# 2019 Daytona 500

The 2019 Daytona 500, the 61st running of the event, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 17, 2019, Contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. After three multiple cars crash in the last 20 laps (including the Big One on lap 191 which involved 21 cars), only 19 of the 40 cars were running at the end of the race and only 14 completed every lap. It was the first race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and also marked the debut of the Ford Mustang, which Ford brought in as a replacement for the Fusion. This race was the final career start for Casey Mears. 2016 winner Denny Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch over the final laps to win his second Daytona 500 in four years.
This Daytona 500 was the first not to feature the Earnhardt name in the starting lineup since 1978.

## Report
### Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of two superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other being Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch (W) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon (W) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (W) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Ryan Newman (W) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (W) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano (W) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Tyler Reddick (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 40 | Jamie McMurray (W) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Cody Ware (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 71 | Ryan Truex (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice
### First practice (February 9)

Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 45.937 seconds and a speed of 195.920 mph (315.303 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.937 | 195.920 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.953 | 195.852 |
| 3 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.967 | 195.793 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Second practice (February 9)

Darrell Wallace Jr. was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 46.149 seconds and a speed of 195.020 mph (313.854 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.149 | 195.020 |
| 2 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 46.152 | 195.008 |
| 3 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 46.168 | 194.940 |
| Official second practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

William Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 46.319 and a speed of 194.305 mph (312.704 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.432 | 46.319 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.408 | 46.355 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.649 | 46.438 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.469 | 46.444 |
| 5 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.861 | 46.763 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 46.782 | 46.766 |
| 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.803 | 46.789 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.857 | 46.804 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 46.797 | 46.811 |
| 10 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.938 | 47.018 |
| 11 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 47.072 | 47.094 |
| 12 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.009 | 47.246 |
| 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.080 | — |
| 14 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.089 | — |
| 15 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 47.131 | — |
| 16 | 31 | Tyler Reddick (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.161 | — |
| 17 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 47.170 | — |
| 18 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 47.177 | — |
| 19 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 47.185 | — |
| 20 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 47.195 | — |
| 21 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 47.222 | — |
| 22 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 47.261 | — |
| 23 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47.264 | — |
| 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 47.364 | — |
| 25 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47.374 | — |
| 26 | 27 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 47.406 | — |
| 27 | 71 | Ryan Truex (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 47.434 | — |
| 28 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 47.441 | — |
| 29 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.498 | — |
| 30 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 47.515 | — |
| 31 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.520 | — |
| 32 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 47.565 | — |
| 33 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.571 | — |
| 34 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 47.691 | — |
| 35 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47.703 | — |
| 36 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 47.820 | — |
| 37 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.898 | — |
| 38 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 48.025 | — |
| 39 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 48.427 | — |
| 40 | 52 | Cody Ware (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 48.983 | — |
| 41 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 49.266 | — |
| 42 | 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 49.743 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Gander RV Duel

The Gander RV Duels are a pair of NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races held in conjunction with the Daytona 500 annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. They consist of two races 60 laps and 150 miles (240 km) in length, which serve as heat races that set the lineup for the Daytona 500. The first race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in odd-numbered positions on pole qualifying day, while the second race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in even-numbered positions. The Duels set the lineup for positions 3–38, while positions 39 and 40 are filled by the two "Open" (teams without a charter) cars that set the fastest times in qualifying, but did not lock in a spot in the Duels.
For championship purposes, each Duel is a full Championship Stage, except there is no playoff point awarded. The top ten drivers receive championship points.

### Duel 1
#### Duel 1 results

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 60 | 9 |
| 3 | 6 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | 16 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 60 | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 6 |
| 6 | 17 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 3 |
| 9 | 13 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 60 | 2 |
| 10 | 15 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 1 |
| 11 | 11 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 12 | 19 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 13 | 9 | 31 | Tyler Reddick (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | 71 | Ryan Truex (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 15 | 20 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 16 | 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 17 | 3 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
| 18 | 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 59 | 0 |
| 19 | 18 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 59 | 0 |
| 20 | 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 58 | 0 |
| 21 | 21 | 52 | Cody Ware (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 58 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Duel 2
#### Duel 2 results

