An Interesting Stat: Austin Dillon’s Laps Led Percentage in His Two MENCS Victories

On Sunday, Austin Dillon powered to the finish line in NASCAR Overtime to grab the victory in the 60th running of the Daytona 500. Using a last lap push from the #43 of Darrell Wallace Jr., Dillon managed to clear Denny Hamlin for second as the field exited turn 2. The driver of the #3 set his sights on the leader, Aric Almirola, as they powered down the backstretch. 

The #10 of Almirola gave the #3 an aggressive block near the end of the back straightaway, hoping to maintain the lead and take the win. Dillon bumped the leader, which sent him spinning up the race track and hard into the outside wall entering turn 3. The #3 escaped without damage and cruised to the checkered flag to grab his second career victory in dramatic fashion.

Controversial or not, Austin Dillon’s emotional win puts him in elite company as a Daytona 500 champion. His name will be synonymous with greatness at Daytona International Speedway for years to come. The victory was a statistical filled accomplishment for Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, and the legendary number he drives.

First, the win was the second of his young career after a triumph at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coke 600 last May. Now, the North Carolina driver can claim his first two victories as crown jewel events in NASCAR. Only a few drivers can claim two crown jewel wins across their careers, much less in their first two Cup wins.

Also, Wallace Jr. brought his #43 Chevrolet Camaro home in second after a hard-fought battle to the line with Hamlin. Fans of NASCAR history recognized the importance of the famous #3 and #43 finishing first and second, but it has been a long time since that happened. Sunday’s 1-2 finish for those numbers was the first time it occurred since April 1987 when Dale Earnhardt crossed the finish line first ahead of Richard Petty in the Valleydale Meats 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Plus, Dillon’s win came on the seventeenth anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death while driving the #3 in the 2001 Daytona 500. In the two Daytona 500’s held on February 18th since Earnhardt’s death, Richard Childress Racing has visited victory lane both times. In 2007, Kevin Harvick beat Mark Martin to the checkered flag in a photo finish for his first 500 victory in the #29.

Finally, Dillon’s victory came twenty years and three days after Earnhardt’s only Daytona 500 win in 1998. The Intimidator’s victory had ended his twenty years of frustration trying to capture the win in the Great American Race. And as a seven-year-old, Austin Dillon stood in victory lane celebrating the 1998 victory and followed it up twenty years later standing in the same spot holding his own Daytona 500 trophy.

The most interesting statistic from Dillon’s improbable victory Sunday has been rarely mentioned in race recaps. The North Carolina driver ended up leading just the last lap in the 60th Daytona 500 after completing 207 total laps. Last May, when he grabbed his first checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600, he led only the last two laps of 400 completed circuits after Jimmie Johnson ran out of fuel while leading. In the 607 laps completed during his two race wins, Dillon has only led three laps.
In terms of a percentage, he has only led 0.5% of the laps completed in his two victories thus far. That exceptionally low number poses an interesting statistical question. 

Of all the drivers who have won two or more races in NASCAR’s highest series, does Austin Dillon hold the historical record for the lowest percentage of laps led in his first two series wins? It is a fascinating question and one that required a lot of research. But I did just that and we will see together that Dillon is the record holder for the lowest percentage of laps led in his first two career Cup victories.

First, let me explain my methods for coming to this determination. 127 drivers, including Dillon, have won at least two races in NASCAR Cup competition. I researched all 127 drivers and discovered how many laps they led during their first two wins, how many laps were completed during those two races, and the overall percentage of laps led in those victories for each competitor. The data is listed for all 127 drivers at the bottom of this article.

After sorting through all those drivers, I determined that Austin Dillon’s lap led percentage in his first two NASCAR Cup wins is historically low compared to the first two victories of the 126 other drivers in history with at least two wins. Of course, there are a couple of drivers whose percentages are close to Dillon’s, which we will talk about. 

Also, two drivers have achieved a feat that I thought was impossible when I began this research. Let’s do some analysis of the highs and lows in terms of laps led percentage in a driver’s first two career victories, starting with the drivers closest to Dillon.

The driver with the lap led percentage in their first two career victories closest to Dillon is Lloyd Dane. Born in Missouri, Dane won three championships in what is now the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Also, he won four Cup races, all of which were run on the west coast. His first win came in a 100-lap race at the California State Fairgrounds in July 1956 and he followed it up two months later with a victory in a 250-lap race at Portland Speedway in Oregon. However, his lap led percentage in those two events is up for debate.

Dane undoubtedly led three of the 250 laps in his second career victory. On the other hand, his laps led in his first victory are unknown on every statistical website available for NASCAR race records. Because of that, I decided to use an assumption to see if his percentage could be lower than Dillon’s.

I assumed he led one lap in his first victory, which put him at four laps led in 350 laps completed during those two races. With that assumption, his lap led percentage is 1.1%. He is listed at #49 on my list below. Even with that assumption, Dane’s percentage is 120% higher than Dillon’s accurate measurement. In fact, Dane’s percentage could be much higher than 1.1%. Ultimately, Dillon’s percentage is historically low compared to the rest of the 126 drivers who have two or more victories even without knowledge of Dane’s accurate total.

The driver with the undisputable closest percentage to Dillon is a former Cup Series champion: Brad Keselowski. In the 2009 Aaron’s 499, controversial contact in the Talladega trioval between Keselowski and Carl Edwards allowed the underdog Michigan driver to capture the victory after leading only one of the 188 laps. Two years later, while piloting the #2 Dodge for Roger Penske, Keselowski won after leading nine of 267 laps in the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.

In total, he led ten of 455 laps in his first two victories, which is a small 2.2%. Despite being a very low number, his lap led percentage is 340% higher than Austin Dillon’s. Without a doubt, compared to the current 126 drivers, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year has the record for the lowest lap led percentage in his first two wins.

While delving through statistics to prove that Dillon holds the record on the low side of the laps led percentage, I discovered a record on the other extreme. Two of the 127 drivers led every single lap in their first two career victories: Glen Wood and Jim Reed. 

Wood, one of the legendary Wood Brothers who have been fixtures in NASCAR since its inception, won four career Cup races and they all came at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In the first two wins, he led all 200 laps of the races and put his lap led percentage at 100%.

Jim Reed, a New York born Cup Series driver, won seven career races in NASCAR’s highest division. In his first win during the 1958 season, he led all 187 laps at Old Bridge Stadium in New Jersey to capture the victory after rain ended the event 13 laps short of its scheduled distance. A month later, he led all 150 laps at Starkey Speedway in Virginia to capture his second career victory with a 100.0% lap led percentage in both races.

With the amount of cautions, unpredictable strategy calls, and laps run in today’s NASCAR, it will be very unlikely to see a driver lead every lap of a race. Brad Keselowski nearly accomplished the feat in 2014 at Richmond, but he missed it by 17 laps. 

It would be extremely unlikely for a driver to lead every lap in their first two career Cup wins, much less in two races throughout their careers. Because of that, Jim Reed and Glen Wood will hold the historically high record of leading 100.0% of the laps in their first two Cup wins for the foreseeable future. 

Winning in NASCAR’s highest division only requires a driver to lead one lap. Richard Petty once told Ryan McGee, an ESPN reporter, “I don't know how many laps I led, all I know is that I led the last one 200 times.” 

The King is absolutely right. It only takes one lap to take a driver from the winless category to the historic list of winners in NASCAR’s Cup Series. Austin Dillon discovered this fact. His three laps led in his victories is only one number higher than his career win total thus far. But that doesn’t matter because he is a winner. 

The same can be said for Wood and Reed. They might have led every lap in their first two wins, but the most important part for them was taking home the trophy.

Dillon’s record could be beat in the next few years. The emphasis of NASCAR on late-race drama could put a driver in position twice to lead the last lap and grab their first two series victories. For right now, though, the North Carolina driver’s record lap led percentage of 0.5% in his first two wins is safe and will be an interesting statistic to follow in the next few years as young, winning drivers enter the sport.



(More Stats Down Below!)

1. Marcos Ambrose: 29 of 182 = 15.9%
2. John Andretti:  117 of 660 = 17.7%
3. Johnny Beauchamp: 101 of 433 = 23.3%
4. Red Byron: 103 of 240 = 42.9%
5. Derrike Cope:  98 of 700 = 14.0%
6. Ricky Craven: 95 of 793 = 12.0%
7. Ray Elder: 114 of 344 = 33.1%
8. James Hylton:  266 of 688 = 38.7%
9. Bobby Johns: 655 of 834 = 78.5%
10. Joe Lee Johnson: 131 of 700 = 18.7%

11. Al Keller: 212 of 250 = 84.8%
12. Elmo Langley: 271 of 600 = 45.2%
13. Danny Letner: 71 of 497 = 8.2%
14. Juan Pablo Montoya:81 of 200 = 40.5%
*15. Billy Myers: 60 of 450 = 13.3%
16. Jimmy Pardue: 138 of 450 = 30.7%
17. Steve Park: 220 of 483 = 45.5%
18. Tom Pistone: 53 of 350 = 15.1%
19. Marvin Porter: 51 of 295 = 17.3%
20. David Ragan: 19 of 362 = 5.2%

21. David Reutimann: 57 of 494 = 11.5%
22. Gober Sosebee: 212 of 354 = 59.9%
23. Jimmy Spencer: 22 of 348 = 6.3%
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 31 of 354 = 8.8%
25. Emanuel Zervakis: 386 of 700 = 55.1%
26. Austin Dillon: 3 of 607 = 0.5%
27. Brian Vickers: 29 of 388 = 7.5%
28. Gwyn Staley: 105 of 300 = 35.0%
29. Elliott Sadler: 118 of 834 = 14.1%
30. Frank Mundy: 281 of 400 = 70.3%

31. Dick Linder: 263 of 395 = 66.6%
32. Robby Gordon: 98 of 410 = 23.9%
33. Bill Blair: 183 of 300 = 61.0%
34. Glen Wood: 400 of 400 = 100.0%
35. Michael Waltrip: 126 of 360 = 35.0 %
36. Billy Wade: 91 of 250 = 36.4%
37. Nelson Stacy: 87 of 583 = 14.9%
38. Morgan Shepherd: 300 of 828 = 36.2%
39. Ken Schrader: 48 of 522 = 9.2%
40. Eddie Pagan: 242 of 391 = 61.9%

41. Joe Nemechek: 268 of 693 = 38.7%
42. Hershel McGriff: 270 of 450 = 60.0%
43. Parnelli Jones: 7 of 180 = 3.9%
44. Pete Hamilton: 32 of 388 = 8.2%
45. Bobby Hamilton: 77 of 705 = 10.9%
46. Eddie Gray: 44 of 290 = 15.1%
47. Charlie Glotzbach: 128 of 384 = 33.3%
48. Bob Flock: 220 of 400 = 55.0%
*49. Lloyd Dane: 4 of 350 = 1.1%
50. Ralph Moody: 39 of 367 = 10.6%

51. Jeremy Mayfield: 148 of 450 = 32.9%
52. Dave Marcis: 203 of 900 = 22.6%
53. Tiny Lund: 110 of 324 = 33.9%
54. Kyle Larson: 151 of 402 = 37.6%
55. Alan Kulwicki: 192 of 804 = 23.9%
56. Dan Gurney: 262 of 370 = 70.8%
57. Ward Burton: 275 of 686 = 40.1%
58. Marshall Teague: 212 of 239 = 88.7%
59. Jim Reed: 337 of 337 = 100.0%
60. Jamie McMurray: 99 of 494 = 20.0%

61. A.J. Foyt: 44 of 320 = 13.8%
62. Darel Dieringer: 236 of 448 = 52.7%
63. Kyle Petty: 39 of 800 = 4.9%
64. Clint Bowyer: 235 of 710 = 33.1%
65. Bob Welborn: 509 of 650 = 78.3%
66. Cotton Owens: 135 of 239 = 56.5%
67. Paul Goldsmith: 360 of 550 = 65.5%
68. Sterling Marlin: 135 of 400 = 33.8%
69. Donnie Allison: 315 of 834 = 37.8%
70. Tim Richmond: 102 of 214 = 47.7%

71. Dick Rathman: 170 of 350 = 48.6%
72. LeeRoy Yarbrough: 78 of 399 = 19.5%
73. Dick Hutcherson: 391 of 400 = 97.8%
74. Martin Truex Jr.: 267 of 510 = 52.4%
75. Ernie Irvan: 149 of 700 = 21.3%
76. Curtis Turner: 119 of 350 = 34.0%
*77. Marvin Panch: 42 of 260 = 16.2%
78. Ryan Newman: 220 of 541 = 40.7%
79. Joey Logano: 59 of 433 = 13.6%
80. Kasey Kahne: 327 of 725 = 45.1%

