After spending most of the day in the middle of the pack Denny Hamlin was able to slowly work his way up to lead the race when it mattered the most. Recording the first win of the season, and locking in a spot in the Race for the Chase, Hamlin takes home the coveted title of Daytona 500 winner.
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| Gordon talks about the race. |
In an exciting, and unorthodox day, the race on Saturday saw many drivers, including pole sitter Jeff Gordon, fall victim to poor pit strategy. Gordon, who was the dominate car all day, and led the majority of laps, ended up in seventh place after a mistimed pit stop sent him to the back of the pack. "We just got unlucky when the caution fell." Gordon said in a post race interview, "We had the car to beat, but it's hard when something like that happens."
The field ran a fair portion of the race under green, however with drivers shuffling for position and pushing each other four-wide, a late race incident involving Casey Mears caused the caution to fly at lap 48 which would end up determining the final running order as the race would end under yellow.
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| Mears spins out on lap 48. |
Jimmie Johnson, who led 8 laps and was poised for a top 5 finished, had car troubles on the last lap and was forced into the pits. Not the best start for the 6 time champion with a finish of 25th.
For Denny Hamlin there is plenty to celebrate, under the new 2014 Sprint Cup rules he is guaranteed a spot in the Chase this season. With that weight off his shoulders it becomes clear that the #11 team has nothing to lose for the remaining races, and we may see them take bigger gambles to try and steal another win. For everyone else, it just means there are only 9 opportunities left to win and get in. Check out the
race results for the full rundown of Saturday's Daytona 500.
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| Hamlin celebrates the biggest win of his career. |
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| Hamlin in victory lane. |
