Thank you all for tuning in with VAVEL USA for live coverage of the 2015 NASCAR Daytona 500. Congrats to Joey Logano. I am your host, Evan Petzold, signing out.
Joey Logano led 31 laps and one of them was the last. Congrats to Logano on a great race and great finish.
Casey Mears finished a fantastic sixth place. David Gililand finsihes 11th. Both did suprisingly well, but the crash at the end helped.
Crazy green-white-checkered finish. Logano pulls ahead, withstands some challenges and then there’s a huge wreck on the backstretch in the white flag lap. Nascar throws the caution ending the race under yellow and Logano will win.
Back on that first lap, Austin Dillon tipped Gordon and that started the crash at the back of the pack.
Joey Logano is your 2015 Daytona 500 winner.
JOEY LOGANO RUNS AWAY WITH THE DAYTONA 500!
1 Laps To Go: Earnhardt doing work and making his move, but a crash.
2 Laps To Go: GREEN FLAG!
The red flag has now been lifted. It was six minutes, 42 seconds. When the race goes green, there will be two laps remaining in the Daytona 500.
Field reset: Red flag is now being displayed at Daytona to clean up the Justin Allgaier-Ty Dillon wreck.
2 Laps To Go: A red flag has been issued to clean up the mess after Algeria spun out.
3 Laps To Go: CAUTION. Algeria spun out at the back of the pack. Ty Dillon blrew a tire.
5 Laps To Go: Earnhardt and Gordon making inside pushes with Johnson.
7 Laps To Go: Logano is way ahead of the pack, but they catch him in seconds.
9 Laps To Go: Three-wide all the way back. This is going to be a photo-finish.
10 Laps To Go: Jeff Gordon sits in fifth place. He has appeared up front after falling behind.
11 Laps To Go: Now its Hamlin, Truex Jr., and Johnson out in front.
12 Laps To Go: Top three of Johnson, Logano and Hamlin are trying to pull away single-file. Chaos behind them.
15 Laps To Go: Casey Mears in eighth place, it would be crazy if he won this thing.
17 Laps To Go: Jimmie Johnson takes first and Gordon falls back to ninth.
18 Laps To Go: Dale Jr. gets loose and drops back to 15th place.
19 Laps To Go: Joey Logano has the lead and we have a green flag!
One story to keep an eye on, and it’s a longshot. This caution gives Michael Waltrip the “Lucky Dog” to get back on the lead lap.
24 Laps To Go: Blaney has blown his engine. This is the fifth caution today and once again it is a Ford.
27 Laps To Go: Johnson has just led his 27th lap as we come down to the wire.
29 Laps To Go: We have three-wide and 10-deep. This will not end well.
Lap 170: Johnson helps out Dale Jr. in first and second. Gordon is trying to join his teammates.
Lap 168: Johnson bumps Edwards and takes the lead.
Lap 166: Johnson loses the lead and something does not look right. Carl Edwards takes the lead and Harvick takes second.
Lap 165: We are back to a green flag.
Jeff Gordon has led 87 laps, the most all day. However, Jimmie Johnson has the lead.
Lap 160: Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman got caught in Keselowski’s oil and hit the wall off Turn 2. Both have damage.
Lap 160: Brad Keselowski's engine has blown. With 40 laps to go, we have caution. It went ka-boom and it does not look like he will be coming back.
Lap 158: Jimmie Johnson takes first and his buddy Jeff Gordon is in eighth. However, Dale Jr. dropps to 12th.
Lap 156: Logano takes first with Biffle behind him. Larson almost gets caught going over 55 mph coming out of pit road, he just made it.
Lap 153: Everyone is pouring into pit road. Kevin Harvick is getting four tires to make a push.
Lap 152: Many are starting to take pit stops.
Lap 149: The big three (Hendrick Motorsports) are in the top five. This will be a wild finish.
Lap 147: Joey Logano steals first place from Dale Jr. so many guys are a threat today.
Lap 143: Today is the fifth time in 17 starts that Tony Stewart has finished 35th or worse at the Daytona 500.
Lap 138: Keselowski says that the 88 car is just too fast at the moment.
Everyone is awaiting the "big wreck" that is going to mess everything up.
Lap 131: Hendrick Motorsports Update: Earnhardt Jr.: 1st; Jimmie J: 7th; Jeff Gordon: 11th.
Lap 129: Matt Crafton doing a great job in 18th place, ahead of Danica Patrick.
