Dale Earnhardt Jr. had gone winless four of the last five years, but No. 88 captured the Daytona 500 on Sunday after a long rain delay.
Daytona 500 stopped due to rain, tornado warning
Brian LawdermilkDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Daytona 500 is under a red flag on Lap 38 due to persistent rain.
The field was circling under a caution when the skies opened up. NASCAR kept the cars on the track with the hope the rain would bypass, but when the showers continued the red flag was issued and the cars were parked on pit road.
Read Article >Hamlin overtakes Dillon early
Jared C. TiltonDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rookie Austin Dillon, driving the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet, led the field to the green flag and led the opening lap of the 56th Daytona 500. He couldn’t stay ahead very long, though.
Denny Hamlin took control early Sunday, passing Dillon on Lap 2. Having won the exhibition Sprint Unlimited last week and his qualifying race Thursday, Hamlin entered Sunday as a pre-race favorite. He would concede the lead to Kurt Busch a few laps later, as Hamlin’s engine began overheating due to debris on the grille. The debris eventually fell off the No. 11 Toyota and Hamlin’s engine temperatures returned to normal.
Read Article >