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 60 | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 7 |
| 5 | 10 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 60 | 5 |
| 7 | 14 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 2 |
| 10 | 17 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 1 |
| 11 | 11 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 13 | 1 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
| 14 | 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 59 | 0 |
| 15 | 15 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
| 16 | 19 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 59 | 0 |
| 17 | 13 | 27 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
| 18 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 58 | 0 |
| 19 | 18 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57 | 0 |
| 20 | 21 | 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 57 | 0 |
| 21 | 20 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 57 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Starting lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Notes |
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fastest in pole qualifying |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Second in pole qualifying |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart Haas Racing | Ford | Duel 1 Winner |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Duel 2 Winner |
| 5 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Second in Duel 1 |
| 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Second in Duel 2 |
| 7 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Third in Duel 1 |
| 8 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Third in Duel 2 |
| 9 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | Fourth in Duel 1 |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Fourth in Duel 2 |
| 11 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Fifth in Duel 1 |
| 12 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Fifth in Duel 2 |
| 13 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | Sixth in Duel 1 |
| 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Sixth in Duel 2 |
| 15 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Seventh in Duel 1 |
| 16 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Seventh in Duel 2 |
| 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Eighth in Duel 1 |
| 18 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Eighth in Duel 2 |
| 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ninth in Duel 1 |
| 20 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Ninth in Duel 2 |
| 21 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 10th in Duel 1 |
| 22 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 10th in Duel 2 |
| 23 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 11th in Duel 1 |
| 24 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 11th in Duel 2 |
| 25 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 12th in Duel 1 |
| 26 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 12th in Duel 2 |
| 27 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 15th in Duel 1 |
| 28 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14th in Duel 2 |
| 29 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 17th in Duel 1 |
| 30 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15th in Duel 2 |
| 31 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 18th in Duel 1 |
| 32 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 16th in Duel 2 |
| 33 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 19th in Duel 1 |
| 34 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 18th in Duel 2 |
| 35 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 20th in Duel 1 |
| 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19th in Duel 2 |
| 37 | 52 | Cody Ware (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 21st in Duel 1 |
| 38 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 21st in Duel 2 |
| 39 | 31 | Tyler Reddick (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Qualifying speed |
| 40 | 27 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | Qualifying speed |
| Did not qualify ||||||
| 41 | 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | |
| 42 | 71 | Ryan Truex (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | |
| Official starting lineup ||||||

## Practice (post–Duels)
### Third practice (February 15)

Kyle Busch was the fastest in the third practice session with a time of 44.936 seconds and a speed of 200.285 mph (322.327 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 44.936 | 200.285 |
| 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 44.955 | 200.200 |
| 3 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 44.962 | 200.169 |
| Official third practice results |||||||

### Fourth practice (February 15)

Paul Menard was the fastest in the fourth practice session with a time of 44.830 seconds and a speed of 200.758 mph (323.089 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 44.830 | 200.758 |
| 2 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.844 | 200.696 |
| 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 44.851 | 200.664 |
| Official fourth practice results |||||||

### Final practice (February 16)

Michael McDowell was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 47.012 seconds and a speed of 191.440 mph (308.093 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47.012 | 191.440 |
| 2 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 47.014 | 191.432 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.037 | 191.339 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Race

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and Houston Texans linebacker J. J. Watt each had duties before the race. Watt, the race's grand marshal, became the first NFL player to give "drivers, start your engines" in race history. Edelman was the race's honorary starter – something several current and former NFL players have done in year's past – as Edelman waved the green flag to signal the start of the 500. "I think these guys are absolutely insane," Edelman, the MVP at Super Bowl LIII earlier that month, said before the race. "First and foremost, they’re going 200 miles an hour around for three hours straight and (are) able to focus in extreme conditions."

### Stage 1

Pole sitter William Byron led the first lap of the race. On lap 3, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. battled Byron for the lead and was able to get in front of him by lap 5. On lap 7, Matt DiBenedetto battled Stenhouse for the lead and was able to get in front of him on lap 11. On lap 21, the first caution flew when Corey LaJoie's right front tire blew and had laid debris on the racetrack. Some drivers pitted during the green flag run including Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Stenhouse led the field to the restart on lap 25. On lap 35, Kyle Busch took the lead. On lap 50, the second caution flew for it being the first multi car wreck of the race in turn 2. It started when Kurt Busch cut across the nose of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Busch spun. Drivers started to check up but Bubba Wallace spun after getting bumped from behind by Tyler Reddick and it sent Wallace into Kurt Busch and the two spun. The wreck also collected Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray. The race would restart on lap 54. Kyle Busch held onto the lead and Busch won stage 1 earning himself 10 playoff points.

