Friday, February 12
Track: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, 2.5-mile oval
Race: 1 of 22
Event: NextEra Energy 250 (100 laps, 250 miles)
Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Monster Energy Ford F-150
Start: Ninth
Finish: 24th
- In Stage 1, Deegan hugged the yellow line for most of the stage and ended it in 13th. She pitted during the stage break for fuel-only and a track-bar adjustment after reporting her Monster Energy Ford F-150 was loose on entry and snug on exit.
- The 19-year-old started Stage 2 in sixth and closed it out in 26th after slipping back in the pack at the high-banked oval. Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. told Deegan to stay out during the stage break.
- When the green flag dropped on the final stage, Deegan took off from the seventh position in her Ford F-150.
- Throughout several cautions in the final stage, the California native made a couple of pit stops for fuel and fresh tires, including on lap 74 after missing an accident in front of her. Deegan restarted 27th on lap 78.
- With 19 laps to go, the Monster Energy driver spun and made contact with the inside wall causing left-front damage to her No. 1 machine. Deegan brought her F-150 down pit road for repairs.
- The lengthy repairs put Deegan three laps down and she ultimately finished 24th.
Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150
Start: 22nd
Finish: 35th
- A mechanical failure at the drop of the green flag forced Gray and the No. 15 team to the garage without completing a single lap. Repairs were unable to be made in order to rejoin the race.
David Gilliland, No. 17 Black’s Tire and Auto Service Ford F-150
Start: 13th
Finish: 14th
- With five laps to go in Stage 1, Gilliland was in the 15th position.
- The Blacks Tire and Auto Service driver ended Stage 1 in the eighth spot.
- Gilliland started Stage 2 from 15th and was in the 11th spot on lap 31, and ultimately ended the stage in 16th.
- The Ford driver didn’t pit during the Stage 2 break and began the final stage in fourth.
- Gilliland guided the No. 17 machine to lead on lap 48. A series of cautions beginning at 40 laps remaining allowed the team to come down pit road multiple times to top off with fuel.
- During the caution with 28 laps to go, the team opted to pit one final time for four tires and fuel.
- Gilliland restarted 25th and was up to as high as second over the course of the last 25 laps, but was shuffled out of line in the final laps and ended up finishing 14th in a multi-car crash across the finish line.
Next event: BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in Daytona, Florida on February 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
