Editors Note: Here’s another new weekly feature ‘Winners and Losers’ at Fan4Racing Blog and Radio from our newest writer, Owen Stewart.
The 62nd installment of the Daytona 500 was, well, unique. First, there was the rain delay and subsequent postponement after just 20 laps. Then, there was the 19-car crash with 17 laps to go that knocked out some of the race’s top contenders. Finally, there was the second-closest finish in race history, with Denny Hamlin edging Ryan Blaney by just 0.014 seconds to pick up his second straight 500 win and third in his last five years. Unfortunately, Ryan Newman’s horrifying crash at the finish line that nearly caused NASCAR’s first driver fatality in 19 years overshadows all the rest. The race, particularly the last few hundred feet, brought about some talk and debates that the sport hasn’t had to deal with in nearly two decades. Here is the first edition of winners and losers from the week’s race.