### Stage 2

Some drivers pitted while others stayed out including Joey Logano and Logano led the field to the restart on lap 66. On the restart, Daniel Suárez took the lead but was immeadietly passed by Logano. On lap 73, Logano pitted which gave the lead to Daniel Hemric. On lap 74, Matt DiBenedetto took the lead from Hemric. DiBenedetto had recently joined Leavine Family Racing whom had formed a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing and it began to show as DiBenedetto held onto the lead until the next caution. On lap 107, the fourth caution would fly when Casey Mears and Parker Kligerman crashed in turn 1. Ryan Blaney was the new leader and Blaney led the field to the restart on lap 112. Blaney would hold off the pack and Blaney would win stage 2 giving himself 10 playoff points.

### Final stage

William Byron was the new leader and Byron led the field to the restart on lap 126. On the restart, Aric Almirola took the lead but was immeadietly passed by Byron. Almirola attempted to take the lead on lap 127 but failed to get in front of Byron. With 44 laps to go, green flag pitstops began. With 42 to go, the 6th caution would fly for the second multi car crash of the race that occurred on pit road. Drivers began to slow down to make their way down to pit road which caused some cars to check up. B. J. McLeod went to go to pit road but got hooked in the right rear by his teammate at Rick Ware racing in Cody Ware and both McLeod and Ware went spinning towards the entrance of pit road. Ware spun into Tyler Reddick which caused Reddick to spin and ramp over the left rear of Jimmie Johnson's car giving both of them damage before Ware spun into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. which caused Stenhouse to turn left into Reddick and sent Stenhouse spinning. Kyle Busch won the race off of pit road but Jamie McMurray did not pit and McMurray led the field to the restart with 33 laps to go. On the restart, Denny Hamlin attempted to take the lead from McMurray but could not get in front of him. With 31 to go, Hamlin was able to take the lead from McMurray. With 27 laps to go, the 7th caution would fly for debris. The race would restart with 23 laps to go. With 20 to go, the 8th caution would fly when Kyle Larson crashed in turn 3 after he blew a left rear tire. The race would restart with 16 laps to go. With 14 laps to go, the 9th caution would fly when Brad Keselowski blew a left rear tire and spun off of turn 4. The race would restart with 10 laps to go. On the restart, Kyle Busch took the lead from Hamlin. At the same time, the 10th caution flew for the first of three big wrecks that would occur in the final 10 laps of the race. It started in turn 3 when Paul Menard was pushing Matt DiBenedetto but Menard bumped DiBenedetto at the wrong angle and turned DiBenedetto around right in front of the pack and collected a lot of more cars with them. During the wreck, David Ragan ended up lifting the rear of Aric Almirola's car and Ragan was underneath Almirola. DiBenedetto's race had unfortunately come to an end. DiBenedetto led a race high 49 laps and was in the midst of pulling off perhaps one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history before he got collected. The wreck collected a total of 22 cars. The cars involved were Matt DiBenedetto, Paul Menard, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Matt Tifft, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suárez, Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Aric Almirola, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Daniel Hemric, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson, William Byron, Ty Dillon, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson. The race was red flagged for about 20 minutes to clean up the wreck before the race restarted with 6 laps to go. Kyle Busch took the lead on the restart as he was looking for his first ever Daytona 500 win in his 15th try. But going into turn 3, the 11th caution would fly for the second big one of the race that collected 7 cars. It started when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went to the inside of Kyle Larson to make it three wide but ended up making contact with Larson and sent Stenhouse into Kevin Harvick and it sent the three cars spinning into turn 3 and also collected Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Ty Dillon, and Brad Keselowski. During the wreck, Ryan Preece attempted to shoot through the gap of the spinning Elliott and Stenhouse and Preece was able to do so on the apron of the track unscathed. This put Preece in the 7th spot and in contention for the win. The race would restart with 2 laps to go. On the restart, Denny Hamlin took the lead. Going down the backstretch, Clint Bowyer went to make it three wide underneath Michael McDowell and William Byron but Bowyer ended up cutting across the nose of McDowell and turned up into Byron and Chase Elliott and triggered the third big one and the 12th and final caution of the race collecting 8 cars including Landon Cassill, Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski, and Brendan Gaughan. The wreck would cause another red flag and would set up overtime. On the restart, Hamlin would jump in front for the lead and Hamlin would be able to hold off the pack and win his second career Daytona 500 victory. The win was a special one for Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing after former college football player and NASCAR driver J. D. Gibbs, the son of Joe Gibbs, passed away over a month ago on January 11 at the age of 49. The win occurred seven days before Gibbs would've turned 50. Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, and Michael McDowell rounded out the top 5 while Ty Dillon, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Jimmie Johnson, and Ross Chastain rounded out the top 10. This would be Ross Chastain's first career Cup Series top 10.

