Ricky Stenhouse triggered a pair of wrecks that collected nearly half the field.
DAYTONA BEACH — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. turned Daytona into a demolition derby on Saturday night in NASCAR’s Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Stenhouse triggered two wrecks that collected more than half the field and knocked out former Cup series champions, Daytona 500 champs and a slew of perennial race contenders. Stenhouse won this race last season. At the halfway point Saturday night, the rest of the field could only hope he stayed in front and out of the way until the final laps.
“It’s been crazy partly due to a few of my issues,” Stenhouse said over the radio on NBC.
Stenhouse, who broke up in the offseason with retired driver Danica Patrick, started the melee when he tapped and turned Brad
Keselowski, who was running third. Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford slammed into the side of Kyle Busch, and more than a dozen cars were unable to slow down.
Keselowski said it actually started with a “bad block” by William Byron, who cut in front of Keselowski and prompted him to lift off the gas.
“The 2 got wrecked and so did everyone else,” Hamlin said. “It usually happens much later in the night.”
Added Joey Logano: “When one car sits sideways in front of the field at 200 mph, you can’t get through it.”
Pole-sitter Chase Elliott, Keselowski and Kurt Busch, and former Daytona 500 winners Denny Hamlin and Logano were also involved in a 25-car crash.
Stenhouse was just getting warmed up in his No. 17 Ford. He wiped out two more contenders a few laps later. Stenhouse tapped Kyle Busch and caused him to lose control. Busch’s No. 18 Toyota slid right and took out Byron. Byron and Busch were running 1-2 at the time.
“Disappointing to get crashed out by the guy that caused the first crash,” Busch said. Stenhouse, driving for team owner Jack
Roush, won the first two stages and needed a victory to earn an automatic spot in NASCAR’s playoffs. The Cup series has been dominated this season by The Big 3 of Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex
Jr. Busch and Harvick had five wins entering Daytona and Truex, the reigning series champ, has three. The 16-driver playoff field could have more drivers in on points than wins once its set in September.
“stenhouse gonna win this race tonight. one way or another,” the Wood Brothers tweeted.
Stenhouse was outside the top 16 headed into Saturday night at Daytona — the restrictor-plate track where mayhem usually reigns. This was no exception. Hamlin, who won the closest Daytona 500 in race history in 2016, said on Friday the elements were there for the race to turn into a disaster.
“I think that the cars are going to be closer together, less room for error, most likely more wrecks,” he said. “And I think this race always lends itself to being more of a wreck-fest than ones in the past, which makes it very exciting.”
The first wreck sent cars skidding and sparking in every direction — seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson made the save of the night when he dropped down and just survived the debris — and Hamlin was caught up in the mess.
“Now it’s a total crap shoot,” he said Saturday outside the care center. “It looks like most of the contenders that battle for these races are taken out, but you never know. It could be pretty exciting at the end.”
Truex decided at one point to drop back and ride in the back to avoid getting collected into another accident.
“At this point I think if you just ride in the back and don’t get hit by the 17 you’ll win ???????? ,” tweeted Truex’s girlfriend, Sherry Pollex.
Larson takes Xfinity
Kyle Larson won the Xfinity Series race on Friday night when Justin Haley’s late pass in overtime was ruled illegal. A parttime driver in the series, Haley used a stellar move to pull off a stunning pass that looked as if it would lead him to victory lane. But Haley crossed below the double-yellow line around the inside of the famed track, and NASCAR ruled it an improper pass.