Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has won the 2023 Daytona 500 in a stunning fashion after holding off the sport’s best drivers, such as Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski.
Let’s dive into three takeaways from the 65th running of the Great American Race.
Kyle Larson suffers another heartbreak at the Daytona 500
Larson was on the front row for the final restart of the 2023 Daytona 500 and seemed to be in a good spot as Bell was behind him. However, it was not meant to be as the top lane had more help.
A last-ditch attempt at the victory also caused Larson to end up in the wall, further making the heartbreak worse for the No. 5 team. This comes as the 30-year-old driver has suffered it before.
Larson was leading at the time of the white flag during the 2017 Daytona 500; however, the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing ran out of fuel and the No. 41 car for Stewart-Haas Racing driven by Kurt Busch won the event.
Now, Larson does not have a worthy finish for this year’s event. It was another year of heartbreak. Like many other former champions, the Daytona 500 has been a thorn in their side.
No one has seen more heartbreak than Keselowski, who has once again come up just short of knocking off the Great American Race on his resume.
Related: Final predictions on Kyle Larson’s entire 2023 season through Phoenix Raceway
Brad Keselowski comes up just short of another Great American Race
Keselowski was in a prime position to win the Daytona 500 as the train kept pushing as the laps were winding down. The No. 6 car had Chris Buescher, his teammate, behind him with a shot at the prize.
However, Busch and his teammate Austin Dillon pulled out of line to pass the RFK Racing duo. This effectively marked the end for the organization as it did not reclaim track position in the closing laps.
Just like Busch, it was another heartbreaking sequence for Keselowski. The driver of the No. 6 car is close every single year but just can not jump over the hump. It’s hard to be that close so many times without claiming the victory.
Eventually, Keselowski has to win the Daytona 500. He is one of NASCAR’s best superspeedway drivers and seems to be there every single time. While it may not have been this season, it could be coming soon.
With all of the disappointing results, only one driver can be triumphant at the end of the day. That driver is a part of the No. 47 team for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Related: RFK Racing plans to expand to 4 cars in the future
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finally claims a Daytona 500 victory
Stenhouse Jr. has been one of NASCAR’s best superspeedway drivers for many years. In fact, he won at two superspeedway tracks during the 2017 season but hasn’t won since that point in time.
That is now over. Stenhouse Jr. is now among the greats as a Daytona 500 champion. This has been a long time coming and this will likely be a popular win within the NASCAR garage area.
He is one of those drivers who has worked very hard to be where he is today. Stenhouse Jr. has been at JTG Daugherty Racing for many years which is not one of NASCAR’s best teams.
Daytona 500 winners, results, and facts
The organization is not like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske. They only have one car after selling the charter for the No. 37 car at the end of the 2021 season. This put the sole focus on Stenhouse.
Now, the team has won the Daytona 500. Stenhouse will go down as a Daytona International Speedway legend and no one can take that away from him.