Chevrolet Camaro Racing Teams Struggle At Daytona 500: Video
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Teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman led the field to green at the 64th running of the Daytona 500, but the Chevy show didn’t last for long. Several of the NASCAR Next Gen Camaros struggled throughout the 500-mile race, and Austin Cindric in the No. 2 Ford Mustang ultimately earned the victory.
Brad Keselowski, fresh off his Duel qualifying race victory in his No. 6 Ford, quickly assumed the lead as the Camaros got shuffled back. Eventually, rookie Harrison Burton in the No. 21 Ford ended up in front of Keselowski. For a few laps, the two locked bumpers, and Keselowski gave Burton a shove going down the Daytona Superstretch. The No. 21 broke loose and rolled over, triggering a dramatic crash that damaged quite a few dominant cars, including the Chevys of William Byron and outside polesitter Alex Bowman. Burton was unharmed, but walked away disappointed from his first Daytona 500.
Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota showed the way to the first and second stage wins. Meanwhile, Keselowski and the Fords showed muscle throughout the race while the Chevys continued to struggle. Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro had an issue exiting his pit stall and ended up at the tail end of the field. Larson also experienced a similar issue, putting him deep in the pack and dashing his hopes of winning the Daytona 500 from the pole position.
With 49 laps left, Tyler Reddick’s No. 8 Camaro spun in front of the field, collecting Truex and several other cars. When the race restarted, Keselowski reassumed control, but quickly found himself under fire from the No. 2 of Austin Cindric and No. 42 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Larson clawed his way back through the field, but contact with Kevin Harvick sent the No. 4 Ford spinning, causing damage to Larson’s No. 5 and Elliott’s No. 9. The red flag was flown, halting the field with 10 laps to go. When the race restarted, Keselowski shoved Stenhouse to the front of the field and turned the No. 42, causing yet another large crash in the Daytona 500.
It all came down to the finish line – Cindric barely edged past the No. 23 of Bubba Wallace for his first Cup win in his first series start in the No. 2 at the Daytona 500. The best finishing Chevrolet was the No. 9 of Chase Elliott, who somehow managed to land 10th place with a damaged race car.
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Love the NASCAR coverage! Great shots. Feel like I was there from the descriptions.
Most of the Chevys were crashed out. They were fast just caught in crashes or bumped drafted out by #6.
The new cars are showing they can take little damage.
How many cars did the #6 take out? He’s nuts. His old ride won. Ironic
If you like two rows of cars going around the track, then this was the race for you. No car seemed to have the ability to go out of a pack & go to the front. Once you left the line of cars, the only place you went was backwards. Really, a very boring race. The only thing making it interesting was the last 10 miles when drivers left the pack, which of course always results in the kind of 1 hour plus crash fests these “restrictor plate” races involve. Unfortunately, the Chevy’s were not front runners in the way the Ford’s were.
A heck of a shame we get just Toyota, Ford and Chevy when out on the real streets, the Dodge Challenger is seen everywhere.
I used to love nascar but it’s a joke every year now keslowski takes out how many cars not once but twice. Enough with the bumping how are you that stupid to push in the corner nascar need’s penalties for bumping it’s gotten real old watching them tear up so many good cars
THEY CALL THEM CHEVY’s FORDS , ALL THE SAME, DIFFERENT COLORS, DIFFERENT DRIVERS. MONEY MAKING JOKE.
THANK YOU,
J.B.
Why did Chase wait on On Wallace to get out of pit stall, any one else catch that?
Because if he had blocked him it would have been racially motivated.
Kerry, if you listened to the announcers, which included reputable Nascar drivers, they told of How the new cars worked Better, when pushed in the corners. It created more down force on the rear. When they pushed on the straights, the cars got very light & squirrely.
CD, we all saw that. I’d say it was a matter of courteously, Not to block Wallace in, And protecting his own car from getting hit. He understood Wallace was much faster & had a better chance of winning.
Chevys had no speed for the race
Yea whatever bumping is getting old take the plate off and let them run . As for Wallace we wouldn’t want to offend the black man he might cry racist he really can’t drive worth a crap just glad he didn’t take the field out
The Hendrick Chevys will be up front at the downforce/HP tracks
We forgot to watch the race. Just as well, I guess.