Lap 125: To beat Hendrick Motorsports, you have to separate them first and that’s what the field appears to be doing. Jeff Gordon was shuffled back, so was Johnson and now Earnhardt might be next.
Lap 120: From ninth place back, it is three-wide. This could get very interesting in the back.
Lap 118: Jeff Gordon jumps from eighth to fifth and is looking to regain his first position once again.
Lap 116: Austin Dillon, driving the No. 3 car, is in fourth place. It would be great to see a youngster win the 500.
Lap 114: Joey Logano takes first, but only stays for a few seconds. Dale Jr. takes it right from him as they ran four wide for just a few seconds there.
Lap 111: Jeff Gordon has led more than 80 laps in this Daytona 500. His closest competition has been his teammates. It would be crazy if it came 1-2-3 with Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
Lap 110: We are back to a green flag. Gordon still has the lead. Denny Hamlin will challenge Gordon.
Lap 105: There is a yellow flag because of debris.
Nobody has lead at the halfway point and won the race since Davey Allison in 1992.
Lap 100: Gordon leads at the halfway point, but what is new?
Lap 96: Edwards, Johnson and Truex have formed a three-car draft after serving their penalties. But they’re still losing a half-second to the leader and will be one lap down within about 20 laps or so if a caution doesn’t happen.
Lap 91: 2014 Rookie of the Year, Kyle Larson, goes one lap down for speeding. He will need a caution and NASCAR's "Lucky Dog" to catch up.
To explain the pit road issues: As green-flag pit stops cycle through, Jimmie Johnson gets a huge penalty for men over the wall too soon. Five other drivers are busted for going too fast on pit road, including Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. The sport is adjusting to new pit road procedures this year which include no officials in front of the cars on pit road. Instead, they’re calling penalties using video replay in the Nascar trailer, along with an official stationed on the other side of the wall.
Lap 89: Jimmie Johnson with a penalty because one of his crew men jumped over the wall before he pulled in. He drops down to 36th place after serving the pass through penalty.
Lap 87: Truex with a huge pit stop issue. He drops to the bottom, but there is still time.
The average speed today is 169 mph, but the fastest lap is 201 mph.
Lap 83: Jeff Gordon has the lead. However, we have had just six leaders, two cautions, eight lead changed and 116 laps left.
Lap 77: The 78 car makes a jump to second place, but then is knocked down to third by Dale Jr.
Lap 73: Kasey Kahne takes fourth. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick is sitting near the front of the line. He is experienced and will be able to make a push once things start to clear out.
Lap 70: Martin Truex Jr is running a great race in third. It was an awful race last season for him, running for a single-car team that never had the speed to compete. On top of it, girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with a serious form of ovarian cancer. He just did not seem right. However, his mind is set on one thing: winning.
Lap 68: Gordon still with a lead over teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both are apart of Hendrick Motorsports. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson is back into the race at eighth place.
Lap 65: As Jeff Gordon continues to lead an underdog has entered the top 10. Ty Dillon, running his first 500 for grandfather Richard Childress, is now sitting in sixth place. However, he hears something in his engine that sounds funny.
Lap 62: Truex Jr. has been sitting in the top seven for awhile now. He has such a good chance to make a push and beat out Gordon.
Going back to the earlier crash: Kenseth goes a lap down, while Stewart is now three behind the leader. Unlikely either will work their way back into contention.
One-quarter of the way through this Daytona 500, the top 40 cars are all in the lead lap and within five seconds of first place. That’s what makes restrictor plate racing so breathtaking to watch. No one can really break away.
Lap 55: Gordon with some nice moves to take first place and his teamate Johnson has fallen behind. Jimmy has gotten too tight off of the fourth turn. He has dropped to 18th.
Lap 53: Tony Stewart is backing down pit road and heading to the garage.
Lap 50: Joey Logano with a .1 second lead. He has shown the aggressivness and grit to win this thing.
Lap 48: The big three from Hendrick Motorsports sit in second, third and fourth. It only makes sense that one will make a push.
Lap 46: Joey Logano takes the lead. He is the third leader today.
Lap 45: Logano and Johnson have not changed left side tires, which could be a cause for concern.
Lap 44: Cars have hit pit road. Justin Allgaier jumps to third, but he will not be there for long.
Stewart said his car was tight and that it was his fault,"I take the blame for that one. That was 100 percent my fault"
Lap 41: Two of the big favorites look done after getting involved in a crash off Turn 4. Tony Stewart, 0-for-16 in the Daytona 500 is about to go 0-for-17. Matt Kenseth also involved in the aftermath.
