Michael McDowell won his first career NASCAR Cup Series title on Monday Feb. 15 during the season-opening Daytona 500 following the aftermath of a lengthy weather-related delay and fiery final-lap crash.
Throughout the race, McDowell never led nor saw a chance of victory until the last lap. On the final lap of the 200-lap race, top contenders, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, crashed vying for the lead which resulted in a fiery eight car wreck. Kyle Busch and Darrell Wallace Jr. were two of the crash victims. Luckily, no one was injured.
Approaching the crash, McDowell saw an entry point between Logano and Keselowski’s cars and was able to squeeze past, securing his first place position. McDowell was leading at the time when NASCAR waved its race-ending caution flag.
NASCAR 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliot secured second place after trailing a car length behind McDowell. Following Elliot, came Austin Dillion in third and Kevin Harvick in fourth. Denny Hamlin, looking to win his third consecutive Daytona 500, ended in fifth after leading nearly half the race.
The fiery final-lap crash was not the only accident that occurred during the season-opening Daytona 500. On Sunday Feb. 14, a 16-car chain reaction accident occurred after 15 laps of racing. During accident cleanup, a violent thunderstorm swept across northern Florida resulting in the immediate postponement of the race. Officials then ordered for an evacuation of the stands which seated roughly 20,000 fans.
The storm cleared out about six hours later, and the race resumed. Nearly nine hours after the initial wave of the green flag, the race had concluded around 12:20 a.m. Monday morning with McDowell as the winner.
“I can’t believe it,” McDowell said in an interview with SportingNews. “I’ve got to thank God. So many years of just grinding it out, hoping for an opportunity like this. I’ve got to thank [team owner] Bob Jenkins for giving me this opportunity. I’m so thankful. What a great way to get a first victory — in the Daytona 500!”
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona is the next scheduled Cup Series race. It will be streamed live on Sunday Feb. 21 through the FOX and MRN television networks.
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
