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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the 65th Annual Daytona 500. The #47 driver has etched his name in history, winning the Great American Race. Stenhouse Jr. had a quiet race for until he pulled the right moves to get himself into victory contention.
The 2023 Daytona 500 was a last-lap thriller as the race went into double overtime. Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were fighting for the lead on the final lap when caution was called out. Thus, the result was decided by NASCAR officials, as Stenhouse Jr. was in the lead when the caution was out.
The JTG Daugherty Racing driver started the race in the 33rd position. Stenhouse Jr. was not the favorite to win the Daytona 500 but the #47 driver did create his own luck gaining positions after the restarts.
The first stage of the race had no cautions. However, Martin Truex Jr. bumped into Bubba Wallace and both cars endured damage, with Wallace being a lap down. Brad Keselowski took the green flag for stage 1, with Ryan Preece behind him.
Kyle Busch was busy making up positions in the first stage. Busch sped through the pit lane, receiving a drive-through penalty. The #8 driver ended up a lap down to the leaders. However, as the race progressed, Busch made an astonishing recovery and was set to win the race before chaos ensued on the penultimate lap.
Ross Chastain won the second stage of the race, edging out Alex Bowman as they passed the green and white checkered flag. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished third, followed by reigning champion Joey Logano.
Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, and Aric Almirola were the leading trio for the majority of the race, losing out at the crucial moment.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. deservingly won the race, having kept his nerves in overtime. Stenhouse Jr. was reunited with his crew chief Mike Kelly, winning their first race together. The pair had previously won two Xfinity Series championships in 2011 and 2012.
Stenhouse Jr. has had a stellar start to the season, winning the Daytona 500 and taking home the coveted Harley J. Earl Trophy.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins the longest Daytona 500 race
The 65th edition of the Daytona 500 became the longest race in the event's history. The 200-lap race was extended to 212 laps due to two overtimes being added.
Kyle Busch was on course to win the season opener when Daniel Suarez lost control of the car, ending up on the grass. This sent the race into the first overtime. A two-lap shootout would decide the race winner.
On the restart, Kyle Busch lost the lead as Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Kyle Larson had a much better restart on the outside line. Behind the leader's contact between Austin Dillon and William Byron triggered a 13-car pile-up at turn 3.
On the final restart, Kyle Larson slipped down the order and was then spun around, triggering another multi-car pile-up. The incident caused caution to be raised as Stenhouse Jr. and Logano were racing side-by-side. The result was declared in a video review, as #47 just edged out #22 when caution was called.
The JTG Daugherty team erupted into celebrations before the results were announced as they were confident their driver had won.
