours later during the winner’s news conference in the Daytona International Speedway media center, where three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon took an unprompted shot at the three-time Cup champion.

“Joey did,” Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, responded when race winner William Byron was asked if “people made dumb moves.”

Byron chuckled and said, “Yeah, that’s fair,” after Gordon’s comment on Logano.

“I think it’s just the nature of these cars don’t push and receive pushes very easily,” Byron said. “It looks like it’s in control, but the car has a lot of drag. So when you come off the corner, it’s easy to get to somebody’s bumper. But the cars don’t get pushed easily. You have your hands full the whole straightaway.”

Logano, whose No. 22 Ford led three times for 43 laps, felt urgency to move into position behind the first-place car of Penske teammate Austin Cindric, who led a race-high 59 laps. So he decided to dive in front of Noah Gragson, hoping for a push past Stenhouse and Blaney to the rear of Cindric’s No. 2 Ford.

“I had to get to the second car in line to have a chance to win the thing,” said Logano, who later added that “(Stenhouse) had a bit of an indecisive moment, and that’s what gets you in trouble at times is when you kind of have to pick one.”

He said he initially slowed for Stenhouse’s block, then hit the accelerator again when he thought Stenhouse would stay in the top lane, “but he kept coming down. I am checking up, but at that point, the checkup has already happened behind me. Everybody is all over each other, and I was getting shoved into it. I can’t get out of it, and then we made contact. It is unfortunate.”

Interviewed by Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass before having seen a replay, Stenhouse tempered his view of Logano’s move.

“I feel like the holes were pretty small he was trying to fill,” Stenhouse said. “I got a couple of late blocks on him as we were making our runs up through there, and I was hoping he would stick with me, him and LaJoie. We were getting ready to drive to first, second and third with still 10 to go.

“I’d have to go back and watch. I feel like maybe he was trying to fill the gap and then him and somebody else got together and hit me in the left rear.”

Though the 2015 Daytona 5000 winner came up short in his quest for a second win in the “Great American Race,” Logano could take some solace in an impressive rebound from debris in his car’s throttle body that caused his engine to begin lagging on the Stage 2 restart. He lost a lap for multiple pit stops as his team tried to diagnose the issue, but he zoomed from 35th to eighth at the end of Stage 2.

Logano still salvaged a playoff point with his Stage 1 victory.

“Something to get out of the day and take a positive out of it,” he said. “Had a fast car. Just wasn’t able to get it done this year.”

Posted on February 17, 2025February 17, 2025 by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona International Speedway finally returned its loaner car to team leader Rick Hendrick on Sunday, giving the No. 24 Chevrolet that William Byron drove to victory in the 2024 Daytona 500 back to its rightful owner after a year of ceremonial display. The 75-year-old automotive mogul mused about what was at stake later that day — a 10th win in the 500, which would put Hendrick Motorsports one ahead of Petty Enterprises atop the all-time record books.

Hours after the prerace ceremony where last year’s car was presented back to the team, Byron made sure the record was broken and that it was an even, one-for-one swap with this year’s model. He also made sure not to rush through the moment, letting the elation take its full effect.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“I think that I’m not much of a historian, I guess. Like, I’m still in the midst of my career and just continuing to progress, but really special the ceremony that they have here and everything that we were able to be a part of, and I think it’ll be just as special next year,” Byron said. “Last year, I guess, I was a little bit — I was looking ahead really quickly about the rest of the season. I think this year, I’ll enjoy this race and then we’ll get down the road and get focused on the year.”

Byron entered the “Great American Race” stratosphere with a needle-threading triumph in Sunday’s 67th edition, extending his Speedweeks reign to a second consecutive campaign. Just four drivers — Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Denny Hamlin — had gone back-to-back in the 500, and all four are among NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. Sunday night, Byron made that list five.

With last year’s win, Byron continued to carve his own path with the No. 24, a car number Jeff Gordon — now Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman — made famous as a driver. This year, Byron strengthened his bond with Daytona, a track that yielded the first of his now 14 NASCAR Cup Series victories. At 27, he also became the youngest winner with multiple Daytona 500 crowns, a stat that pipped the previous mark set by Gordon.

“I hope he breaks them all,” Gordon said, smiling alongside Byron. “I’m in full support of that.”

