By ZECH YODER
NASCAR fans had to wait an extra day to watch the 2024 Daytona 500 as heavy rains washed out nearly the entire Daytona 500 weekend.
Both the Xfinity Series race scheduled for Saturday and the Cup Series race scheduled for Sunday were moved to Monday afternoon and evening. Even the Craftsman Truck Series race was in jeopardy of being washed out but ended up running late Friday night.
The crown jewel of stock car racing, the Daytona 500 began with a packed crowd, despite the move to Monday, and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson gave the command to start engines. There was action early when Brad Keselowski (my Daytona pick) shoved John Hunter Nemechek into Harrison Burton, sending Burton into the tri-oval infield and back onto the track, collecting several cars in the wreck.
After the initial wreck, things calmed down and the drivers began playing the fuel strategy game, conserving fuel in hopes of spending the least amount of time refueling on pit road during green flag pitstops. The fuel strategy dominated much of the race as drivers were content riding in the draft. Speeds actually slowed by about 20 mph on the track and even the lead cars were using only 50 percent throttle. Fuel strategy has always been a part of racing at Daytona, but the NextGen car seems to amplify the problem. To the average viewer, the two-by-two pack of cars looks good on television because the cars are tightly packed but, in reality, there is little racing going on.
After the final green flag pitstop, the action intensified dramatically. With 30 laps to go, drivers started making their moves to put themselves in position for the final 10 laps and the “bump drafts” became more and more aggressive. These are the moments that make the Daytona 500 great. The aerial camera shots showing the cars moving and sliding and bumping. You could see what was coming, but when?
Finally, with eight laps to go, a push from Alex Bowman at the front of the field got William Bryon loose and Bryon right-hooked Brad Keselowski into Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and nearly half the field. The race restarted with four laps to go and on as the field approach the start/finish line to take the white flag, Ross Chastain made a bold, outside-inside move and collided with Austin Cindric, causing both Chastain and Cindric to spin through the infield and bringing out the final caution. Though unclear initially, William Byron was declared the leader at the moment of caution and took his first Daytona 500 victory.
Bryon is a worthy champion. While he had never finished inside the top 21 at the Daytona 500 in his first six starts, his first win came at Daytona in August of 2020, and he is typically strong at the drafting tracks. His Daytona 500 wins comes on the heels of a series leading six victories in 2023. Over the last three years, Byron has situated himself at the top of Cup Series. He was a pre-season favorite for many to win the 2024 Cup Series Championship, and his Daytona 500 victory shows the strength of the #24 team as the 2024 season begins.
The Cup Series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, another drafting track, though considerable smaller than Daytona. You can expect Bryon to be strong at Atlanta as he was the winner of the second Atlanta race last season.
My pick for this weekend is Georgia native Chase Elliott. Elliott went winless in 2023 but he runs well at Atlanta. Given that it is a home race, Elliott will be extra motivated, and I expect the #9 team to lock themselves into the playoffs with a victory.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.