Daytona crowns Elliott king of road courses
NASCAR CUP DAYTONA (USA) 16 AUGUST ROUND 23/36
In a normal year, the NASCAR Cup series will race at Daytona twice – both times on the oval. Of course, 2020 is far from normal, and so after some creative thinking the championship officials decided to give the Cup a first: a race on the Daytona road course.
Bar an additional chicane, it was the same configuration as is used in the 24 Hours. A full 65 laps around left and right turns was the challenge, and one gleefully accepted by Chase Elliott.
Prior to the race, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro driver had won three of the past seven road-course events – the previous two on the spin – and he lined up seventh last Sunday. Elliott won stage one and, including green-flag fuel stops, had built a 10second lead by lap 60 before Kyle
Busch spun out on the oval in his patched-up Toyota Camry.
Elliott’s lead was wiped out, allowing Denny Hamlin three laps to attempt to pass. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota man would fail to do that by just 0.202s, handing Elliott his second win of the season, following on from his Charlotte victory in May.
Martin Truex Jr, who like Elliott had won three of the previous seven roadcourse races, recovered to third late on by passing Jimmie Johnson after being put to the back of the pack for speeding on the pit-road exit.
Behind Johnson, Chris Buescher was the lead Ford Mustang finisher in fifth, while Kaz Grala took seventh for Richard Childress Racing. The 21-year-old Grala had been called up for a surprise Cup debut to deputise for Austin Dillon, who had tested positive for COVID-19.