Date: Feb. 23, 2014
Event: 56th Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr., of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
SHR Finish:
Kevin Harvick (Started 38th, Finished 13th / Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Kurt Busch (Started 8th, Finished 21st / Running, completed 199 of 200 laps)
Tony Stewart (Started 21st, Finished 35th / Running, completed 174 of 200 laps)
Danica Patrick (Started 27th, Finished 40th / Accident, completed 145 of 200 laps)
SHR Points:
Kevin Harvick (12th with 31 points, 17 out of first)
Kurt Busch (20th with 24 points, 24 out of first)
Tony Stewart (32nd with 9 points, 39 out of first)
Danica Patrick (37th with 5 points, 43 out of first)
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS, led the way for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Sunday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway by finishing 13th in the 56th running of the Daytona 500.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 21st after leading once for 15 laps.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 35th after encountering fuel pressure issues midway through the race and completing only 174 of the race’s 200 laps.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet for SHR, finished 40th after being involved in a multicar accident on lap 145. She led once for two laps in her third Daytona 500 start.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the Daytona 500 to score his 20th career Sprint Cup victory and second Daytona 500 win. He also won in 2004.
Denny Hamlin finished behind Earnhardt in the runner-up spot as the race ended under caution. Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five, while Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Greg Biffle, Austin Dillon and Casey Mears comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were seven caution periods for 39 laps, with 11 drivers failing to finish the race, which was stopped for 6 hours, 22 minutes after just 38 laps due to rain.
With round one of 36 complete, Harvick leads the SHR contingent in the championship point standings. He is 12th, 17 points behind first-place Earnhardt. Busch is 20th, 24 points out of first. Stewart is 32nd, 39 points out of first. Patrick is 37th, 43 points out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is The Profit on CNBC 500k on Sunday, March 2 at Phoenix International Raceway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EST, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 2 p.m.
