Daytona 500 marred by 15-car wreck and rain delay after 15 laps
The Daytona 500 is currently under red flag conditions after 15 laps.
After 15 laps, Kevin Harvick leads with Christopher Bell in second. Harvick has lead 14 laps and Alex Bowman has led one lap, with only one lead change so far.
There have been two cautions for four laps. The first caution fell on Lap 4 for Derrike Cope blowing a right-front tire and hitting the wall in turn four.
On Lap 8, the race returned to green flag conditions and tight, multi-lane racing, but it did not last long. Going into turn three on Lap 14, a bump from Christopher Bell on the inside line sent second-place driver Aric Almirola sideways and into the backstretch wall in front of the field, taking 14 other drives with him.
The following drivers were involved in the Lap 14 multi-car wreck: Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, Jamie McMurray, Alex Bowman, Matt DiBenedetto, Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, David Ragan, Anthony Alfredo, Daniel Suarez.
While under caution for the multi-car wreck, lightning was reported near the track, prompting a red flag and a 30-minute delay. The delay began at 3:27 p.m. EST and is ongoing due to rain.
Seven of the 40 cars are out of the race. The following drivers are out of the race: Derrike Cope, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Anthony Alfredo and Daniel Suarez.
The Top 10 drivers are as follows: Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell.
In his first race for 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace runs 12th. Wallace was forced to the rear due to failing tech inspection three times. Wallace also made an early pit stop after making contact with Derrike Cope early in the race.
Defending Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin runs 16th. Hamlin is looking to become the first driver in Daytona 500 history to win the 500 three years in a row.
If the race is delayed until Monday, it will run at 4 p.m. EST and air on FOX.
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com