While the win certainly must be sweet for Busch, who’s finished the Daytona 500 as a runner-up three times, it’s hard not to feel for Elliott, who appeared to be headed for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race victory. “The more that becomes unpredictable about Daytona, the more it becomes predictable to predict unpredictability,” Busch said. “This car’s completely thrashed. Twenty-one-year-old pole-sitter Chase Elliott, son of Hall of Famer and two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott, led for 23 laps entering the final three circuits around the 2.5-mile racetrack. Hamlin defeated Martin Truex Jr. by 0.010 seconds last year, the closest finish in race history. (AP) — The Latest on the Daytona 500 (all times local):

Kurt Busch has won the Daytona 500, surviving a crash-filled season opener to win the race for the first time in 16 tries. With Larson out of contention, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola and Paul Menard moved up the order to round out the top five. “I wasn’t a guy that fumbled a lot, so I’m not worried about dropping it today.”

The flag should be in sure hands: Tomlinson fumbled just 30 times in nearly 4,000 touches over his 11-year NFL career. So are Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, who three of four restrictor-plate races last season. He didn’t give up.”

The first points race of the Monster era was run under a new format that split the 500 miles into three stages. Kevin Harvick was second in the first stage, followed by Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hendrick Motorsports used teamwork to help Chase Elliott settle into the Daytona 500. Seven-time and defensive Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Danica Patrick, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski were among those eliminated long before the checkered flag flew. It was a particularly rough incident for Patrick and her Stewart-Haas Racing team, which had all four of its cars collected in the accident. “I just saw a documentary on his racing and he seemed to have almost more of a passion for that than the stuff he was doing in the movies,” Wilson said. Told it was, “drivers,” Wilson cracked, “Oh, see, I already made a mistake.”

Rule #76: No excuses. “I don’t know if it is good or bad, but we don’t want to go on track with stuff that isn’t safe. A glorious Sunday began strangely on a red carpet lined with dancing Monster Energy girls leading competitors to the drivers meeting where series Chairman Brian France admonished drivers not to block each other.
Kurt Busch wins his first Daytona 500, in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event to contain stages within the race.