Byron’s title defense looked strong early as he led seven of the first 15 laps — a span that included the day’s longest of two red flags for rain. The team’s execution — which Byron touted as a focal point throughout the week — kept him in the hunt for the home stretch, where the jostling intensified and when a till-then-dominant Team Penske fizzled in the chaos.

Byron was in ninth place as he flashed under the white flag, mired back in the same unenviable spot he held a lap before when the overtime dash began. Up front was Austin Cindric with Hamlin in tow, and the two former Daytona 500 champions seemed in line to settle the “Great American Race” again.

Their elbows weren’t sharp enough, and the 40 feet of racing surface wasn’t wide enough. The almost prerequisite 11th-hour rooting and gouging ended in contact that swept Hamlin toward the wall and Cindric toward the apron, with the other front-runners scattering in their wake. The No. 24 Chevy chugged by in the high line, narrowly missing the melee. Byron was somehow home free, and crew chief Rudy Fugle was incredulous, saying he looked at the monitor atop the pit box, wondering how his driver had sprung so far forward.

“Personally, last year, that win brought me to tears,” said Fugle, who starts his fifth Cup Series season as Byron’s crew chief. “And then this win, it brought me to laughter is what I said just because — I looked up, and we’re getting ready to win, and it was just amazing. Here we were. Two totally different emotions. If we build a good enough team, things like this happen more times than not, and that’s what we’ve been working on. It’ll hopefully just become easier and easier as we go.”

SHOP: Daytona 500 winner gear

The good-fortune factor also hit home with Gordon.

“Today, I was pretty shocked because you kind of — you get the buildup and anticipation of, man, I think we’re in position to win this thing, and you get tense because you want it for them, and you want it for the organization,” Gordon said. “But today, I wasn’t like that at all. I was like, ‘Oh, well, darn. I guess we’re not going to get it this year.’ Then here we are. It was kind of a wild ride.”

Less surprised was Byron, who circled the team effort as a prime factor. The meticulous Daytona preparation came even as both driver and team made the most of their last blasts of free time in the offseason, with Byron exploring the world with an international travel spree and Fugle giving the No. 24 team the day off for a golf outing on the Friday before Daytona week — even as he suspected other teams were busy thrashing on their cars to get ready for the season’s biggest race.

Byron and Co. found their rhythm at the right time, and as for the improbable ninth-to-first vault on the final lap, Byron said he initially wasn’t sure what to make of it but pushed back on any notion that it was a fluke.

“Yeah, obviously, it worked out in a fortunate way for us, but it’s not all luck to win twice in a row,” Byron said. “It’s a lot of teamwork and a lot of talking with my spotter and us three working together and making the most of it. Definitely fortunate but definitely a lot of teamwork.”

MORE: Full Daytona 500 winner history | 2025 Cup Series schedule

No driver has ever won the Daytona 500 three consecutive times, but Byron and his crew are more than happy to keep rotating cars through the track’s figurative display case. “Can we just do this every year?” Gordon laughed. “Feels good.”

Gordon says Hendrick will have plans for the white-with-flames No. 24 Chevrolet that just came back to the fold, just as he will for the blue-and-red-with-flames No. 24 that Byron made a winner Sunday night. The NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee is an avid collector and preserver — of both street cars and historic racers. Putting Daytona 500 winners on display at the track only delays the gratification by a year — a trade-off the company will gladly take.

“When he sees those cars,” Gordon says, “that’s him reminding himself how fortunate he feels like he is to be a part of this sport in the way that he is.”

Posted on February 17, 2025February 17, 2025 by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — All week at Daytona International Speedway, members of the newly revamped and reinvigorated Legacy Motor Club team have insisted this season will be an improved, exciting, hopefully triumphant chapter in the young organization’s story.

Sunday night’s Daytona 500 outing was a fairytale-like season start, with team owner-driver Jimmie Johnson surging from 15th place with one lap remaining to finish third at the overtime checkered flag. Driver John Hunter Nemechek matched the energy with a career-best fifth-place performance, and teammate Erik Jones rallied to 12th place in the famed No. 43 Toyota despite it suffering a little damage in a late-race accident only four laps before the checkered flag.

It marked the best trio of finishes for the team since the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Johnson became majority owner of the organization.

