The NASCAR Cup SeriesThe regular season ended Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla., with Austin Dillon picking up a decisive victory to advance to the Cup Series playoffs.
Here are the highlights of Daytona International Speedway:
Green!
Here we go ! We hope you have fastened your seat belt. It’s going to be a wild ride.
Larson finished early
Tire issues spelled the end for defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and he finished the day before Stage 1 ended.
Teamwork is the source of a dream job
Denny Hamlin gave teammate Erik Jones a big boost early on as Jones took the lead.
Keselowski does early
An early wreck put Ryan Blaney and a lap behind and also spun Hamlin – but the two are still in the running.
Brad Keselowski was not so lucky and his day is over.
Logano takes stage 1
A wild Stage 1 ended with Joey Logano leading the pack.
Blaney on the recovery
It looked like Blaney could follow in the footsteps of Larson and Keselowski, but his crew was able to salvage his car after that early crash and keep him in the hunt for the playoffs.
Kyle Busch win stage 2
It’s hot and muggy in Daytona as the drivers make their final push for a playoff spot.
Truex in trouble
What was a good start for Martin Truex Jr. turned sour in a hurry, as his playoff hopes barely held.
A wreck in front
Several cars close to the leaders were involved in an accident on Stage 3. Chase Briscoe’s car came up and was retired, and Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace and Austin Dillon were also involved in the confusion.
slippery
Both Joey Logano and Erik Jones got burned at the back of the pack.
Mass crowding
As it began to rain on Lap 138, several cars near the top of the leaderboard were involved in wreckage.
Dillon managed to escape and land in front.
The race stops
As the rain set in, the drivers were taken to pit road. Dillon remains the leader.
Still waiting
The race is further delayed due to rain.
NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller told the broadcast booth he didn’t really think they could have done anything much different in terms of timing the delay.
Air titans have been deployed
The rain is starting to ease at Daytona, allowing the air titans to come out and possibly get the race going again soon.
A look at the final playoff spot
As the track continues to dry out, Truex is seventh in the standings while Blaney is 29th. However, nine cars ahead of Blaney are listed as “out” if the race resumes.
Blaney trails Truex by 12 points in the playoff standings.
Drivers, get back to your cars!
Drivers were told to report to their cars by 3:50 p.m. ET in hopes of restarting the race at 4:10 p.m.
Kevin Harvick place not credited during the delay
Harvick’s car was leading the field when the yellow warning flag appeared, but as his car was slightly damaged he was not credited with the lead and will not be able to finish the race.
Dillon holds on
After a hell of a delay, Dillon managed to hold on and win after the restart, earning a playoff berth.
He is accompanied by Blaney and 14 other pilots.
Stay tuned for updates.
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