The Rundown: Daytona – Nascar

Complete news and notes on all 40 drivers from the Daytona 500. 

 

1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The dominant car for much of Speedweeks, Hamlin was out front for 95 laps and used a huge last lap surge to clear his teammate Matt Kenseth, edge Martin Truex Jr. to the line and earn his first Daytona 500 victory in 11 tries. Grade: A+

 

2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing. Just inches away from his first Daytona 500 victory, Truex may be heartbroken, but he took his second-place finish in style and with class. Grade: A

 

3. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. One year after watching the Daytona 500 from the hospital, the defending Sprint Cup Series champion was a total team player and helped push the Joe Gibbs Racing charge to the front. Grade: A

 

4. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The 2007 Daytona 500 champion made an incredible save early in the race and provided the push that shoved Denny Hamlin to the front of the field on the last lap. Grade: A

 

5. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 19 Toyota looked like it went through 500 miles at Martinsville after getting caught in Brian Vickers‘ early race spin, but the team never gave up and Edwards was a factor late in the race. Grade: A-

 

RELATED: Edwards takes on damage

 

6. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. The 2015 Daytona 500 champion had a fast Ford, fought the handling for much of the race and helped form the high line late that won the race for Denny Hamlin. Grade: B

 

7. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. The quiet seventh-place finish for Larson was a huge improvement over his four previous Daytona starts, where he failed to finish better than 34th. Grade: B+

 

8. Regan Smith, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. In his first start for Tommy Baldwin Racing, Smith overcame an early spin and an overheating engine in the closing laps to earn his first top 10 since Talladega Superspeedway in May 2013. Grade: B+

 

9. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing.The driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet had a slow start to the day but was able to hang around and move through the pack when it mattered most to finish inside the top 10. Grade: B-

 

10. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. After missing last year’s Daytona 500, Busch was a factor toward the front of the field for much of the day and finished 10th. Grade: B

 

11. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. A dismal start of Speedweeks turned into an 11th-place finish for Ryan Newman, much better than they had performed all week. Grade: B

 

12. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. The driver of the famed No. 43 ran mid-pack for much of Sunday’s Daytona 500, but was able to work his way to 12th in the final laps. Grade: B-

 

13. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet showed speed throughout the day, but fell back when the field broke up off Turn 4 on the final lap of the race. Grade: B

 

14. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota was leading the race in the final corner, tried to block Hamlin’s strong run and made an incredible save to avoid wrecking the field. The two-time “Great American Race” winner led for a total of 40 laps. Grade: A

 

RELATED: Kenseth reacts to heartbreaking ending

 

15. Michael McDowell, No. 59 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. McDowell stopped in the wrong pit stall, stalled the car, was pushed out by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but was able to recover to finish inside the top 15. Grade: B-

 

16. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Starting in the rear with a backup car, the two-time Daytona 500 champion showed speed, led 18 laps, but fell back late after making an incredible save. Grade: B-

 

17. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. The 2010 Daytona 500 winner was running mid-pack on the final lap and had to check up when Kenseth slowed off Turn 4. Grade: B-

 

18. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. The Richard Childress Racing driver ran outside the top 20 for much of the race, ran inside the top 10 midway through the event, but then dropped back late in the going. Grade: C

 

19. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. The highest-finishing rookie showed strength throughout the day, but faded late in the 200-lap event after a loose wheel mired him in the pack. Grade: B-

 

20. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. The Team Penske driver fought the handling of his No. 2 Ford throughout the race, tried to make the high line work on the final lap, but fell back. Grade: C+

 

21. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Not the start to the season Allmendinger was hoping for, as he ran outside the top 25 for much of the race. Grade: C-

 

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse was stuck behind McDowell on pit road midway through the race, was in the wrong lane at the end, but was still the highest-finishing Roush Fenway Racing driver. Grade: C

 

23. Landon Cassill, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Starting 24th, Cassill ran midpack for much of the event and finished one spot ahead of where he started. Grade: C

 

24. Brian Scott, No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. The rookie driver took a conservative approach at the end of Sunday’s race, trying to avoid a wreck and finished outside the top 20 as a result. Grade: C

 

25. Ty Dillon, No. 95 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. Making his second Daytona 500 start, the younger Dillon worked his way to the top 10 just before halfway, but faded deep in the pack late in the race. Grade: C

 

26. Brian Vickers, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Filling in for Tony Stewart, Vickers spun on Lap 56, avoided any damage and fought back to the top 10, but was caught in the high line late and fell through the pack. Grade: B+

 

RELATED: Vickers spins out, but rallies

 

27. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett ran outside the top 30 for much of the day, but was able to make some moves and work his way to 27th by the end of the race. Grade: C-

 

28. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. The 2011 Daytona 500 winner was involved in an early incident with Carl Edwards and was never able to make a charge to the front. Grade: C-

 

29. David Ragan, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Ragan raced his way inside the top 20 throughout the race, but was never a factor and fell to the back of the pack on the final run to the checkered flag. Grade: C-

 

30. Michael Waltrip, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. The two-time Daytona 500 winner struggled throughout the day on pit road, receiving multiple penalties. Grade: D

 

31. Bobby Labonte, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Starting 33rd, the 2000 series champion rarely broke out of the top 30, finishing the day 31st. Grade: D

 

32. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears was hit with a pit-road speeding penalty under green and hit a large piece of debris with the hood and windshield. Grade: C-

 

33. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, HScott Motorsports. In his debut with HScott Motorsports, Bowyer struggled for speed throughout Speedweeks and received a pit-road penalty late in the going. Grade: D-

 

34. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle had high hopes for the Daytona 500, but when the team put left side tires on the right side of the car, it led to a blown right rear and late contact with Danica Patrick ended any hope of a recovery. Grade: D-

 

35. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Problems on pit road, heated conversations with the team over the radio and a wild ride through the grass after contact with Biffle made her Daytona less than memorable. Grade: D

 

36. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. One of the strongest cars all of Speedweeks, Earnhardt was charging to the front when his car — penned “Amelia” — broke loose and slid into the inside wall with 31 laps to go. Grade: B-

 

RELATED: Junior’s day ends early after hitting wall

 

37. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. After a strong start for the rookie pole-sitter, Elliott lost control of his No. 24 (off Turn 4) on Lap 18. The infield grass destroyed the front end of Elliott’s car and ended his hopes of a solid finish. Grade: C-

 

38. Robert Richardson Jr., No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. The underdog story of Daytona ended up finishing two spots ahead of where he started, and Richardson stayed out of trouble throughout the day. Grade: D+

 

39. Chris Buescher, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher’s rookie campaign did not get off to a great start as he was caught up in a Lap 91 incident with Matt DiBenedetto, taking a huge hit in the process. Grade: C-

 

40. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 93 Toyota, BK Racing. Making his first Daytona 500 start, the BK Racing driver had a hard hit into the Turn 1 SAFER barrier and took blame for the incident. Grade: D