RELATED: Race results | Race Rewind

The third-place showing for Johnson is the best for the NASCAR Hall of Famer since a third-place finish in 2020 at Dover Motor Speedway — his last full-time season in the sport before venturing off to run IndyCars in 2021-22. He’s made only 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts since 2023 after becoming a team owner.

None as impactful as Sunday night.

“This feels incredible,” said Johnson, 49. “I have emotions I didn’t expect to have. I’ve never been in this position as an owner, and it really opens up a different set of emotions. The pride I have in this result and the pride I have in this company and all we’re trying to achieve and the journey we’re on, I’m so satisfied, so happy right now.”

“It’s been an interesting couple of years, and to have our cars come out and be this strong, this Toyota was rocket-ship fast,” he added. “I’m just smiling inside and out.”

It was only the fifth top 10 for Nemechek, 27, since he joined Legacy last year — the best showing of his three-year career in the sport’s big leagues. He also acknowledged the promise Daytona showed.

“Coming home fifth was a really solid day, a really solid effort, really solid Speedweeks from the whole Legacy Motor Club group,” Nemechek said. “Excited to see where 2025 goes — we already know we are better than 2024, just how much is the question.”

Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Johnston, matched his boss’ enthusiasm post-race — albeit not entirely surprised at his driver’s work, considering Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner (2006, 2013).

“I mean, he’s a seven-time champion, right, so you wouldn’t expect any less,” Johnston said. “I think he’s very underrated when he comes back and does these one or two races, but the amount of talent that he has and his will to win and his will to see the organization do better. … Obviously, it’s Daytona, so it’s a little bit different than everywhere we go, but it shows that we’ve made some progress through the winter.”

That the change in fortune happened at Daytona seemed appropriate, considering the team was once Richard Petty Motorsports in earlier years. Petty’s seven Daytona 500 wins is a record, and the legendary seven-time NASCAR champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Petty remains a visible part of the organization.

MORE: At-track photos

All week, the three drivers, full-time competitors Nemechek and Jones and also Johnson as owner-driver talked about personnel changes over the offseason and what now having a year under their belt in a switch to Toyota engines would mean. The expectations are higher. And there is a real sense of optimism — something they couldn’t help but feel they made good on Sunday night on the Daytona high banks.

“There’s always a lot of hope at the beginning of every season,” said Jones, 28, who was runner-up in his Duel 150-mile qualifying race Thursday night. “I think it definitely changes as you go through the week and see how your car is. I would have told you last year, I felt good about it, but we weren’t in as good as a spot as at the start of the race we are this year. This year, we have a good pit stop, and I feel like the car drives best it has with Next Gen car and I’d say my confidence is the best it’s been to contend.”

All three of the Legacy Toyotas spent time among the top five at various points in the race and showed they are ready to take their performance to the next level.

“It’s amazing,” Johnson said of the Daytona outcome. “Two of the Legacy Motor Club cars in the top five, a great way to start the season. Had Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) on the hood; I hope he was watching. Hope he’s excited. Just an incredible experience.”

Posted on February 16, 2025February 17, 2025 by Cameron Richardson

As usual, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off with its biggest race of the season in the Daytona 500. After a lengthy three-hour weather delay, the 67th running of the “Great American Race” was completed under the lights Sunday evening.

With the first weekend of the season in the books, see who has the upper hand to start 2025 and who used their mulligan as the Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

THREE UP ⬆️

1. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Started: 5th

Finished: 1st

What happened: Guess who’s back? William Byron became just the fifth different driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s as he was the benefactor of a big last-lap crash down the backstretch. Byron and Tyler Reddick were the only drivers to slip by the final-lap calamity unscathed and were the first two back to the checkered flag. Byron now joins rarified air of back-to-back Daytona 500 winners, joining Denny Hamlin (2019-20), Sterling Marlin (1994-95), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Richard Petty (1973-74).

What’s next: One race in and one playoff berth. Byron will once again have a step up on the competition when it comes to playoff preparation. He can enter weekends looser than the rest of the field and go for wins without the pressure of trying to make the 16-car field as the season progresses. Next up is Atlanta, and the No. 24 driver is one of the best since the reconfiguration at the 1.5-mile oval. He owns two wins at Atlanta and finished ninth in the summer last season.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

2. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

Started: 11th

Finished: 2nd

What happened: Reddick followed Byron through the last-lap crash into Turn 3 and tried chasing down the No. 24 for the win to no avail. Reddick scored three stage points in the opening frame but was not much of a player throughout the night, so the runner-up result was a big one to get the No. 45 team’s season started in the right direction. Both Byron and Reddick were Championship 4 drivers last season.

