Daytona 500
The start of the 2025 Daytona 500 was moved up an hour, then worked around President Trump’s visit. Once the pomp and circumstance were in the rearview and the green flag waved, drivers got less than a dozen laps in before rain halted the action. Before the race could resume, a second red flag delayed the event.
Finally, after three-and-a-half hours, the green waved again and drivers took their cars three wide early on.
A late Stage 1 caution involving Denny Hamlin, Zane Smith, and Josh Berry forced the opening segment to end under yellow, with the win going to Joey Logano.
Stage 2 started with The Big One.
Things get stacked up. Lots of trouble. #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/zuLmY5Mh20
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025
During this time, Logano’s team spent extensive time under the hood attempting to diagnose a power issue. A hard-charging second stage saw Ryan Blaney steal the stage win.
The final 70 laps of the race saw a caution for debris and a whole lot of tight, pack racing. And just as you felt the intensity ratchet up, another Big One occurred, taking out Logano, Noah Gragson, Blaney, Todd Gilliland, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and more.
Then, when the end was finally in sight, Christopher Bell got loose and caused a domino effect wreck that sent Ryan Preece airborne.
A look at the incident on Lap 196 of the #DAYTONA500. pic.twitter.com/6OJa154GZC
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2025
The incident forced the race into the third red flag of the 500, then NASCAR Overtime.
With that came absolute chaos with multiple wrecks happening in the closing laps. But when the dust settled, William Byron came out the back-to-back Daytona 500 winner.
Rich MARvelous Move of the Race
Our team was looking for one specific move, but after the calamity filled 500, one fun fact stood out.
ANOTHER ONE FOR BYRON! #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/WMccqXXEgO
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2025
Behind Byron were Tyler Reddick and Jimmie Johnson – two drivers not previously mentioned in this article.
That’s because these three drivers managed to come out unscathed (maybe with a few dents and dings here and there), having avoided all the on-track chaos that put many of their competitors out of the running.
They say to win it, you need to be there at the end, and these three were, even with the wreck coming to the checkers.
Who is ready for more chaos in Atlanta next weekend?
Thank you to Rich Mar Florist for sponsoring the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race. Give them a follow on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X) to stay up-to-date with all the Team Rich Mar NASCAR happenings. Be sure to check out their website for all your floral needs.
