Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

By Aaron Bearden

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.. — Post-race review and analysis from the NASCAR Cup Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. 

Who Won? 

Denny Hamlin. He edged out Ryan Blaney at the line after contact between Blaney and Ryan Newman.

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The Fog of Uncertainty

Sunday’s rain may have been gone, but a dark cloud still hung over the Daytona International Speedway in the aftermath of the Daytona 500.

Denny Hamlin had won the race – his second in a row and third in the past five years – but in the short term the historic moment paled in comparison to concerns of fellow competitor Ryan Newman’s health.

Newman was leading coming out of the final turn in Monday’s rain-delayed race when contact from runner-up Ryan Blaney sent him spinning into the outside wall. His car flipped after hitting the wall, and was hit by Corey LaJoie as the lead pack ran to the start-finish line.

As Hamlin edged Blaney at the line by .014 seconds for another Daytona triumph, Newman’s No. 6 Ford was battered and rolling upside down to a halt on the apron between the trioval and Turn 1.

Medical personnel removed Newman from the car and transported him to a local hospital.

As they were doing so, his fellow competitors battled through the fog and mixed emotions of what had just occurred.

Hamlin and his No. 11 team celebrated at first, unaware of the severity of Newman’s situation. Upon realizing it the team became more subdued, and both team owner Joe Gibbs and Hamlin apologized for the celebration at every opportunity.

Blaney spent multiple minutes with his crew before relaying his side of the incident to the media. “We pushed Newman there to the lead and then we got a push from the 11 (Hamlin),” he said. “I kind of went low and he blocked that and so I was committed to pushing him to the win and have a Ford win it.

“I don’t know. We just got the bumpers hooked up wrong and I turned him. I hope he is alright. It looked pretty bad.”

LaJoie attempted to process a hit he never hoped to deliver.

“I was hoping he would kind of bounce off the fence to the left, but he didn’t and I hit him,” LaJoie said of the incident. “I don’t know exactly where I hit him.  I haven’t seen a replay.  It was some scary stuff. Don’t get me wrong. My car was on fire. My seat belts grabbed all sorts of areas, but it was a good day for us. I hope Ryan is OK.”

Kevin Harvick, David Ragan, Kyle Larson and other top-10 finishers stopped by the media bullpen to discuss their Daytona runs, but mixed in with their analyses were words of worry and thought for Newman. The ambulance carrying Newman powered down the front stretch behind them as they talked, a harsh clang erupting as it accidentally ran over a piece of debris from the accident.

Hundreds took to social media to offer prayers and words of support. The motorsports world collectively held their breath and waited for an official update on his condition.

A little over two hours later it finally came, and thankfully it was positive. Newman was in serious condition, but his injuries were deemed “not life threatening.”

Everyone exhaled.

“That’s a tough man right there,” teammate Chris Buescher tweeted. “Still, praying for healing for (Newman) and his family.”

President Donald Trump offered a tweet of support for Newman, as did Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg – a former mayor of Newman’s native South Bend, Ind. Thousands of tweets of support flooded social media, and the first “get well soon” graphics from fans began to trickle out.

A fan outside of Halifax Medical Center cheered for the “Rocket Man” in joy. Another in North Carolina left flowers for Newman at the Roush Fenway Racing shop. Everyone collectively shared their joy with the news, and began to try to process the next steps.

All isn’t well just yet. Newman remains in serious condition, and the severity of his injuries are unknown at the time of writing. Both his No. 6 and LaJoie’s No. 32 are being sent back to NASCAR’s Research and Development Center to study and learn from the incident.

The dark cloud and somber mood stuck with the NASCAR paddock as Monday night transitioned to Tuesday morning. They may continue for a while, too.

But eventually, the sun’s going to rise again. Thankfully it appears Newman will still be with us when it does.

Denny Adds to His Legacy

In securing his third plate on the Harley J. Earl trophy, Hamlin joined an elite list of three-time winners that includes Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon.  He trails only two drivers on the all-time list – Richard Petty’s seven wins will likely never be touched, and Yarborough sits one win higher with four Daytona 500 victories.

Through a trio of different rules packages, setups and scenarios, Hamlin has consistently found a way to win on NASCAR’s grandest stage. In 2016 the victory came with a last-gasp push to the front. The 2019 win arrived after a defensive drive to the finish, and in 2020 he won despite being the only Toyota finisher in the top-15.