81. Harry Gant: 191 of 834 = 22.9%
82. Neil Bonnett: 346 of 600 = 57.7%
83. Geoff Bodine: 382 of 920 = 41.5%
84. Fonty Flock: 227 of 295 = 76.9%
85. Greg Biffle: 94 of 360 = 26.1%
86. Buddy Baker: 258 of 589 = 43.8%
87. Davey Allison: 313 of 678 = 46.2%
88. Speedy Thompson: 49 of 360 = 13.6%
89. Jack Smith: 300 of 600 = 50.0%
90. Benny Parsons: 362 of 781 = 46.4%

91. Bobby Labonte: 143 of 600 = 23.8%
92. Jeff Burton: 159 of 634 = 25.1%
93. Terry Labonte: 130 of 859 = 15.1%
94. Ricky Rudd: 437 of 595 = 73.4%
95. Brad Keselowski: 10 of 455 = 2.2%
96. Joe Weatherly: 160 of 450 = 35.6%
97. Jim Paschal: 266 of 400 = 66.5%
98. Fred Lorenzen: 100 of 368 = 27.2%
99. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 137 of 734 = 18.7%
100. Rex White: 132 of 350 = 37.7%

101. Carl Edwards: 55 of 526 = 10.5%
102. Kurt Busch: 200 of 1,000 =20.0%
103. Denny Hamlin: 234 of 400 = 58.5%
104. Dale Jarrett: 20 of 400 = 5.0%
105. Fireball Roberts: 244 of 350 = 69.7%
106. Bobby Isaac: 187 of 240 = 77.9%
107. Kevin Harvick: 131 of 592 = 22.1%
108. Matt Kenseth: 184 of 793 = 23.2%
109. Tim Flock: 301 of 350 = 86.0%
110. Mark Martin: 117 of 892 = 13.1%

111. Kyle Busch: 158 of 566 = 27.9%
112. Bill Elliott: 69 of 319 = 21.6%
113. Buck Baker: 124 of 350 = 35.4%
114. Herb Thomas: 314 of 400 = 78.5%
115. Tony Stewart: 483 of 712 = 67.8%
116. Junior Johnson: 286 of 372 = 76.9%
117. Ned Jarrett: 70 of 400 = 17.5%
118. Lee Petty: 239 of 375 = 63.7%
119. Rusty Wallace: 345 of 1,000 =34.5%
120. Dale Earnhardt: 213 of 828 = 25.7%

121. Cale Yarborough: 319 of 534 = 59.7%
122. Jimmie Johnson: 250 of 650 = 38.5%
123. Darrell Waltrip: 272 of 920 = 29.6%
124. Bobby Allison: 246 of 600 = 41.0%
125. Jeff Gordon: 109 of 560 = 19.5%
126. David Pearson: 236 of 500 = 47.2%
127. Richard Petty: 153 of 700 = 21.9%

Notes:
(*15: Billy Myers’ lap led total for his second career victory at Norfolk Speedway in 1965 is unknown. By assuming he led one of the 250 laps combined with his 59 laps led in his first victory, Myers has a lap led percentage of 13.3% in his first two victories. His percentage couldn’t be lower than Dillon’s due to his 59 laps led in his first win.)

(*49: Lloyd Dane’s lap led total for his first career victory at the California State Fairgrounds in 1956 is unknown. By assuming he led one of the 100 laps combined with his 3 laps led in his second victory, Dane has a lap led percentage of 1.1% in his first two victories. This means that his percentage could not be lower than Dillon’s since he might have led more laps in his first win.)

(*77: Marvin Panch’s lap led total for his first career victory at Montgomery Speedway in 1956 is unknown. By assuming he led one of the 200 laps combined with his 40 laps led in his first victory, Panch has a lap led percentage of 16.2% in his first two victories. His percentage couldn’t be lower than Dillon’s due to his 41 laps led in his second victory.)





