After a 15-minute period under the red flag for rain, NASCAR decided to call the 51st Daytona 500 with Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 DeWalt Ford sitting at the front of the field on pit road.
It was Kenseth’s first-ever victory in a Daytona 500, likewise it was a first for team owner Jack Roush.
With almost three-quarters of the racing action behind them the field battled for position on the track, knowing the rain was coming. Kenseth was able to pass Jeremy Mayfield and then hold off Kevin Harvick and A.J. Allmendinger as Aric Almirola spun on Lap 147 going down the back stetch to bring out the final caution of the race. The yellow flag delay ate up enough time to allow the skies to open up and soak the track.
As Kenseth exited his car, he wasn’t sure if NASCAR was going to call the race but 15-minutes later, he got his answer.
From Victory Lane, Kenseth said, ”It’s gonna be really wet out here because I am crying like a baby, but I’ve
Got to thank my team and thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity first of all. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities in my life — from my family getting me in racing and really DeWalt, Ford, Carhartt, USG Sheetrock, R&L Carriers, all of the sponsors that we have that have stuck by us and made this happen in an up and down economy. Man, I don’t know, Winning the Daytona 500 is definitely a dream moment. It’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
2 comments:
Would have been a good race if Jr. hadn't done his stupid move hitting Vickers and taking out Kyle B. who was leading and didn't deserve that dumb move. Why was Jr. penalized 5 laps like Lefler was Saturday in the Busch race?? Doesn't seem too fair to me. Good coverage; bet it was a blast being there in person. Keep up the good work, until next ti9me.
NASCAR concluded it was a racing deal. IDK
Post a Comment