BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

NASCAR Cup rookie Austin Cindric holds on to win Daytona 500

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

BE - Test Share

More Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) —  NASCAR Cup rookie Austin Cindric held on in an overtime shootout to win the Daytona 500 for Team Penske at “The Great American Race.”

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin became a spectator for the first time in his career and crashed out of NASCAR’s premier event Sunday, his first DNF in 17 starts in the season opener.

Hamlin was caught up on a eight-car melee near the end of the opening stage. Brad Keselowski was aggressively pushing Harrison Burton and eventually caused the rookie to lose control and turn sideways into Kyle Busch and William Byron. Burton’s car flipped onto its roof before getting hit again and turning back onto its tires.

“I’ve hit a lot harder before, that’s for sure. It’s just unfortunate,” Burton said. “I don’t know if it was too much (of a push). I just think it might have been in the wrong spot.”

Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman had nowhere to go and drove into the mess. Hamlin, Chastain, Burton and Byron sustained enough damage to their cars that they were knocked out before the 100-lap mark.

“We were kind of boxed in there where I noticed that something was going to happen, but I was boxed in, I was behind a teammate and I wanted to try to help,” Hamlin said. “Again, just too aggressive pushing right there when they weren’t lined up and in control.”

It was the first time Hamlin failed to be running at the end of a Daytona 500, an impressive streak considering how often cars crash on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin won the race in 2016, 2019 and 2020. He was trying to join Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty as the only drivers to win the 500 at least four times.

But Hamlin ended up as a spectator at Daytona for the first time Sunday. He stuck around to watch his newly expanded team, 23XI Racing, which he created with NBA legend Michael Jordan. Hamlin and Jordan hired Kurt Busch to join Bubba Wallace on the team. Jordan was attending the race.

Sports

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

67°F Sunny Feels like 67°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
45%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph NNW
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous