Updates
Later, 11:16 p.m. central time: Logano, Keselowski, fighting for win. Huge crash up front. Winner? NASCAR needs to review the video footage: it's going to be either McDowell, Chase Elliot, ... there it is, Michael McDowell declared the winner. Sponsor: Love's. McDowell led one lap. The last one, and not much of a last lap. Wow, wow, wow -- multiple video drones seen circling the winning car. I had not seen the drones before. The drones are really, really creepy. Looks so much like a sci-fi "thing." The drones are flying about four feet off the ground circling McDowell. The drones can literally be anywhere and get there in moments.
Later, 10:34 p.m. central time: egg on my face. They got 'er done. They got the race going at 9:00 p.m. central time after an-almost nine hour weather delay -- RED. And it turned out to be a great race. Denny Hamlin won the first two stages; favored, obviously, to win the race; if he does, three consecutive wins at Daytona. Great race; I'm loving it. 50 laps to go. Denny Hamlin has led half the laps so far. If no car problems he should win. But I bet it's close.
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Ruined by a salute to Bubba Wallace from Toyota with its "I Can't Breathe" commercial just before the race begins.
Lap 14: huge wreck. Took out a lot of cars. Happened up front. Remember, they had only one hour of practice this week. Fourteen laps of a 200-lap race. Unbelievable. Lap 14. This is really, really unfortunate. #10 and #48, side-by side, row two .. Bell, #20, in row 3 bumped car in row and started the wreck. Only lap 14. The announcers seem more excited about the wreck than what it means for the race. The media likes wrecks but taking out a dozen cars in lap 14? I think the fans and the crews deserve better. Bell started in the pole position. #10 -- Almirola started 29th, was running 2nd; not sure who was running side-by-side with Almirola. They were side-by-side, less than a foot or so apart, when #20, Bell, hit #10 in the rear at an awkward angle, spinning out Almirola. Bell moved through the wreck just fine. #48, Alex Bowman, running 3rd was running side-by-side with Almirola, and taken out by Almirola. Sixteen cars involved in the wreck.
Now, during the caution, RED, lightning strikes less than three miles away. Announcers say it will be a brief interruption. Weather radar here. Current cell is fairly long; then a gap before the next cell. If the current cell results in rain on the track they will have it dried off just as the second cell arrives.
I would say this race is over for the day, even before it started.
This raises the odds that Denny Hamlin, #11, will win the Daytona 500. Prior to the race, odds makers had Hamlin as the favorite with 8 - 1 odds to win. Hamlin is looking for his third consecutive Daytona 500 win.
Now lightning strike, still RED, to heavy rainfall -- a thunderstorm. Let's just call the race over for the day. Looks like 28 cars on lead lap.
DNF after crash in lap 14:
- D Cope
- E Jones
- R Newman
- D Ragan
- D Suárez
- A Bowman
- A Almirola
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