Lap 41: We have the second caution of the day. Stewart was behind Logano and just got bumpted. He hit Blaney and Stewart drifted up the track and the 14 has no luck.
Lap 38: A quick update on the “replacements”: Regan Smith sits 21st, driving the 41 of the suspended Kurt Busch while Matt Crafton sits a distant 39th. Still a long way to go, though; Crafton made it clear he wants to “hang back” early to get a sense of the draft as he never practiced the No18 car before getting in it.
Lap 35: In last place it is Casey Mears. He is 13 seconds behind Gordon who sits in first place.
Lap 32: Matt Crafton, replacement for Kyle Busch, is having a fine race right now. He sits in 23 place and is looking to make his move.
Lap 29: Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. both are neck and neck. Denny Hamlin sits are fifth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. making a push in eighth place.
Lap 24: We are back with a green flag.
Lap 23: He started in first and now he is back. Gordon with the 0.2 second lead.
Lap 22: Casey Mears leads with Annett, Labonte, Gordon and Yeley behind him.
Lap 21: Michael Annett leads the race just two seconds ahead of Yeley.
Landon Cassill is behind because of an engine issue. He is in dead last causing a caution flag. He got oil on the track.
Lap 20: J.J. Yeley leads the race because many went to a pit stop. He will head to pit road sooner than later.
Lap 19: Carl Edwards is in sixth. He is a player that has a really good shot to win it here.
Lap 16: Jimmy Johnson drops way back to eighth place. He brushed the wall, which caused him to slow down.
Lap 14: Kasey Kahne back in 14th place. Jeff Gordon takes the lead over Johnson. Logano in third and is making a push.
Lap 10: Jeff Gordon makes a push and takes second place. Johnson still with the lead.
Lap 9: Just like that, Logano takes third place from Dale Jr. Later, Earnhardt Jr. passes Gordon and Logano to take second.
Lap 8: Johnson still has a big lead. Logono is creeping behind in fifth place trying to break up the trio of Johnson, Gordon and Earnhardt.
Lap 5: Johnson has an 10 second lead over Gordon.
Lap 2: Jimmie Johnson leads and then takes a big lead.
Lap 1: Jeff Gordon has the lead.
THE DAYTONA 500 HAS STARTED. Jeff Gordon starts in first place after winning the pole. Good luck to all racers today.
Stay tuned with VAVEL USA as we bring you the Daytona 500 LIVE at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The green flag will be at 1:31 PM EST.
The drivers are ready. The fans are ready. The crew chief is ready. Everyone is ready. The green flag will be waved in seven minutes. GET READY!
It seems like there is always someone that comes out of nowhere to the front to make things intresting. Everyone is excited to find out just who that man, or Danica Patrick is during this event.
Those are the most influential and important words in all of NASCAR. This is the biggest day for the NASCAR season.
"DRIVERS START YOUR ENGINES," Vince Vaughn, the races Grand Marshall.
Abby Wambach is at the track. She has taken time with teammates to enjoy the Daytona 500. She is a professional soccer player.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going for back-to-back Daytona 500s. If he accomplishes the challenge, he'd be the first driver since Sterling Marlin in 1994-95. Earnhardt has a very fast car this time around. He won his Budweiser Duel race on Thursday night.
Here is Phillip Phillips before his preformance. He got a taste of what it is like to be on the track.
Phillip Phillips will sing the National Anthem. He has preformed multiple songs including best-seller Home.
Jeff Gordon will be missed as the face of NASCAR. However, he still has this season. Everyone from VAVEL thanks him for the wonderful memories.
Gordon's Coors Light Pole Award is his fourth for the Daytona 500, and he's one of just seven drivers to win the Great American Race from the pole. Gordon and Dale Jarrett won the race from the pole in back-to-back seasons in 1999 and 2000.
Officially, the deepest in the field a Daytona 500 winner has started is 39th (Matt Kenseth, 2009). It will be intresting to see how he can respond.
Most consecutive seasons with at least one win: 18, Richard Petty, 1960–1977.
Kid Rock with a great performance of his song, First Kiss. Click below to watch his video of First Kiss on YouTube. It is a great video and very touching.
This is a contract year for Patrick and her team, so this season is HUGE for the girl in the Go Daddy car.
Danica Patrick says that she is due for a big race. She also thinks that there will be three lines today, as well as two. She has not yet won a Sprint Cup race.
