The 52nd running of the Daytona 500 was unforgettable for a pit that triggered 2 warnings, which indicated it took control of 6 hours to finish.
It needs to likewise be kept in mind for some terrific racing and a fantastic surface. It crowned a novice winner in Jamie McMurray and left much of his competitors reviewing a race they felt they felt they might have won.
At 200 laps, the arranged range, Greg Biffle’s Roush Ford led the field after soaring previous long time leader Clint Bowyer into Turn 3 2 laps formerly. He was a couple of hundred lawns from being crowned the victor– just for veteran Bill Elliott (at 54-years old) to move into young weapon Joey Logano (still simply 19!) and into the Turn 3 wall, which highlighted the yellows and froze the race order.
The speed cars and truck leads the field to a 2nd race reboot
Picture by: Eric Gilbert
It likewise indicated a green-white-checkered surface, NASCAR’s response to overtime. When the green flew it was Kevin Harvick, the 2007 winner, who put one hand on gaining back the prize. Harvick thought he had the fastest vehicle in the field, however simply required clear air– and the bottom racing line– to ram home his benefit.
From the beyond row 2 at the double-file reboot, Harvick pressed Martin Truex Jr past Biffle, and after that decisively changed to the within, bullying Truex up the racetrack into Turn 1 and declaring the within line that he yearned for. If Harvick believed he was going to win, he was incorrect.
Biffle got sideways at Turn 1, and triggered cars and trucks behind him to decrease as he captured the slide. In the domino effect, Kasey Kahne clipped Tony Stewart and rebounded into the course of Jeff Gordon, who was currently mad with Kahne for deserting him in the draft previously on. He barged into the back of Kahne’s cars and truck a number of times before effectively sending him spinning, and he was rapidly gathered by Robert Richardson.
Robert Richardson Jr., Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing Ford crashes on the superstretch
Image by: Eric Gilbert
Under old NASCAR guidelines, the resulting yellow flag would have signified completion of the race. A brand-new required to permit several efforts at a green flag surface (ie 3 green-white-checkers) implied the overtime would run and run. Like Biffle had actually been, brand-new leader Harvick was now the sitting duck at the head of the line.
The green flew once again at lap 206, with Harvick leading and Carl Edwards pressing him on the within line to Turn 1. On the backstretch, the scene of many bumpdraft maneuvers in Daytona’s restrictor-plate age, the vital relocation of the race happened.
Biffle offered his old Roush-Ford team-mate McMurray (who had actually made a bad vacation at the reboot after spinning his rear wheels) a huge push on the outdoors line,