The Daytona 500 got off to a rough start on Sunday when Aric Almirola became pole winner Alex Bowman and started a stack of 16 cars on the 15th lap.
Minutes later, the race was interrupted by lightning and fans who were socially distant in the stands had to seek shelter in the crowded hall. A heavy rain followed, closing “The Great American Race” for what seemed like a long delay.
Christopher Bell started hand-to-hand when he pushed Almirola very hard near the front of the field and forced the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to swing while trying to avoid a skid. Almirola ended up turning right at Bowman. Their contact causes others to collide, making them spin and skid across the grass and mud. Martin Truex Jr, Erik Jones, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch were among those involved.
“We were being pressured very early,” Almirola told Nascar.com. “It is a very, very long race. Dude, we were in a good position, just sitting there walking between the first two, three and the [Christopher Bell] it just came with a big race and hit me hard in a bad place and turned me to the right and tore up our race car and ended up with our Daytona 500 very early. “
Hendrick Motorsports put Bowman and Byron in the front row.
Newman almost died in a horrible accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500 last year. Newman left safely on Sunday and even spotted Busch sitting in his Chevy.