Credits:
-My Own Statistical Research
-Statistics Resource:
racing-reference.info/
-Richard Petty Quote from Ryan McGee’s June 29, 2017 Article:
www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/19768942/nascar-80-reasons-love-richard-petty-80th-birthday
-Images:
www.ptc.com/en/cad-software-blog/customer-success-dillon-wins-coca-cola-600
www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/austin-dillon-wins-daytona-500-decades-dale-earnhardt/story?id=53188027

A Daytona 500 Memory: Elliott Sadler Nearly Wins the 2009 Running of the Great American Race

(Author’s Note: As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (yes, it still pains me to say that, but I will start saying it) kicks off the 2018 season this weekend, I’ve decided to try something fresh and interesting on my website for the new year. My Flashback Friday articles were fun to do, but they were time-consuming and exceptionally long. Because of that, I sought a compromise to keep writing about NASCAR while also limiting my time spent on the articles. After a couple of weeks of consideration, I finally came up with a new idea I’m calling “A Race Weekend Memory.” The basic premise of this weekly feature published on Saturday is to analyze a forgotten moment in the history of the MENCS at a track where the series is racing for the weekend. During MENCS off weekends, expect to hear about the NASCAR Xfinity Series or the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Over the course of the article, I plan to introduce the memory, summarize the events of the specific memory with post-race quotes and analysis, and conclude with a paragraph that describes what that specific driver(s) is/are doing now. For example, this weekend’s article ahead of the Daytona 500 is about the 2009 edition of the Great American Race where Elliott Sadler nearly won the race as rain was in the area, but a late pass cost him a victory in the historic event. We will analyze Sadler’s race leading up to the finish and discuss the late drama as he missed out on the victory. In the conclusion, we will talk about his career path from that day until now as he currently competes in the NXS. I’m hoping to keep this going weekly, so make sure to come back and enjoy a weekly memory from a race track NASCAR is competing that particular weekend!)

In the 59 previous Daytona 500’s, a variety of drivers have visited victory lane at the historic Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Jimmie Johnson, and David Pearson have captured victories in the sport’s most prestigious race. 

Superstars of their time like Davey Allison, Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, Ernie Irvan, Junior Johnson, and Fireball Roberts all added their names to the history books by winning the Daytona 500. Racing legends across the world like A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti even claim the title of Daytona 500 champion on their expansive career resumés.  

There is another important group of drivers who have grabbed wins in the Great American Race as well: the underdogs. Underdog stories of defying the odds exist throughout many professional sports. NASCAR is no different. From the sport’s inaugural racing season in 1948 until today, unknown and unprecedented drivers have competed against the superstars and succeeded, especially at Daytona. The list of underdog winners in the 500 include Derrike Cope in 1990, Sterling Marlin in 1994, Ward Burton in 2002, and Trevor Bayne in 2011. 

Cope, Marlin, and Bayne earned their first career wins in the season’s most important and special races. Bayne’s improbable win came in his second series start driving the famous #21 for the Wood Brothers while Cope and Marlin added their 500 wins after long winless droughts to begin their careers. Burton’s 500 victory was his fourth series win for himself and his Bill Davis Racing team, but his surprising win came during a time where Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chevrolet were dominant on superspeedway tracks. All four of those underdog 500 victories have become legendary when talking about the history surrounding the Great American Race.

In 2009, though, a fifth victory nearly emerged for the little guys of the sport. Elliott Sadler, a Virginia driver with ten full-time years of experience in the Cup Series heading into the season, entered Daytona Beach with some confidence and newness in his third year driving the #19 Dodge. During the offseason, Gillett Evernham Motorsports had merged with Richard Petty Motorsports and now Sadler was competing for an owner with seven Daytona 500 victories and seven Cup championships. Also, he now had three teammates to lean on for data and set-ups. 

On lap 145 of the 2009 running of the Great American Race, it appeared the Virginia driver would add his name to the list of 500 winners and add to the Petty legacy as he led with the threat of rain imminent. Since the race was past halfway, substantial rain would end the event and hand the win to the #19 team. However, a lap later, a missed block on Matt Kenseth in turn 1, a spin on the backstretch, and a torrential downpour just a few minutes later ended Sadler’s chance for a Daytona 500 victory and delivered today’s memory of the Great American Race.