“When I think about the names, and Chris is always quick to remind me of what a win would do here, where does it put you and the names that it puts you with, I consider those professors of racing like this, and I’m just a guy that’s a student, and it’s been great to be on the run that we’ve been on the last five years at this racetrack — well, more than five,” Hamlin said. “It’s been eight years or so that we’ve been fantastic here.

“But I don’t know, I just can’t fathom, being that it’s harder to win today than ever because all the cars are so close together and with the attrition, the wrecks.  It’s harder to win now than ever.  To win it again, I don’t know.  You’re going to have to check in with me next week in Las Vegas.” 

Brendan’s Big Day

Brendan Gaughan’s final Daytona 500 was the best of his lengthy NASCAR career.

Gaughan came home seventh at the end of a chaotic, rain-delayed Great American Race. It was his first top-10 in NASCAR’s biggest race, and his seventh overall in 63 career starts at the Cup Series level.

Afterward, his eyes welled up with tears – a bittersweet mix of emotions overcoming him.

His first thoughts were with Newman – who’s weren’t? But thrown into the nervousness and stress was the relief of an impressive underdog performance.

“Twenty-three or 24 years of this and finally a top-10 in the Daytona 500 and a chance to win,” Gaughan said. “The guys didn’t quit, the pit crew didn’t quit. I love the Beard family and thank you for the opportunity. For us, this is a big deal.”

Gaughan came to Daytona International Speedway for a final run in the Great American Race as part of a four-race farewell tour with Beard Motorsports. He’ll also attempt the second Daytona race, as well as the two races at Talladega Superspeedway.

Nothing was guaranteed heading into the February opener. Gaughan’s No. 62 Chevrolet isn’t chartered, so he had to qualify his way into the race on time. He fell a lap down during the race and was still in need of the free pass to compete for a strong finish as the field stormed to the start-finish line to start NASCAR Overtime.

Thankfully for him the field delivered in the form of a second ‘Big One,’ collecting nine cars and allowing Gaughan to both rejoin the lead lap and rise in position.

He took advantage over the final stretch, dodging an additional crash on the ensuing restart and then rising inside of the top-10 in the final two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

The result was an emotional end to Gaughan’s final Daytona 500, a finish that takes the context of how small Beard Motorsports is to truly appreciate.

“We’re a small team with one employee, a car chief that’s a plumber, and we come home with a top-ten in the Daytona 500,” Gaughan said. “I had a shot there at the end to win.

“That’s Daytona, man! This stuff is wild. I do love this racing. We take this risk, love this risk and we do what we love. I still love what I do.”

He’ll get three more chances to do it before calling it a career.

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Other Notes

• Jimmie Johnson’s last Daytona 500 start came to an unsatisfying conclusion. The two-time winner was attempting to work his way through traffic after a crash in the middle of Chevrolet’s final pit sequence set the group back when he got caught up in the ‘Big One.’ Seven-time ultimately finished 35th, continuing a string of poor results at Daytona. Johnson only had one top-10 in his last five runs in NASCAR’s biggest race.
• Kyle Busch seemed poised to contend for the victory in his 15th Daytona 500, but apparent motor woes brought his day to an end from the front of the field on Lap 184. “Right there coming out of (turn) four – when we were leading and guys were kind of switching from the bottom to the top. That’s when I got warning that it was starting to go away,” Busch said. “And then through the tri-oval, it let go more and that is when (Joey) Logano was all over me. I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.”
• Chris Buescher’s time with Roush Fenway Racing is off to a great start. The Texan’s third-place run in Daytona was his best finish in Cup since his shocking win in a fog-shortened race at Pocono Raceway in 2016.
• Justin Haley made a serious effort to defending his fluke July win in a rain-shortened race at Daytona. Haley survived multiple crashes and was running in the top-10 in Kaulig Racing’s Cup debut when he was caught in a restart crash set off by Clint Bowyer and Michael McDowell. He still came home a respectable 13th at the race’s end.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a car that seemed capable of winning his first Daytona 500 in his JTG-Daugherty Racing debut. But in a career known for causing crashes in the draft, trying to avoid one doomed Stenhouse in Daytona. He was penalized for going below the yellow line during an overtake of Ryan Blaney and wound up crashed laps later after serving the pass-thru penalty. Stenhouse finished 20th with one of the fastest cars on the track.