The 63rd edition of the 500 Miles by Daytona had as a surprise winner Michael McDowell (Ford), who won against all odds in a race that was suspended for about six hours because of the rain, had to run at night and finish at dawn this Monday.
McDowell had never achieved a major triumph in the specialty and his only victory in the NASCAR universe occurred in the Xfinity Series in 2016 at Road America.
However, he ended the streak in "The Great American Race" with a great final lap that allowed him to overtake Chase elliott (Chevrolet), the defending champion who finished second, and Austin dillon (Chevrolet), which finished third.
McDowell had three Top-5s and 12 Top-10s in his campaign as of Monday in 357 starts, with a best finish of fourth at Daytona in 2017.
The pilot of the Front Row Motorsports took advantage of the touch in the last lap between Joey Logano (Ford) and Brad Keselowski (Ford) when they were both fighting for victory.
There was an initial wait as NASCAR officials double-checked to make sure McDowell was the lead car when the caution flag was flown. That didn't stop his team from celebrating on pit road.
The race, which had 22 leader changes that put 13 different drivers at the helm, also suffered seven stops by accident and the rain, which worked electrical discharges over the Dayton Beach area, where the historic Daytona International Speedway.
Alex Bowman (Chevrolet), author of the pole, starred in a multiple crash on lap 15 in which 16 cars were involved, which was unleashed by the fierce fight between Christopher Bell (Toyota) and Aric Almirola (Ford).
Minutes later, the race was stopped by lightning and fans who had socially distanced themselves in the stands had to seek refuge in the busy esplanade. Heavy rains followed, paralyzing the test for about six hours.
