2021 Daytona 500

2021 Daytona 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Race 1 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
Date February 14–15, 2021
Location Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km)
Average speed 144.416 miles per hour (232.415 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Hendrick Motorsports
Time 47.056
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing
Duel 2 Winner Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing
Most laps led
Driver Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 98
Winner
No. 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer
Nielsen Ratings 4.830 million[12]
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4)

The 2021 Daytona 500, the 63rd running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 14–15, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the first race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. In one of the biggest surprise upsets in Daytona 500 history, Michael McDowell, driving for Front Row Motorsports, won after Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski wrecked battling for the lead on the final lap.[13][14] McDowell was a 100–1 underdog, making his 358th Cup Series start and driving for a team with only two previous Cup Series victories.

Report

Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida that is one of six superspeedways, the others being Auto Club Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Background

Daytona International Speedway, the circuit where the 63rd annual Daytona 500 took place
The program cover for the 2021 Daytona 500.

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[15] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[16] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[16] The race will be the return of multiple retired drivers, such as 2010 winner Jamie McMurray[17] and Derrike Cope, the 1990 winner.[18] The race will also be the debut of drivers Anthony Alfredo, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric[19] and Noah Gragson.[20] Although Gragson missed the race due to Crashing in duel 2. The race will also be the debut of many new teams, most notably 23XI Racing.[21]

This is the first Daytona 500 without two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson since 2001.

Entry list

  • (W) denotes past 500 winner.
  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
1 Kurt Busch (W) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon (W) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick (W) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Ryan Newman (W) Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin (W) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
13 Garrett Smithley (i) MBM Motorsports Ford
14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Derrike Cope (W) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
16 Kaz Grala Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano (W) Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
53 Joey Gase Rick Ware Racing Ford
62 Noah Gragson (i) Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Ford
77 Jamie McMurray (W) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
96 Ty Dillon (i) Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

First practice (February 9)

Bubba Wallace was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 45.057 seconds and a speed of 199.747 mph (321.462 km/h).[22] This was the first practice session for a NASCAR Cup Series race in almost a year, the last one being at the 2020 March Phoenix Race.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 45.057 199.747
2 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 45.069 199.694
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 45.070 199.689
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Alex Bowman won the pole.

Alex Bowman scored the pole for the race with a time of 47.056 and a speed of 191.261 mph (307.805 km/h).[23] Electrical problems for Derrike Cope and multiple inspection failures for Noah Gragson kept them from taking a timed lap.

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.056
2 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.314
3 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 47.324
4 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 47.474
5 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 47.477
6 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 47.489
7 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 47.573
8 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 47.585
9 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 47.631
10 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 47.636
11 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 47.695
12 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.695
13 36 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 47.730
14 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 47.742
15 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.752
16 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 47.780
17 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 47.881
18 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 47.895
19 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 47.900
20 16 Kaz Grala Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 47.925
21 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 47.943
22 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 47.956
23 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 47.960
24 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 47.972
25 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 48.060
26 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 48.072
27 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 48.124
28 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 48.165
29 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 48.189
30 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 48.269
31 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48.347
32 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 48.422
33 96 Ty Dillon (i) Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 48.446
34 77 Jamie McMurray Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 48.746
35 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 48.767
36 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 49.571
37 13 Garrett Smithley (i) MBM Motorsports Ford 49.880
38 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 49.985
39 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Ford 50.016
40 51 Cody Ware Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 50.074
41 53 Joey Gase Rick Ware Racing Ford 50.630
42 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 50.926
43 15 Derrike Cope Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 0.000
44 62 Noah Gragson (i) Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 0.000
Official qualifying results

Bluegreen Vacations Duels

See also: 2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duels

The Bluegreen Vacations Duels are a pair of NASCAR Cup Series races held in conjunction with the Daytona 500 annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. They consist of two races 60 laps and 150 miles (240 km) in length, which serve as heat races that set the lineup for the Daytona 500. The first race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in odd-numbered positions on pole qualifying day, while the second race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in even-numbered positions. The Duels set the lineup for positions 3–38, while positions 39 and 40 are filled by the two "Open" (teams without a charter) cars that set the fastest times in qualifying, but did not lock in a spot in the Duels.

