The Daytona 500 is nearing the halfway point and Denny Hamlin in a backup car is leading following green flag pit stops. Hamlin wrecked his primary car in Thursday’s Budweiser Duel and started the race at the rear of the field.
Daytona 500 2013 live results: Green flag pit stops shake up the running order
The first wave of green flag pit stops are in the books, and the running order is a bit different at the Daytona 500.
Mike Ehrmann
Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth run second and third on Lap 88 of the 200-lap race.
Before pit stops, Kenseth, the defending 500 winner, was leading and he now runs in the third position. Kenseth is attempting to become just the fourth driver to win the Daytona 500 in consecutive seasons, joining Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Sterling Marlin.
Jeff Gordon, who dominated from the onset and has led 31 laps on the day, is reporting that the engine in his Chevrolet is overheating with temperatures in excess of 240 degrees. Gordon is currently running fifth.
Danica Patrick continues to impress as she has run in the top 10 all afternoon and currently resides in the eighth position. However, Patrick is reporting a vibration with her car.
Kyle Busch was running in the top 10 before pit stops, but during his stop his car fell off the jack as his team was attempting to change left-side tires. As a result, Busch has fallen out of the lead and is in danger of going a lap down.
During pit stops, Aric Almirola was tagged by NASCAR for exiting pit road too fast and had to come back down pit road to serve a penalty.
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