Late-race crashes turn open entries’ fortunes upside down
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — Jimmie Johnson was the standout open entry in Sunday’s 65th Daytona 500 but multiple late-race crashes changed how that looked on the final results sheet.
Johnson was the only open driver to score a top-10 stage finish – 7th in stage one – but was the only open driver who didn’t finish the 500.
On Lap 203, Johnson was one of the first to meet William Byron and Austin Dillon, as they spun back up the track entering turn 3.
The wreck caused Johnson’s car to sustain race-ending damage and have a 31st-place finish after heading toward being the highest-finishing open driver.
Instead, Travis Pastrana was the highest-finishing open driver in the Daytona 500 in 11th.
Pastrana started the race with a speeding penalty. It buried him in 37th and 32nd at the end of the stages and even in 30th with 30 laps to go.
Then, two multi-car crashes in those final laps moved Pastrana up to 9th on the final lap.
Although a bad bump turned him into Kyle Larson to start a wreck, Pastrana brought the car back to the start-finish line and was 11th at the time of caution.
After the race, Pastrana joked the kids’ college trust fund was going to be okay and explained how he accidentally led a lap. He also called running the Daytona 500 “an honor” and said it’s going to be a one-and-done effort.
“I’m not good enough to be the best at this sport with my skillset. The amount of time it would take [to get good] wouldn’t work with how I’m trying to slow down but I came here because it’s the best I’ve ever been as a driver and we’re winning dirt championships. I wanted to experience the Daytona experience,” Pastrana said.
While Pastrana and Johnson ran into various on-track issues, the other open drivers had mechanical issues that prevented them from running well.
Conor Daly, for instance, ran the entire Daytona 500 without a rear-view mirror.
“Our car was slow and had a lot of issues, like the rear-view mirror. I couldn’t see anything behind me, only in front of me. I never had it, [it popped up] as soon as I turned on the car,” Daly explained to TRE.
The issue didn’t stop Daly from racing in the pack after starting 34th. However, poor pit stops and multiple penalties – including penalties for speeding and a crewman over the wall too soon happening in the same stop – put him back to 39th and 35th in the stages and multiple laps down.
At the finish, Daly finished 29th, 6 laps down, as the second-to-last car running at the finish.
“[My first Daytona 500] was honestly pretty boring. I really enjoyed being in the pack and when guys would work with us. Our car was great then. I just had no rear-view mirror, was dealing with a lot and was slow.” Daly said.
Zane Smith had electronic dashboard issues that put him in 35th and 31st at the end of the stages. However, Smith stayed on the lead lap and moved up to 12th amid the slew of wrecks.
“It was hectic. I tried staying out of everyone’s mess since I didn’t have anything to go prove, no need to get stage points. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky lately and we came out with a 12th-place finish. Wish we didn’t have as many issues as we had today since my dash wasn’t working,” Smith said.
“My favorite moment of the race was crossing the start-finish line.”
Smith will be back in the NASCAR Cup Series, March 12 at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET; TV: FOX; Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), driving the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.
The defending Truck champion will also run at Talladega in April, the Coca-Cola 600 in May, Sonoma in June, Texas in September and the Charlotte Roval in October.
Daly expects to return to the NASCAR Cup Series, March 26 at COTA (3:30 p.m. ET; TV: FOX, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Johnson’s next confirmed race will be July 2 at the Chicago street course (5:30 p.m. ET; TV: NBC; Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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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