Logano and Ford Win Big in Daytona; Gordon Wrecked on Final Lap of Final 500

Joey Logano: Your 2015 Daytona 500 champion (Google Images)

The winners and losers in Speedweeks 2015 were clear early on. Matt Kenseth and the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas and the four Hendrick Motorsports Chevys were all dominant in the preliminary events leading up to Daytona 500. On the flip side, any car with a blue oval on their car appeared to be playing catchup. Aside from Greg Biffle, the Ford camp is full of driver who are either inexperienced (Ryan Blaney, Cole Whitt, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr) or cars that don't run competitively on a regular basis (David Ragan and David Gilliland). The Penske cars also had trouble, with Brad Keselowski getting wrecked in the Sprint Unlimited and Joey Logano getting into a heated debate with Kevin Harvick after contact late in that same race. Going into Sunday's race, Ford seemed like it stood for Found On Racetrack Dead.

But despite these issues, it was time for the Ford camp to try and redeem themselves and the Toyotas and Chevrolets to try and close out a very exciting, controversial Speedweeks in victory lane after the Great American Race. It was time to officially kick off the 2015 season.

Making his final start in the season's biggest race, Jeff Gordon very appropriately led the field to the green after winning the pole. Once the race got underway, there was not big one, all 43 cars stayed firmly planted on the ground and nobody was injured. This was all slightly abnormal for Daytona, but following how eventful Saturday's XFINITY Series race was, this was a welcome change. But that doesn't mean that the racing was boring. Yes, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr and Jeff Gordon (clearly the sentimental favorite) were swapping the lead back and forth most of the day, but the field was constantly racing behind them. Drivers were two and three wide for what seemed like the entire race and sometimes they'd get really adventurous and take it four wide. The wrecks might've been small, but the racing was absolutely incredible.


Jeff Gordon (24) races his teammates in his final 500 (Google Images)

The first incident occurred when Tony Stewart got loose and slid up into Blaney's No. 21 car on lap 42. The wreck destroyed Stewart's right front suspension and ended his chances of capturing NASCAR's biggest prize in his 17th try. The wreck also led to damage to the cars of Matt Kenseth and Michael Waltrip.

The only other on track incidents were for blown motors. Landon Cassill lost an engine on lap 20, Keselowski blew up on lap 162 and Blaney blew up on lap 177. The Keselowski incident also collected the cars of Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman because they were following behind the No. 2 car and got in the snail trail of oil and fluid Keselowski's blown engine left behind. But while a few mechanical issues and a few bumps and scraps were seen, there was no big accident. And with 20 laps to go, it appeared we might have one.

But we didn't

Inside of 20 laps to go, we saw quite the opposite. Fans were treated to some of the best racing at Daytona in recent memory. Cars were beating and banging on each other trying to bump draft and side draft, cars were bobbing and weaving in and out of line, side by side at 200 mph. The most exciting part though, was when we saw every car in the field get three wide, nine rows deep for the lead with 12 laps to go. It looked like NASCAR's version of the pace laps at the Indy 500. These drivers did this for laps on end, inches apart and they truly showed why they are the best drivers in the world. This sport isn't just driving in circles all day. Then Justin Allgaier crashed and set up the green white checkered finish that would decide the race.
Remember how the Ford's were a non factor in every race in Speedweeks? Remember how Blaney and Keselowski (two Penske powered Fords) both lost engines. Logano's No. 22 Fusion was the only Penske Ford remaining and, despite running up front all day and leading 31 laps, it appeared he might be next in line for a mechanical failure. That is until the race went back to green and Logano got out to another big lead.

Some of the unbelievable racing at Daytona on Sunday (Google Images)

It appeared that Earnhardt Jr and Kevin Harvick were going to have a chance to race Logano for the win  on the final lap entering turn three, that is until Austin Dillon tipped Gordon's No. 24 and caused a pileup off turn two. So rather than letting these drivers decide the biggest race of the year, NASCAR threw the caution, freezing the field and handing Logano his first Daytona 500 win. With a race as exciting as this and without having a clear cut winner, fans deserved to see these drivers race back to the line. The wreck was at the other end of the speedway and at a 2.5  mile track, the leaders would have had plenty of time to slow down and get through the wreckage safely. Unless you're a Joey Logano fan, this was a disappointing end to an otherwise incredible Daytona 500. You can click these links to see Logano's celebration (interview starts around 1:15) and Gordon's reflections on his final Daytona 500.

But caution or not, Logano's win was a surprise. I wouldn't have given you a plug nickel for any of the Ford Fusions in the field on Sunday. If this race sets the tone for the remainder of the season, then fans really are in for another exciting, unpredictable year of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing.