In the double nickel running of the Great American Race, with the first female ever to start from the pole, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 2013 Daytona 500.
The cream rises to the top, and stays there it seems. Defending champ Brad Keselowski continues to have the hot hand while Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson is just behind, along with Clint Bowyer.
After a wild week in Daytona, the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series drivers head out west to The Valley of The Sun to take on Phoenix International Raceway for the 2nd race of the season.
When Danica Patrick started the Daytona 500 on pole, she made NASCAR history by being the first female to ever sit on the pole for the Daytona 500. However, the real question was whether she could hang up there all race long, or whether she'd fall to the middle of the field, or find trouble.
Ordinary NASCAR fans enjoying the Nationwide Series race Saturday afternoon acted heroically when fellow race fans were injured following the last lap crash. No fan expected to be in danger when they entered the Speedway that day but, when disaster struck, fans helped fans to make sure everyone was alright.
For NASCAR, the news is good. Ratings for the Daytona 500 were up 30% this season. That’s good for the sport and better for the bottom line. Final ratings are not out, though. We shall see.
It’s often said that champions know how to deal with adversity, and in the Daytona 500 no driver navigated hardships more admirably than the reigning titleholder.
The ending to the 55th annual running of the Daytona 500 turned out to be pretty exciting. It just took 180 laps to get to that point. We watched a five time champion become a two time Daytona 500 champion and then watched him wreck his car during the post race victory burn out. Oh yeah, Danica was there and her presence loomed larger than usual during Speedweeks.
Jimmie Johnson has his second Daytona 500, Chad Knaus has his first, and Dale Earnhardt Jr finished second again. Some will remember the race more for Danica Patrick starting at the pole, leading some laps, staying up front all day, and finishing eighth. Still, even more people will remember the weekend at Daytona for what took place the day before at the end of the Nationwide race.
Top Fuel’s Shawn Langdon was the only driver to reach the 3.60s on Friday at zMAX Dragway, powering to the provisional No. 1 position to kick off the 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the Ag-Pro 300, as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series takes on the ultimate drafting challenge.
The reigning O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Menlo Park, California, clocked in a single-qualifying lap at 182.313 mph in 52.525 seconds for his first pole position of the 2026 season at 'Dega.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Taylor Gray was made available to the media on Friday prior to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race from Talladega Superspeedway.
