Daytona Beach, FL- Kurt Busch managed his fuel and was in the right place at the right time to win his first career Daytona 500. In a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford sponsored by Monster Energy, Kurt Busch was able to make a last lap pass to secure the win at the world famous Daytona International Speedway. It was also the first Daytona 500 win for owner Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing and the first Daytona 500 win for Ford since Joey Logano won The Great American Race in 2015. Stewart-Haas Racing changed from Chevrolet to Ford for the start of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Chase Elliott started from the pole and was leading in the final moments of the race, but ran out of fuel on the last lap and fell back to 14th place. Many of the lead pack cars were close on fuel after pitting with around 50 laps to go. Drivers like Ryan Blaney and A.J. Allmendinger, who finished second and third respectively, were able to conserve their fuel and bring home solid top-5 finishes. Aric Almirola and Paul Menard, who are not consistently front running cars, were also able to secure fourth and fifth place finishes when some of the leaders had fuel troubles.
There were some fast cars that were unable to finish the race due to crashes. Those include Kyle Busch, who led 18 laps and won the first segment of the race, who also collected Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Erik Jones, when his tire went down and he spun into the turn-3 wall. These drivers fell victim to the newly implemented “5-minute clock” which prevented drivers from repairing damaged cars beyond the posted time limit.
Kevin Harvick who led a race high 50 laps and won the second stage of the race, was involved in a crash on lap 128 involving 17 cars, including race winner and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch. Harvick was able to remain in the race, but finished a disappointing 22nd after losing three laps.
The series moves on to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the race two of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, where 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner.
Kurt Busch 2017 Daytona 500 Championship Gear is now available at Fanatics
