DAYTONA Beach, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has had a roller coaster career in which he experienced to battle to hold a position, misplaced his seat at a NASCAR powerhouse crew and opened his 14th season mired in a five-calendar year dropping streak.
To say this Daytona 500 was a milestone race was an understatement — for Stenhouse and for NASCAR.
Stenhouse received the Daytona 500 in double time beyond regulation and beneath caution Sunday night in the longest jogging of “The Good American Race.” The two overtimes pushed the 65th running of the race to a report 212 laps — a dozen laps over and above the scheduled distance and a whopping 530 miles (850 km).
It offered nervous times right before a landmark celebration: the to start with Daytona 500-winning staff co-owned by a Black guy and a woman.
Stenhouse’s earn for JTG Daugherty Racing was the 3rd of his job. JTG is the very first solitary-car or truck workforce to get the Daytona 500 since The Wooden Brothers Racing did it with Trevor Bayne in 2011.
The staff is owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter along with former NBA player Brad Daugherty.
Daugherty, who still left the track previously Sunday with an eye irritation, is the to start with Black motor vehicle operator to win the race, and Jodi Geschickter joined Teresa Earnhardt as feminine vehicle house owners to earn the Daytona 500. Earnhardt ran Dale Earnhardt Inc. when Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. gained the Daytona 500 in 2003 and 2004.
To get to victory lane Sunday, JTG trapped with Stenhouse and even reunited him this season with the crew chief who led him to a pair of Xfinity Series titles several years ago.
Mike Kelly’s most significant task was convincing Stenhouse that he can without a doubt get races. So in advance of the Daytona 500, he taped a take note inside the Chevrolet. The information? The staff thinks in the driver.
“When I woke up currently I explained to myself that I was heading to do a thing that I applied to do for Ricky when we experienced hard times,” Kelly said. “I just wrote him a be aware that only he would see. It was on top of the roll bar in front of him, and it just claimed, ‘We think.’ That is been our motto the whole offseason — that we consider.
“We’re striving to get people today to imagine in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all over again.”
Stenhouse’s only other victories came in 2017, at Talladega and the summer months race at Daytona.
Now, the 35-year-old from Olive Department, Mississippi, has a repeat get at Daytona in NASCAR’s most important race of the season.
“I assume this total offseason Mike just preached how substantially we all considered in each other. They still left me a notice in the auto that mentioned they believe that in me and to go get the position carried out,” Stenhouse mentioned. “Gentleman, this is unbelievable. This was the website of my very last win back again in 2017. We’ve labored seriously really hard. We experienced a few photographs final yr to get a gain and fell small.
“It was a challenging time, but gentleman, we received it finished, Daytona 500.”
Kyle Larson was collected in the race-ending crash just after he jumped out of line way too early in an attempt to gain. His disappointment was alleviated by Stenhouse’s victory.
“Happy that Ricky received. I’m super joyful. That is all I could believe about soon after I crashed, waiting around to listen to that he received,” Larson reported. “He’s a person of my very best good friends, so I was like yelling into my helmet when I helped force him to the guide there. I was hoping it was heading to remain green so it would have been me or him earn.
“I can not wait to go get altered and go give him a large hug since he is 1 of my terrific buddies.”
Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano concluded second in a Ford for Team Penske, which won the race very last year with Austin Cindric.
“Second is the worst, man,” Logano reported. “Congratulations to Ricky. There’s absolutely nothing like profitable the Daytona 500. Which is why it stings so much ending second.”
Christopher Bell was 3rd 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 initial time the pole sitter has completed in the top rated 5 due to the fact 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 leading 10.
Motion sports activities 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 conclusion of the year.
Kyle Busch dropped to for 18 in the Daytona 500 but contended for his new Richard Childress Racing workforce. He was the leader forward of teammate Austin Dillon with a few laps remaining in regulation when a spin by Daniel Suarez introduced out the caution and sent the race to additional time.
“Back in 1998, that would be the gain, boys,” Busch radioed his group in a reference to how the late Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500. There was no extra time then and Earnhardt won underneath caution.
Busch wound up 19th immediately after the race-ending crash in next extra time.
“I consider this is the very first time I led lap 200, so I would like it was 1998 regulations. But, no, it is just par for the study course, just utilised to it and come down listed here every 12 months to just come across out when and wherever I’m heading to crash and what lap I come out of the care middle,” Busch explained. “Who gained? I never 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 produced his return to the series and ran inside the best 15 for most of the race. He was collected in 1 of the crashes in additional time and concluded 31st. Johnson has returned from two years of racing in the IndyCar Sequence as component proprietor of Legacy Motor Club and he options to enter a handful of races.
Brad Keselowski led a race-superior 42 laps but completed 22nd. He declined to discuss to reporters soon after dropping to for 14 in a race he desperately wants to get.
Following up
The Cup Collection races at Automobile Club Speedway in Fontana, California, subsequent Sunday in the last race of the track’s existing configuration. It will be renovated into a short track soon after the race — a venture that will stop the observe from internet hosting any racing in 2024. Kyle Larson gained last year’s race.
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