## Race results
### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two
Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Laps: 80
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 207 | 45 |
| 2 | 31 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 207 | 45 |
| 3 | 28 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 207 | 35 |
| 4 | 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 207 | 42 |
| 5 | 34 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 207 | 32 |
| 6 | 22 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 31 |
| 7 | 26 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 33 |
| 8 | 21 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 29 |
| 9 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 207 | 30 |
| 10 | 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 207 | 0 |
| 11 | 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 207 | 35 |
| 12 | 35 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 207 | 32 |
| 13 | 5 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 207 | 30 |
| 14 | 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 207 | 23 |
| 15 | 25 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 205 | 0 |
| 16 | 20 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 205 | 21 |
| 17 | 18 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 24 |
| 18 | 32 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 200 | 19 |
| 19 | 38 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 |
| 20 | 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 17 |
| 21 | 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 25 |
| 22 | 16 | 40 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 15 |
| 23 | 30 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 |
| 24 | 27 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 13 |
| 25 | 12 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 12 |
| 26 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 194 | 17 |
| 27 | 39 | 31 | Tyler Reddick (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 0 |
| 28 | 9 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 190 | 14 |
| 29 | 7 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 190 | 8 |
| 30 | 24 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 190 | 7 |
| 31 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 190 | 22 |
| 32 | 8 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 190 | 13 |
| 33 | 23 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 190 | 14 |
| 34 | 29 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 190 | 3 |
| 35 | 11 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 190 | 2 |
| 36 | 33 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 190 | 1 |
| 37 | 15 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 190 | 1 |
| 38 | 13 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 169 | 1 |
| 39 | 37 | 52 | Cody Ware (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 155 | 1 |
| 40 | 40 | 27 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 104 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 15 among 9 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 12 for 47
* Red flags: 2 for 39 minutes and 38 seconds
* Time of race: 3 hours, 45 minutes and 55 seconds
* Average speed: 132.792 miles per hour (213.708 km/h)

## Media
### Television

Since 2001—with the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2006—the Daytona 500 has been carried by Fox in the United States. The booth crew consisted of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, three–time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon, and for the final time 1989 race winner Darrell Waltrip. Pit road was manned by Jamie Little, Regan Smith, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum.
Fox Television :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie Little Regan Smith Vince Welch Matt Yocum |
Spanish-language network Fox Sports LA aired the race live, with lap-by-lap announcer Jessi Losada and color analyst Rodolfo Landeros.

### Radio

The race was broadcast on radio by the Motor Racing Network—who has covered the Daytona 500 since 1970—and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The booth crew was consisted of Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Longtime turn announcer Dave Moody was the lead turn announcer. He called the Daytona 500 from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley worked the backstretch for the Daytona 500 from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track & Kyle Rickey called the Daytona 500 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4 from the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 4. On pit road, MRN was manned by lead pit reporter and NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. He will be joined on pit road by Steve Post, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey | Winston Kelley Steve Post Dillon Welch Kim Coon |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Denny Hamlin | 52 |
| | 2 | Joey Logano | 52 (–0) |
| | 3 | Kyle Busch | 45 (–7) |
| | 4 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 39 (–13) |
| | 5 | Erik Jones | 35 (–17) |
| | 6 | Alex Bowman | 35 (–17) |
| | 7 | Kyle Larson | 33 (–19) |
| | 8 | Jimmie Johnson | 33 (–19) |
| | 9 | Michael McDowell | 32 (–20) |
| | 10 | Ty Dillon | 32 (–20) |
| | 11 | Brad Keselowski | 32 (–20) |
| | 12 | Ryan Preece | 30 (–22) |
| | 13 | Chase Elliott | 27 (–25) |
| | 14 | Kevin Harvick | 27 (–25) |
| | 15 | Ryan Blaney | 27 (–25) |
| | 16 | Clint Bowyer | 26 (–26) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Toyota | 40 |
| 2 | Ford | 33 (–7) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 31 (–9) |