Daytona Beach, Florida – Someone had to make a move to win the Daytona 500, and maybe Michael McDowell got out of traffic to try to hit an overturned monster. McDowell never had to play his hand.
He sailed through an impressive and fiery accident on the final lap involving Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch to cause a major upheaval on Monday morning. It was the first victory of the journalist’s career in the NASCAR Cup Series in its 14th season, notes CBS Sports.
A 100-1 underdog when the race started on Sunday afternoon, McDowell won for the first time in the 358 World Cup, when the checkered flag finally flew about 15 minutes after midnight. The race was interrupted by rain for almost six hours and ended nine hours after the green flag was raised at the Daytona International Speedway.
“So many years just working and waiting for an opportunity like this,” said McDowell. “A great way to get your first win – a Daytona 500. Are you kidding me?”
The NASCAR season opener was full of stories. Denny Hamlin was trying for a third consecutive record victory in the Daytona 500, and the team he started with Michael Jordan was debuting with pilot Bubba Wallace.
Hamlin led for almost half the race, but ended up finishing fifth, reported CBS Sports, adding that three other drivers before him – Sterling Marlin (1994, 1995), Cale Yarborough (1983, 1984) and Richard Petty (1973, 1974) – – won the Daytona 500 in consecutive years.
Kyle Larson was back after almost a year in exile for using racial slander, and Cup champion Chase Elliott attempted his first victory at the Daytona 500.
And right at the bottom of the field, the 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope did what he said would be his final start on NASCAR. At 62, he was the oldest driver on the field, and his troubled victory 31 years ago was considered the greatest in racing history.
McDowell did not challenge Cope for this distinction because McDowell is considered a talented superspeedway driver who just needed to be in the right place to finally win.
He watched and waited while following Team Penske’s teammates Logano and Keselowski, and it was Keselowski who finally got rid of the car parade. Keselowski tried to pass Logano, but the teammates made contact, causing a melee across the Daytona International Speedway.
“I wanted to pass to win the Daytona 500 and it ended up really bad,” said Keselowski. “I don’t feel like I made a mistake, but I can’t drive everybody’s car. So frustrating.”
Logano had no explanation for the ending.
“Pandemonium, I think. Chaos has broken down,” he said.
It was really chaos after McDowell canceled the accident. The collisions were on top of each other, flames bursting all over the track as McDowell went on a drag-race with Elliott and Austin Dillon until NASCAR finally called for caution.
A lot of solid candidates were eliminated from the race just 15 laps after a 16-car accident that started in front of the pack that decreased the number of laps.