Most Consecutive Sprint Cup Championships: 5, Jimmie Johnson (2006–2010)
Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper is also at the Daytona 500 this afternoon. During 2014, he slashed .273/.344/.423 with 13 long balls and 32 RBI's. Harper was only able to play in 100 games (instead of 162) because of injuries.
Cassadee Pope, country music singer/songwriter, is ready for the Daytona 500!
Smallest margin of victory in a Sprint Cup race: 0.002 seconds (tied): Jimmie Johnson, 2011 Aaron's 499; Ricky Craven, 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.
Most wins in a season: 27, Richard Petty
Most wins in a modern era season: 13, Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty
The most lead changes in a Sprint Cup race: 2010 Aaron's 499 (88 lead changes among 29 drivers). It was a crazy event and crazy outcome.
Gordon is a very smart driver and has been around the tracks for a very long time. It would not surprise me if he eventually became a crew chief or something of the like.
On January 22, 2015, Jeff Gordon announced that 2015 will be his final season as a full-time driver, but he did not rule out retirement entirely. It was announced that Chase Elliott will replace the semi-retired Gordon in 2016 in the #24.
Fox has retained it's rights to show the Daytona 500 and NBC gets exclusive rights to the Coke Zero 400.
NBC Sports is now able to cover NASCAR for the first time since 2006. Fox Sports is still the main televisor, as they have been for 15 years.
This is the start of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Last season, Kevin Harvick won the series. He beat Ryan Newman who was looking to upset.
The Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway and ends with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Richard Petty, a NASCAR legend.
Richard Petty has 200 All-Time Cup Series Race Wins. He is 95 wins ahead of David Pearson and 114 ahead of current racer, Jeff Gordon.
Back in 1959, Lee Petty won the race with an average 135 mph in an Oldsmobile. He was with Petty Enterprises during that win.
Kid Rock will do a concert before the race and Phillip Phillips will sing the national anthem. After, Vince Vaughn, an actor, will command the drivers to start their engines at 1:19 PM EST. The drivers will take the green flag a 1:31 PM.
The youngest to win the Daytona 500 was Trevor Bayne in 2011. He was 20 years and one day old. The oldest to win the race was Bobby Allison in 1988. He was 50 years and 73 days old.
Richard Petty has won seven Daytona 500, which is the most ever. Current racer Jeff Gordon has three titles to his name. Petty Enterprises has won the title nine years, but Hendrick Motorsports has eight Daytona 500 wins to their team name and are looking to expand this year.
As far as manufacturers' go, Chevrolet has won 23 Daytona 500's, while cars driving Ford have won just 13 times.
That is Busch's car after the accident. It caused him to injury multiple lower body parts. He will miss the Daytona 500.
"We're going so fast,"racer Ty Dillon said. "... I think we can probably afford it. I hate to hear about anybody in our sport getting injured. The sport's advanced so far in safety that we shouldn't have any crazy, bad injuries."
"The Daytona International Speedway did not live up to its responsibility today," Chitwood said to ESPN. "We should have had SAFER barrier there. We're going to fix that. We're going to fix that right now."
He needed help getting out of his car after it slammed intot he wall that did not have an absorbing barrier.
All in all, both Busch brothers are not going to be racing on Sunday.
Kyle, not Kurt, Busch will not race in the Daytona 500 because he suffered a broken right leg and left foot after a crash during the Xfinity Series race on Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway.
Busch is not allowed to contact his ex-girlfriend and will have to report to be evaluated for mental health problems in the future.
On the report, it was said by the commissioner that there was a "substantial likelihood" that Busch might do the same type of stuff in the future.
On Friday, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch. Kent County Family Court commissioner David Jones thought Busch "manually strangled" his ex-girlfriend Patrica Driscoll.
In the Sprint Unlimited, Gordon started in 11th place, but finished seventh. He won $34,950 at that race. In the Budwieser Dual #1, he started in first and only led five laps, but finished first to help put him at the front of the Daytona 500.
Jeff Gordon won with a pole speed of 201.293 mph. He has 92 career wins and is looking to finish his career on top. His sponsor is Drive To End Hunger. Crew Chieft, Alan Gustafson, will need to be on the top of his game to help Gordon win.
At 42 out of 43 sits Denny Hamlin. After being rough and tangled with Patrick, he dropped down to the back. He has an awful habit of getting in wrecks at Daytona. He needs to stay away from Patrick and maybe hang low to make a late run.
Brad Keselowski is starting towards the back at 39, after awful runs in the duels. He will need his teammate Logano, to find him and help him get to the front, via drafting.
Matt Kenseth has also won this race two times. He also won the Sprint Unlimited and is the biggest threat to Hendrick Motorsports. Kenseth starts in 35th and could win his third Daytona 500 if he gets help from his teammates.
Michael Waltrip starts in 34th place. He was won the race two times in his career and will get one more shot to make it three. Waltrip is replacing Brian Vickers, who is ill and needs to recover. Because he is racing; he will not be broadcasting at all.
Starting right behind Dillon is brother Ty Dillon at 31st. In his case, he is aggressive and has nothing to lose. As a matter of fact, he is much more aggressive than his brother, which could propel him to the top.
Austin Dillon will start in 30th place. He gained ton of national attention when he won the pole for this race last year. Fans and racers would go crazy if he won the Daytona 500 in Dale Earnhardt's famous No. 3 car.
Starting in 24th was Kurt Busch, brother of Kyle, but his worst dream has set into play. He will not race because he was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for domestic violence against his former girlfriend. His future is in jeopardy and the Delaware attorney general will decide whether to formally charge him for domestic abuse. Regan Smith will replace Busch and start in 24th place.
Danica Patrick rolls in starting in 20th. She wrecked three cars and got into it with Denny Hamlin. When it comes to the race, she is just as serious as the other guys. In 2013, she finished in eighth place.
Jamie McMurray has a speedy car and is very talented will start in 15th. Back in 2010, he won in Daytona. Who knows, maybe he will win again, five years later.
Kasey Kahne will begin in 13th place and has struggled getting in multiple wrecks in big moments. He is also with Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) and will have to rely on Johnson, Gordon or Dale Jr. to help him get through to the finish line.
Kevin Harvick will start in 11th place and has been very quiet lately, but he is looking to change that on Sunday.
Clint Bowyer will begin in ninth. He raced his way into the Daytona 500 after a scary crash in qualifying. He has talent, but he will have to rely on his team, Michael Waltrip Racing (Toyota), to influence him to use his drafting abilities to his advantage.
Greg Biffle starts in eighth, he has been a contender at Daytona the past few years. His team, Roush Fenway Racing (Ford), has brought in multiple "young guns" that could help carry Biffle to the first place finish.
Tony Stewart will start in seventh and is looked upon as one of the top racers. However, he has never won the Daytona 500. He is hungry this time around and he is poised for a come-back season. If he wants to get it done, this would be the time and place to start.
Carl Edwards starts in sixth and is representing his new team, Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota). Lately, he has struggled to win much of anything, but he always is in the hunt. This might just be his year.
Joey Logano is just as aggressive as Busch. He will push and shove and does not make friends. It would have been great to see him right behind Busch, another aggressive driver, in fifth place.
However, it was later reported that Busch would not race because of a right leg injury that sent him to the hospital. Matt Crafton will replace him.
Kyle Busch, brother of indefinitely suspended Kurt Busch, will start in fourth place. He has been very aggressive, but will need to stay under control to keep out of a crash. He should be more patient and smart, rather than aggressive.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of Dale Ernhardt, the famous No. 3 will start the race in third. He won the race last year and his looking to defend his title. Both Johnson and Earnhardt are on the same team and are shop mates. It only makes sense that the two will work togehter to secure top sports.
Jimmy Johnson starts off in second. He won the Budweiser Duel on Thursday and was practically impossible to move around. Johnson has already won two 500's and might just swipe his third.
Jeff Gordon startes at the front of the line for his last Daytona 500. He is looking to put a great ending to the first chapter of his final season. He has won this race three times and could expand it to four.
The Daytona 500 lasts 500 miles, which is 200 laps, and his held anually in Dayton Beach, Florida. The first race took place in 1959. It is very important because it is the most imortant race for all NASCAR drivers. It also opens the Sprint Cup Series. If you win the Daytona 500, you are given the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane and the car driven is displayed in a museum for one year. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the champion of 2014. Earnhardt is looking to become the fourth driver to win the race two consecutive times.
Welcome to VAVEL USA's LIVE coverage of the 2015 Daytona 500 from the Daytona International Speedway. This is Evan Petzold, your host. With some of the best and most popular in the racing sphere, this is certain to be an exciting and exhilerating race, as most Daytona 500's have been over the years. We hope you enjoy this all along with us. Follow Evan on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
Lap 96: Edwards, Johnson and Truex have formed a three-car draft after serving their penalties. But they’re still losing a half-second to the leader and will be one lap down within about 20 laps or so if a caution doesn’t happen.