2019 Daytona 500
The 2019 Daytona 500, the 61st running of the event, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 17, 2019, Contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. After three multiple cars crash in the last 20 laps (including the Big One on lap 191 which involved 21 cars), only 19 of the 40 cars were running at the end of the race and only 14 completed every lap. It was the first race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and also marked the debut of the Ford Mustang, which Ford brought in as a replacement for the Fusion. This race was the final career start for Casey Mears. 2016 winner Denny Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch over the final laps to win his second Daytona 500 in four years.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 36 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | February 17, 2019 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 207 laps, 517.5 mi (828 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Average speed | 137.440 miles per hour (221.188 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 46.319 | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | |
| Laps | 49 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 9.170 million | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) | ||
This Daytona 500 was the first not to feature the Earnhardt name in the starting lineup since 1978.