What’s next: Reddick should continue to thrive in the coming weeks, but Atlanta has been hit-or-miss for him. He finished sixth in the summer race last season and will have Circuit of The Americas coming up after the trip to the Peach State.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

3. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

Started: 18th

Finished: 5th

What happened: Nemechek was not afraid to mix it up for the lead in the closing stages of the race, and running toward the front on the final lap, the No. 42 driver held a pretty wheel to stay out of the mess into Turn 3. Nemechek joined his team owner Jimmie Johnson as well scoring top-five finishes on the biggest stage.

What’s next: Two top fives to start the year for Legacy Motor Club is exactly what this organization needs to kickstart 2025 after a forgettable 2024 campaign. Nemechek will need to turn his fortunes around at Atlanta after two finishes outside the top 20 last year.

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Started: 9th

Finished: 40th

What happened: Chastain was a victim of wrong place, wrong time at the start of Stage 2 as Joey Logano stacked up the outside lane on a restart where Chastain was lined up. As Logano’s car didn’t get up to speed, the whole lane accordioned, triggering a multicar wreck that ended the day for Chastain, as well as Hélio Castroneves and Martin Truex Jr.

What’s next: With Atlanta being another drafting track to start the season, Chastain will have to turn luck in his favor next weekend to avoid even more setbacks to begin the season. The reconfigured 1.5-mile oval has been a mixed bag for the No. 1 pilot, with two second-place finishes in 2022 but just one top-10 result since.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

2. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Started: 21st

Finished: 34th

What happened: Once again, Kyle Busch had the car fast enough to finally break through for his first Harley J. Earl Trophy in his 20th start, but an aggressive move from Joey Logano with 13 to go started a wreck that saw Busch get turned down to the backstretch. The resulting damage was too much for the No. 8 to return to action, and the two-time Cup champion will have to wait until 2026 to capture that elusive Daytona 500 win.

What’s next: Busch was 0.007 seconds from a playoff berth at Atlanta one year ago in that epic three-wide photo finish that saw Daniel Suárez outduel Busch and Ryan Blaney. Still as one of the best superspeedway racers since joining RCR, Busch has been quite good at the 1.5-mile oval recently, snagging top 10s in the last three events in Hampton, Georgia.

Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images

3. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 20th

Finished: 31st

What happened: Bell looked to be in prime position toward the end of Sunday’s Daytona 500 but was dealt the bad hand after too many pushes from Cole Custer sent the No. 20 into the outside wall, triggering a multicar crash that saw Ryan Preece go airborne and upside down in Turn 3. It’s the first time Bell has finished outside the top three in the “Great American Race” since 2022.

What’s next: Starting off on the wrong foot is probably not the way Bell wanted to start his 2025 campaign after the heartbreak last year at Martinsville that left him out of the Championship 4. Atlanta was mixed for Bell last year where he was caught up in a Lap 2 wreck in the spring and finished fourth in the summer race.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Posted on February 16, 2025February 17, 2025 by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Like Houdini making an unlikely escape from a straitjacket, William Byron trusted his instincts and emerged from a smoky, last-lap wreck on the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway to win the Daytona 500 for the second straight time.

On Sunday night, after a lengthy weather delay, Byron took full advantage when contact from Cole Custer turned three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin at the front of the field and started a wreck that gave Byron the opportunity he needed.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

When Byron crossed the finish line 0.113 seconds ahead of runner-up Tyler Reddick in overtime, he became the first driver since Hamlin in 2019 and 2020 to win the “Great American Race” in consecutive years.

“Yeah, obviously some good fortune, but just trusted my instincts on the last lap there,” Byron said after climbing from his car. “I felt like they were getting squirrelly on the bottom, and I was honestly going to go third (top) lane regardless because I was probably sixth coming down the back.

“Just obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor. But just really proud of this team. Worked super hard all week and had an amazing car. Just had a really hard time with the fuel-saving and kind of staying towards the front.”

“Crazy. I can’t honestly believe that. But we’re here. So proud of it.”

