Michael McDowell escapes last-lap crash to win Daytona 500

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Tampa Bay Times

Michael McDowell escapes last-lap crash to win Daytona 500

A rain delay of more than five hours pushed the Great American Race's conclusion to early Monday morning.

By Matt Baker
Published 6 minutes ago
Updated 2 minutes ago

Michael McDowell won the Daytona 500 thanks to a fiery last-lap crash that knocked out the leaders.

The 36-year-old Arizona native withstood two of the biggest annual challenges at Daytona International Speedway -- wrecks and rain --to earn the victory. Both of those obstacles started early.

The first big wreck happened on lap 14, as Tampa's Aric Almirola battled for second. Cristopher Bell nudged Almirola from behind, forcing the No. 10 Ford to veer right into pole-sitter Alex Bowman.

"Unbelievable," Almirola told his team on the radio. "Unbelievable."

The pile-up collected 16 drivers. Among them: Ryan Newman, who survived a vicious crash in last year's 500, and former Cup champions Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch.

Almirola, a Hillsborough High alumnus who grew up rooting for the Bucs and Lightning, had hoped to become the latest addition to Champa Bay. Instead, he finished 34th in the 40-car field.

{snip}

MATT BAKER
Colleges and Recruiting Reporter

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/auto-racing/2021/02/15/michael-mcdowell-escapes-last-lap-crash-to-win-daytona-500/

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I'm the last person who should be reporting on NASCAR things. The only reason I know the ending is that I stayed up late faxing a document to the IRS. (Yes. That's how they wanted it sent.) I went to bed at midnight and flipped on the radio to hear ... a car race going on. It could only be Daytona.

"Are you kidding me? They're running that now?"

I went downstairs and turned on the TV. I was astonished to see how well lit the track was. There were four laps to go. Anytime sometime tried to move up in the ranks, he was blocked. In the last lap, the blocking maneuver turned into a pit maneuver gone wrong, and a whole bunch of cars burst into flames. Seconds later, the race was over.

Don't ask me who my favorite driver was. I have now exhausted my knowledge of Daytona.

And please hold the smart alecky remarks about the sort of people who watch Daytona.

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Daytona 500 live updates: Last-lap crash leads to Michael McDowell's first career victory

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/02/14/daytona-500-2021-live-updates-daytona-international-speedway-hamlin-michael-jordan-earnhardt-tribute/4481958001/

Zach Dean The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Published 2:00 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2021 Updated 12:25 a.m. ET Feb. 15, 2021



A spectacular crash at the end of the Daytona 500 collected enough cars to give the victory to underdog Michael McDowell at about 12:20 in the morning Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, after the race was delayed for nearly five and half hours.

12:15 a.m. SURPRISE! Michael McDowell inherits the win
A fiery crash on the final lap took out the leaders and many other favorites and when the smoke cleared the Daytona 500 had one of its biggest upset winners in its history: Michael McDowell, 36-year-old veteran who makes the Great American Race his first-ever Cup Series victory.

McDowell was running fourth on his No. 34 Ford on the final lap when everything flew apart ahead of him, with leader Joey Logano and his teammate Brad Keselowski wrecking violently.

{snip}

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That yellow car with the red number 22 car on it, with the flames and smoke pouring out of it? He had been in the lead a few seconds earlier. Not anymore.

Conspiracy whackadoodles will appreciate the "5G" logo squarely in the middle of the flames. You knew 5G was to blame, didn't you?

[jmowreader]

1. I watched the footage of the wreck

This is one of those "he didn't mean to do it" things...but that wreck started when Michael McDowell accidentally bumped into Brad Keselowski's car.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Thanks for the clarification. I do not follow NASCAR. It was only out of disbelief that

I went downstairs to make sure that I wasn't listening to a rebroadcast of the race. I was sure it had ended hours earlier.

[jmowreader]

5. They had a long rain delay

[House of Roberts]

2. To be accurate,

McDowell punted the #2 Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski, into the rear of the #22 Penske Ford of Logano, which resulted in the chain reaction wreck.

The 5G sponsored car was another Penske Ford, #33, driven by Austin Cindric. It was not at fault in the wreck.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. You're right. I threw that in for the 5G conspiracy theorists. Thanks for the clarification. NT

[brewens]

6. I clicked over and thought, perfect, 25 laps to go, shouldn't be long. I never hope for wrecks,

but if it's Daytona or Talladega, you know there's a real good chance. It's always pretty wild at the end, even if they don't crash.

[Mr.Bill]

7. NASCAR

The oval demolition derby.

[LeftInTX]

8. Hey, it's not freezing down there...no ice on the roads!!

Just had to make a joke about the great southern mega freeze...
( I think Florida is gonna be spared)

However, it is 11 degrees down here...





I'm more worried about all my garden hoses than my plants. I always leave mine out all winter long. Never had a problem. They are disconnected from the faucets, but they have about 100 Y connectors which were closed, but water in the hoses. My irrigation system is piece of work, of my own doing: Created from scratch, because I can't afford a real instillation...Maybe that will change after this...Installing all new good quality hoses, along with splicing and hundreds of Y connectors, plus battery operated timers that always break down are gonna cost $$$$. In ground may be cheaper...

[groundloop]

9. What, no President there seeking attention? (Benedict Donald was there last year)

Benedict Donald flew AF-1 to the Daytona 500 last year so he could bask in more attention at taxpayer expense.

[jmowreader]

10. It certainly wasn't because he loves NASCAR