Duel 1

Duel 1 results

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 2 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 60 10
2 4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 60 9
3 12 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 60 8
4 11 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 60 7
5 5 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 60 6
6 17 96 Ty Dillon (i) Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 60 0
7 8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 60 4
8 6 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 60 3
9 14 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 60 2
10 18 77 Jamie McMurray Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 60 1
11 3 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 60 0
12 9 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 60 0
13 7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 60 0
14 13 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 60 0
15 16 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 60 0
16 10 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 59 0
17 15 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 59 0
18 19 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 58 0
19 20 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Ford 57 0
20 1 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 56 0
21 21 51 Cody Ware Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 56 0
22 22 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 14 0
Official race results

Duel 2

Duel 2 results

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 4 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 63 10
2 2 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 63 9
3 3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 63 8
4 8 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 63 7
5 5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 63 6
6 9 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 63 5
7 17 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 63 4
8 6 36 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 63 3
9 7 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 63 2
10 15 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 63 1
11 13 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 63 0
12 14 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 63 0
13 20 53 Joey Gase Rick Ware Racing Ford 63 0
14 10 16 Kaz Grala Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 63 0
15 11 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 61 0
16 18 13 Garrett Smithley (i) MBM Motorsports Ford 61 0
17 21 15 Derrike Cope Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 59 0
18 22 62 Noah Gragson (i) Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 56 0
19 1 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 56 0
20 12 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 56 0
21 16 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 35 0
22 19 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 35 0
Official race results

Starting lineup

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Notes
1 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Fastest in pole qualifying
2 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Second in pole qualifying
3 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Duel 1 Winner
4 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Duel 2 Winner
5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Second in Duel 1
6 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota Second in Duel 2
7 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford Third in Duel 1
8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Third in Duel 2
9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford Fourth in Duel 1
10 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Fourth in Duel 2
11 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Fifth in Duel 1
12 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Fifth in Duel 2
13 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Seventh in Duel 1
14 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford Sixth in Duel 2
15 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet Eighth in Duel 1
16 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Seventh in Duel 2
17 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford Ninth in Duel 1
18 36 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford Eighth in Duel 2
19 77 Jamie McMurray Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Tenth in Duel 1
20 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Ninth in Duel 2
21 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Eleventh in Duel 1
22 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford Tenth in Duel 2
23 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford Twelfth in Duel 1
24 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford Eleventh in Duel 2
25 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Thirteenth in Duel 1
26 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Twelfth in Duel 2
27 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fourteenth in Duel 1
28 53 Joey Gase Rick Ware Racing Ford Thirteenth in Duel 2
29 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Fifteenth in Duel 1
30 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fifteenth in Duel 2
31 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Seventeenth in Duel 1
32 15 Derrike Cope Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet Seventeenth in Duel 2
33 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet Eighteenth in Duel 1
34 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Twentieth in Duel 2
35 51 Cody Ware Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 21st in Duel 1
36 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 21st in Duel 2
37 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 22nd in Duel 1
38 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 22nd in Duel 2
39 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford Qualifying speed
40 16 Kaz Grala Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Qualifying speed
Did not qualify
41 96 Ty Dillon (i) Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
42 13 Garrett Smithley (i) MBM Motorsports Ford
43 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Ford
44 62 Noah Gragson (i) Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Practice (post–Duels)

Second practice (February 13)

Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 45.826 seconds and a speed of 196.395 mph (316.067 km/h).[24]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 45.826 196.395
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 46.051 195.435
3 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 46.080 195.313
Official second practice results

Final practice (February 13)

Final practice session scheduled for Saturday was cancelled due to rain.

Race

Teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano wrecked on the final lap

Alex Bowman started on pole, as the race was under threat from rain and thunderstorms. Derrike Cope cut a tire and hit the wall on lap 3, ironically during the lap 3 tribute to Dale Earnhardt, who cut a tire allowing Cope to win the 500 thirty-one years earlier, to bring out the first caution while causing damage to Bubba Wallace. On lap 14, "The Big One" struck in turn 3 as Aric Almirola and Bowman got turned into the outside wall collecting 16 cars. Two laps later, the race was red-flagged for 5 hours and 40 minutes due to rain and lightning. The race restarted with Kevin Harvick as the leader. Defending winner Denny Hamlin won stages 1 and 2 as Christopher Bell lost a left-rear tire and spun collecting Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jamie McMurray in stage 2. The final stage remained caution-free as Hamlin, in contention to win the race for the third consecutive time, pitted from the lead on final pit stops but fell back to 13th as the pack got single file with Joey Logano leading. On the last lap, Brad Keselowski attempted to pass Logano on the backstretch but the two collided, creating a fiery crash sending Keselowski into the catchfence and collecting Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain and Cole Custer. Michael McDowell, who was third at the time, dodged the final lap crash to win his first career victory under caution as well as earning Front Row Motorsports' third Cup victory.

Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 65

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 9
3 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 8
4 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 0
6 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 4
8 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 3
9 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2
10 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 65

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 9
3 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 8
4 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 6
6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 5
7 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 4
8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 2
10 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Michael McDowell won his first Cup race in his 358th start

Stage Three Laps: 70

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 17 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 200 44
2 12 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 42
3 4 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 48
4 8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 200 42
5 25 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 52
6 11 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 200 40
7 34 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 32
8 19 77 Jamie McMurray Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 200 29
9 16 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 200 28
10 13 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 37
11 27 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 200 27
12 9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 199 33
13 24 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 199 25
14 10 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 199 25
15 39 33 Austin Cindric (i) Team Penske Ford 199 0
16 5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 199 26
17 6 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 198 32
18 21 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 198 19
19 30 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 197 18
20 28 53 Joey Gase Rick Ware Racing Ford 196 17
21 35 51 Cody Ware Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 196 16
22 20 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 195 15
23 38 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 195 0
24 37 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 194 13
25 26 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 193 12
26 2 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 191 11
27 29 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 10
28 40 16 Kaz Grala Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 114 9
29 33 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 37 8
30 14 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14 7
31 22 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14 6
32 36 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 14 5
33 23 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 14 4
34 3 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 13 3
35 1 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 13 2
36 15 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 13 1
37 18 36 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 13 1
38 7 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 13 1
39 31 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 13 1
40 32 15 Derrike Cope Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 3 1
Official race results

Race statistics

  • Lead changes: 22 among 13 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 7 for 40
  • Red flags: 1 for 5 hours, 40 minutes and 29 seconds
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 27 minutes and 44 seconds
  • Average speed: 144.416 miles per hour (232.415 km/h)

Media

Television

See also: NASCAR on television and radio § Beyond the United States

Since 2001—with the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2006—the Daytona 500 has been broadcast on Fox in the United States. The booth crew consisted of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, three-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Vince Welch handled pit road for the television side. 1992 and 1998 Daytona 500 winning crew chief Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox Television
Booth announcers Pit reporters In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer		 Jamie Little
Regan Smith
Vince Welch		 Larry McReynolds

Radio

The race was broadcast on radio by the Motor Racing Network—who has covered the Daytona 500 since 1970—and was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The booth crew consisted of Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Longtime turn announcer Dave Moody was the lead turn announcer, calling the race from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley worked the backstretch for the race from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track & Kyle Rickey called the race when the field raced through turns 3 and 4 from the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 4. On pit road, MRN was manned by Steve Post and Kim Coon.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace		 Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Backstretch: Mike Bagley
Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey		 Steve Post
Kim Coon

Standings after the race

References

  1. ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "First Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  8. ^ "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  9. ^ "Second Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Daytona 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "Daytona 500 TV viewers in the U.S. 2021".
  13. ^ "Daytona 500 2021 Results: Michael McDowell Wins After Avoiding Final-Lap Crash". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Michael McDowell emerges with Daytona 500 victory after massive crash on final lap". USAToday.com. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  15. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  16. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks — The Daytona International Speedway". Speedway Guide. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  17. ^ Fair, Asher (19 January 2021). "NASCAR: Jamie McMurray lands 2021 Daytona 500 ride". beyondtheflag.com. Beyond the Flag. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  18. ^ McCarriston, Shanna. "Derrike Cope, 62, will race in the 2021 Daytona 500 -- 31 years after he last won the race". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  19. ^ Fair, Asher (20 January 2021). "NASCAR: Austin Cindric lands 2021 Daytona 500 ride". Beyondtheflag.com. Beyond the Flag. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Fair, Asher (14 January 2021). "NASCAR: 2021 Daytona 500 entry list continues to grow". Beyondtheflag.com. Beyond the Flag. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  21. ^ Associated Press (14 December 2020). "23XI Racing fully funded for debut season with Bubba Wallace". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  22. ^ Utter, Jim (February 9, 2021). "Bubba Wallace leads opening Daytona 500 practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  23. ^ Utter, Jim (February 10, 2021). "Alex Bowman wins Daytona 500 pole in all-Hendrick front row". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  24. ^ Utter, Jim (February 13, 2021). "Keselowski fastest in Saturday's abbreviated first Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 13, 2021.


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