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.
The program cover for the 2019 Daytona 500.
This Daytona 500 was the first not to feature the Earnhardt name in the starting lineup since 1978.
Daytona International Speedway is one of two superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other being Talladega Superspeedway.[15] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[16] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[16]
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.
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.[23] 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.[24]
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.
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