Seventeen drivers were involved in a huge Lap 123 crash during Sunday’s (Feb. 15) Daytona 500.
With eight laps remaining in stage two, Denny Hamlin got a run on the outside lane and had a shot at race leader Justin Allgaier. The JR Motorsports driver made a late block in Daytona’s trioval, sending both he and Hamlin into the wall and triggering a huge pileup that totaled 17 cars.
Allgaier’s spotter noted that he told his driver that Hamlin was outside before Allgaier threw the ill-fated block.
Allgaier, Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Zane Smith, Ross Chastain, Todd Gilliland, Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell and Shane van Gisbergen were involved, among others. The caution caused the final seven laps of stage two to be run under caution, with Bubba Wallace taking the stage win over Ryan Blaney.
Allgaier, Gilliland and Bowman were officially ruled out of the race.
“I saw the 40 car [Allgaier] in my lap,” Gilliland said. “That really sucks. I felt really fortunate we were able to get away with the first [wreck] slightly.”
“Cars are driving really bad, being really aggressive, normal end of stages,” Bowman said. “We were just so buried, that I’m like, we’re not going to get there. I got two braincells, and I should’ve listened to the other one.”
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.
This is a joke, right? Lap 152 and the three Toys leading three rows are running 167 mph and holding up the lanes??? Who would call this a “race”? Only NA$CAR!!!! I’m watching golf and maybe the last ten laps of this farce.