Last season, Byron claimed all three of his NASCAR Cup Series victories in the first 11 races. This year, after another Daytona win, he plans to sustain the momentum throughout the season.

“It’s an amazing race, and obviously a lot of crazy racing out there tonight and just a lot of pushing and shoving,” said Byron, who picked up his third victory at the 2.5-mile superspeedway and the 14th of his career.

“But just really proud of our team. I can’t stress that enough. I’m just super thankful for this group and everything that they do in the offseason to get prepared. We plan on trying to win a lot of races this year, so we’re not going to stop here. We’re going to continue to push forward and try to get to Phoenix (in the Championship 4 race).”

WATCH: Byron on winning 2025 Daytona 500 | Byron reflects on back-to-back Daytona 500 victories | Highlights from 67th ‘Great American Race’

The wreck on the second lap of overtime frustrated both Hamlin, who was late to the lead, and 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric, who led a race-high 59 laps and combined with Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney to lead 125 of 202.

“Frustration — you’re taking the white as the leader,” said Cindric, who qualified on the front row and won Thursday’s second Duel at Daytona race. “I felt like I executed all the restarts the right way and really that whole third stage. I didn’t get wrecked out of the lead this time, so that was cool, but it still doesn’t make it feel any better.

“Obviously, I don’t even know where we finished, but it was still a decent points weekend and an incredible showing by our team for the entirety of Speedweeks. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get this Discount Tire Ford Mustang in Victory Lane.”

Hamlin had just pulled ahead of Cindric on the backstretch when Custer made a move to the outside and then steered down the track toward Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota, triggering the crash.

“I measured up (Cindric) and got a run on him,” Hamlin said. “I stayed with him long enough where I could kind of control which side I wanted to pass him on, and then we had pulled away from the pack slightly, so I knew a run was going to come.

“(Custer) had a run, and I chose not to block him because these races, you have to live to make it off of Turn 4, and we just didn’t.”

Legacy Motor Club owner and part-time driver Jimmie Johnson finished third in his best result since 2020 at Dover. Pole winner Chase Briscoe was fourth and John Hunter Nemechek fifth, giving Legacy two drivers in the top five.

Alex Bowman, Blaney, Cindric, Justin Allgaier (in JR Motorsports’ first Cup race) and Chris Buescher completed the top 10.

The race was just over four laps from completion in regulation when a bump from Custer turned Christopher Bell hard into the outside wall on Lap 196. Bell’s Toyota bounced off the SAFER barrier and collected Ryan Preece’s No. 60 Ford, whose car went airborne and landed on its roof before finishing upright.

That sort of wreck wasn’t unfamiliar to Preece, who endured a spectacular series of barrel rolls in the 2023 summer race at Daytona.

“When the car took off like that, it got really quiet, and all I thought about was my daughter,” Preece said. “So, I’m lucky to walk away.”

That wreck, which involved 10 cars, forced the race to overtime. An earlier melee on Lap 186, triggered by contact between Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., changed the complexion of the race — eliminating Logano, Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Noah Gragson from contention for the win.

SHOP: Daytona 500 winner gear

The 67th running of the “Great American Race” started in short bursts. With President Donald Trump in attendance and the grandstands packed with fans — reflective of a 10th straight sellout — drivers ran just nine green-flag laps from the start before rain interrupted the proceedings.

After a red-flag period that lasted 3 hours, 9 minutes, 59 seconds, drivers took to the track for a second time and ran another 12 laps under caution before a brief rainstorm halted the race for another 20 minutes, 29 seconds.

With Logano in the lead, the Daytona 500 resumed on Lap 24 and ran without incident until Lap 63 when the bottom lane checked up, and Zane Smith turned Hamlin’s Toyota on the backstretch.

Smith’s Ford slid up the track into the Ford of Josh Berry, seriously damaging that car. Smith took his car to the garage for attempted repairs, while Hamlin was able to continue without losing a lap.

MORE: Cup Series standings | Cup Series schedule

Logano won the first stage under caution, but because of a problem with debris in the throttle body of his No. 22 Ford on the subsequent restart on Lap 71, Logano stacked up the top lane and ignited a seven-car melee in Turn 1. The accident eliminated the cars of Martin Truex Jr., Helio Castroneves and Ross Chastain.

Intense three-wide action throughout the race produced 56 lead changes among 15 drivers. Byron led five times for a total of 10 laps. There were eight cautions for 47 laps.

