Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith
Daytona 500 Race Report
Daytona 500 Overview
Date: February 16th, 2025
Event: Race 2 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-miles)
Length of Race: 201 Laps over 3 hours, 53 minutes, and 26 seconds.
FRM Finish:
● Noah Gragson (Started 32nd, Finished 28th / Running, completed 198 of 201 laps)
● Todd Gilliland (Started 14th, Finished 27th / Running, completed 199 of 201laps)
● Zane Smith: (Started 37th, Finished 36th / DNF, completed 108 of 201 laps)
Noah Gragson Key Takeaways
Noah Gragson made his first visit to the Daytona International Speedway for Front Row Motorsports (FRM) in the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse on Sunday night.
Gragson qualified 32nd for the event. Gragson finished 29th in Stage One and 21st in Stage Two.
Through pit strategy and drafting with other Fords, Gragson made his way to the front on the pack and controlling the race from within the top-10. With 15 laps remaining, Gragson was collected in an on-track incident which resulted in damage to his No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer and the team made the necessary repairs to finish the race.
“We had a really fast car until we got caught up in the wreck,” said Gragson. “The guys did what they could to get me back out there. We’re going to take what we learned in Daytona and keep building and fine tuning the little things as we head to Atlanta.”
Todd Gilliland Key Takeaways
Todd Gilliland made his fourth appearance in the Daytona 500, qualifying 14th for the event, marking his sixth top-15 qualifying result on superspeedways.
Gilliland finished 15th in Stage One and 5th in Stage two, earning valuable stage points in Stage Two.
Drafting with other Fords and strategy calls made by interim crew chief Kevyn Rebolledo, Gilliland showed off his plate racing skills throughout the event, competing heavily with in the top-10 and top five. With 15 laps remaining in the race, Gilliland was collected in an on-track incident resulting in a broken right rear suspension.
“It’s always disappointing when we have finishes like this, but sometimes that’s just how these superspeedway races go,” said Gilliland. “The team brought a really fast No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse and we were in contention, but we just got caught up in a wreck and weren’t able to get our laps back. Regardless, I’m looking forward to Atlanta next week, the speed is there for sure and I think we will be able to contend.”
Zane Smith Key Takeaways
After cutting his right front tire and suffering damage in his Daytona Duel, Zane Smith qualified 37th for the Daytona 500.
Smith didn’t let the qualifying effort hinder him from making his way to the front, getting as high as P2 and competing within the top-20.
With three laps remaining in Stage One, Smith was involved in an accident, suffering damage to his No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang Dark Horse. The team made the necessary repairs to get back on track but ultimately retired from the race.
“Definitely not how we wanted our race to go, but I am really proud of this 38 group,” said Smith. “From cutting a tire in our Duel to getting in a wreck in the race, we had almost everything go wrong for us this weekend and Ryan (Bergenty) and the team never gave up. I have a good team supporting me, and I am really looking forward to what we accomplish.”
ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
