NASCAR Daytona 2017 results: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins Coke Zero 400

When race leader David Ragan slid up the track to throw a block on rookie Ty Dillon on an overtime restart with two laps remaining, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. capitalized by pulling to Ragan’s inside then completing the pass to win the Coke Zero 400 Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

It was Stenhouse’s second win of the season, with his previous victory coming in May at Talladega Superspeedway, the other restrictor-plate track on the Monster Energy Cup Series schedule. Stenhouse, in his fifth full year in NASCAR’s premier division, had never won a race before this season.

“This validates what we did at Talladega,” Stenhouse said.

”I kept my Talladega car and told them to build a new one. And they built another Ford that was really fast. … I can’t believe it! We put it in victory lane and got our second win.”

Clint Bowyer finished second, with Paul Menard third, Michael McDowell fourth and Ryan Newman fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Ragan, Brendan Gaughan, AJ Allmendinger, rookie Erik Jones and Chris Buescher.

“This bridesmaid deal sucks. I want to win. We’re in this business to win,” said Bowyer, who finished runner-up for the second straight week and is winless on the year. “But second is better than third.”

Had Ragan won, he would’ve essentially clinched an unlikely spot in playoffs. Afterward, the driver for the midsize Front Row Motorsports admitted his mistake cost himself a potential third-career victory and the loss would take some time to get over.

“I zigged when I should have zagged,” Ragan said. “It’s tough to block two or three lanes coming to the white flag. I missed it on that run. If I couldn’t win I’m glad another Ford is is victory lane. Ricky’s a good guy and I’m proud for that team. I’m just disappointed that I couldn’t close the deal.”

A race-record 14 cautions slowed the race for 51 laps, knocking out several expected contenders. Even the race-winner wasn’t immune from the rash of accidents, as Stenhouse had light damage when Kyle Larson got airborne directly in front of him with six laps remaining. Larson, who leads the series points standings, was not injured.

“We made it through without too much damage,” Stenhouse said. “I knew I just had to stay focused and get back in the game. It was close. I think we got some rubber on the front bumper from his tires spinning, but everything just worked out for us there.”

The most notable incident on the night involved Dale Earnhardt Jr., who couldn’t escape a spinning Kevin Harvick and slammed into the backstretch wall on Lap 107. Earnhardt was seeking to win in his last start at Daytona after announcing his retirement from full-time competition in April, but the damage proved unrepairable and he finished 32nd.

Earnhardt had also hit the wall earlier the night, falling two laps behind. But after repairs he rallied to get back on the lead lap and was running inside the top 10 when Harvick crashed directly in front of him. Earnhardt will need a victory in the remaining nine regular season races to earn a playoff berth.

”I wish we had had a good finish tonight if not a win,” Earnhardt said. “We were working up in there and having a good time and being aggressive and wearing out the sides of that race car. It just wasn’t to be.”