Jimmy Johnson took the lead with 10 laps to go and held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin to win his second Daytona 500. Johnson’s victory erases a sling of mediocre finishes in the most important NASCAR race of the year, including next to last, in 2012.
With his second win, he joins a select group of drivers who have multiple victories at Daytona, including Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty. Moments after the race, a number of celebrities took to Twitter to congratulate Johnson, including Donald Trump, Ryan Seacrest, Bubba Watson, Brett Michaels, 50 Cent and the Baltimore Ravens.
Danica Patrick, who became the first woman ever to hold the pole position and lead a Sprint Cup race, ended up in eighth place, despite being in third with one lap to go. With five drivers passing her in the closing moments, her lack of experience in NASCAR races was clearly evident. Nevertheless, her top ten finish was also the highest ever for a woman and solidified her position as a driver to contend with on the NASCAR circuit. Rounding out the top five after Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Martin, were Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman.
A day after the Daytona International Speedway was marred by a horrific accident during the Nationwide series race, an estimated 250,000 fans watched a thrilling race that was without any significant crashes or injury. However one of the biggest names in NASCAR, Tony Stewart was knocked out early in race after he got tangled in a chain reaction crash on lap 33 and Kyle Busch, whose brother Kurt was blamed for the crash, ended his day on lap 152 with an engine failure.
Still, it was Jimmie Johnson’s day as he ended a long drought of top finishes since he won his first Daytona 500 seven years ago. Some race experts are now thinking the race car driver from California may be in line for his sixth NASCAR Cup Series championship.
The complete final results from the 2013 Daytona 500
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3) Mark Martin
4) Brad Keselowski
5) Ryan Newman
6) Greg Biffle
7) Regan Smith
8) Danica Patrick
9) Michael McDowell
10) J.J. Yeley
11) Clint Bowyer
12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
13) Aric Almirola
14) Denny Hamlin
15) Bobby Labonte
16) David Reutimann
17) Dave Blaney
18) Marcos Ambrose
19) Joey Logano
20) Jeff Gordon
21) Paul Menard
22) Michael Waltrip
23) Scott Speed
24) Marin Truex Jr.
25) Travis Kvapil
26) Terry Labonte
27) Trevor Bayne
28) Kurt Busch
29) Casey Mears
30) Jeff Burton
31) Austin Dillon
32) Jamie McMurray
33) Carl Edwards
34) Kyle Busch
35) David Ragan
36) Kasey Kahne
37) Matt Kenseth
38) David Gilliland
39) Juan Pablo Montoya
40) Josh Wise
41) Tony Stewart
42) Kevin Harvick
43) Joe Nemechek