The Cup Series next races at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage concluded without issue, confirming Byron as the race winner. The Nos. 2, 9, 19 and 99 will return to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for engine dyno. The Nos. 2 and 19 will additionally be inspected.

Posted on February 16, 2025February 17, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Team Penske’s trio dominated to lead 125 of 201 laps in the Daytona 500, but the title-defending organization came away with bent fenders and frustration after a Lap 186 crash instead of a Harley J. Earl Trophy.

Just 10 laps later, Ryan Preece launched skyward, heading down the Daytona International Speedway backstretch, flipping upside down at the 2.5-mile superspeedway for the second time in three years.

The aggression that led to those dramatic visuals highlight the desperation that comes with trying to win the “Great American Race.”

RELATED: Official results| At-track photos

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano led 43 of the first 70 laps but was forced to rally back through the field after debris caught in his motor created a setback during Stage 2. That rally charged him to fifth place with 15 laps to go in the Daytona 500.

Working Lap 186 and trailing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the middle lane, Logano surged to Stenhouse’s left with a run to move past the No. 47 Chevrolet. Logano moved to wedge his No. 22 Ford between Stenhouse and Blaney, but Stenhouse threw the block to protect the position.

With time running low, Logano had no intentions of rescinding his advance. That decision ultimately led to contact to Stenhouse’s left rear from Logano’s right front, turning Stenhouse squarely into then-second-place-runner Ryan Blaney – Logano’s Penske teammate – and spinning both of them out. The melee also collected Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson and Todd Gilliland, totaling eight vehicles.

“It just seemed like the No. 47 had a bit of an indecisive moment,” Logano said. “That’s what gets you in trouble at times is when you’ve got to pick one (lane).”

Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 champ, believed he needed to get in front of Stenhouse, he said, and saw his opportunity to drop in front of Gragson. He pounced on that chance but to the dismay of himself and others.

“We had a late block. I lifted,” Logano said. “Looked like he was gonna go back up. I went to go back in there, and then he came back down and started lifting again. And then at that point, the checkup was so big, and all the cars behind you and shoving you into it, and at that point, you’re along for the ride.”

Stenhouse, the 2023 winner of the “Great American Race,” had winning on his brain too and believes he and Logano could have worked together to fight among themselves. Before Logano moved low, he was third in the outside lane behind Corey LaJoie and Stenhouse.

“I was bummed that he was trying to make a move on us because I felt like me, him and LaJoie were getting ready to drive to first, second and third, and then we could race it out,” Stenhouse told NASCAR.com. “We still had 10 laps to go. So pretty disappointed about that. But I mean, you’ve got to try and take those gaps when you can, I guess, and he always takes them. We know that.”

SHOP: Daytona 500 gear

And with a prestigious victory on the line, Logano was wasting no moves.

“I don’t know what to do differently,” Logano said. “At the moment, it’s easy to say, just don’t make the move, but not making the move doesn’t win the race either.”

Ten laps later, those same motives led to the night’s most hair-raising moment at Lap 196.

Heading the outside lane, Christopher Bell received a hearty shove from Cole Custer on the backstretch, which turned him head-on into the outside wall. Bouncing off the SAFER barrier, Bell spun back into traffic and into the path of Preece.

Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford climbed the left-front corner of Bell’s No. 20 Toyota and effectively wheelied down the backstretch. Air caught the underbelly of Preece’s car, sending the car airborne and upside down into the 31-degree banking of Turn 3. The vehicle turned back onto its wheels just before it backed atop the SAFER barrier and slid back to the grass.

The ambitious push from Custer to Bell was made in hopes of a victory. Preece paid the price in lieu of a trophy for any of the three. After a horrendous tumble down the same backstretch in the summer of 2023, Preece expressed his frustration after another violent ride.

“Something needs to be done,” Preece said, “because cars lifting off the ground like that … I mean, that felt, honestly, worse than Daytona in ’23.”

But even Bell, at the epicenter of the accident’s origins, couldn’t pin blame on Custer for the aggressive bump draft, not with a Harley J. Earl Trophy and a chance to etch your name in NASCAR history on the line.

“Nobody did anything wrong,” Bell said. “You have to be pushing if you want to succeed, and it’s the name of the game. So, nobody did anything wrong. Just the way it goes.”