Sadler started 30th in the 51st running of the Great American Race. Originally, he qualified in 29th, but a 17th place finish in the second 150-mile qualifying race on Thursday dropped him back one spot for the initial start of the 500-mile main event on Sunday. For the first 100 laps, the Virginia driver battled in the pack and used the draft to move inside the Top 20. When the race crossed the 100-lap mark, drivers started to race more aggressively as rain threatened to end the event before its conclusion. 

At lap 110, Sadler had moved into 12th spot with green flag pit stops near after tire problems plagued several drivers early in the event. Jeff Gordon kicked off green flag pit stops on lap 114 as he reported to his team that one of his tires was tearing apart. Over the next four laps, Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr., Scott Speed, and Jimmie Johnson pitted for fresh tires as their teams feared a potential tire issue. All six drivers went a lap down as the field remained on track, waiting for their own pit stops.

On lap 119, Sadler and his teammate, Reed Sorenson, hit pit road for their stops as a fortunate break benefitted them. Exiting turn 4 as the two RPM drivers pitted, David Stremme blew a right rear tire and littered debris all over the speedway. He maintained control of his Dodge as the #19 team and #43 team thrashed to change four tires. Stremme maneuvered onto pit road as the fifth caution of the race waved and the two drivers on pit road concluded their stops. Because they were on pit lane prior to the caution flag waving, Sadler and Sorenson could complete their stops and they returned to the track on the lead lap.

As the rest of the field pitted, the Virginia driver inherited the lead and lined up on the restart with a few lapped cars on his inside. Plus, Vickers and Montoya restarted in front of him since they had pitted prior to the caution and were on the tail end of the lead lap. The lap 124 restart was intense for Sadler as he raced with lapped cars, drivers fighting to stay on the lead lap, and fast cars fighting to return to the front. 

The mix of competitors led to a crash on the backstretch as Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned Brian Vickers up the track right in front of the field. As Vickers spun up the track towards the outside wall, Sadler sat right in his path. Fortunately, the #19 snuck by as the #83 of Vickers clipped Robby Gordon and caused more drivers to pile in. When the dust from the backstretch grass settled, a total of 10 cars were involved with varying levels of damage. 

Thanks to his near miss, Sadler emerged the leader with Sorenson in second and Matt Kenseth in third. When the race restarted on lap 133 after the big crash, the #19 maintained the lead as the pack of drivers powered around the 2.5-mile speedway, looking for a hole to make a move. After four laps out front with no challengers, Sadler faced some pressure from Kenseth in turn 3 on lap 137 and the two began to race side by side. Their door to door battle ended on the backstretch a lap later when the seventh caution waved for a stack-up incident between Paul Menard and Jeff Burton. 

For what would be the final time, the field lined up for the restart and Sadler took his spot at the front of the line. During the yellow flag laps, Sadler and his crew chief, Kevin Buskirk, discussed the weather and how radars reported rain right above the speedway. The Virginia driver was frustrated it wasn’t raining yet, but Buskirk reassured him that he could handle the restart. 

When the green flag waved, Sadler jumped out to the lead with Kenseth riding in the draft behind him. For three laps, he blocked all of the #17’s advances as the potential for rain continued to increase. On lap 146, though, he made an incorrect blocking move. Sadler assumed the field would follow him in the outside line and he moved towards the wall as he powered towards turn 1. 

Kenseth, with help from Kevin Harvick, shot down into the inside line and passed the #19 in turn 1 for the lead. The loss of momentum for Sadler caused him to drop on the backstretch as the field passed him. The shuffle of positions and momentum caused Aric Almirola to shoot across Kasey Kahne’s nose and into the infield grass. The eighth caution waved with the #17 leading and Sadler still in fifth after his miscue.

Fortunately, with the rain still holding out, the #19 still had 50 laps to try and take the win. Yet, the precipitation finally came during the yellow flag. As the field circulated around the 2.5-mile track, rain began to pelt Daytona Beach and delay the restart. Finally, after completing 152 laps, NASCAR brought the field down pit road to see if the rain would subside and the event could continue. After about 20 minutes of rain, NASCAR officials decided to end the race prematurely instead of waiting out the weather. The call after 380 miles of racing handed the victory to Matt Kenseth while Sadler finished in fifth spot. 

As the #17 team celebrated in victory lane, the driver he passed on the final green flag lap was devastated in the media center talking to reporters. “We had a chance to win it—just made one mistake off of Turn 4,” Sadler said. “If I would have made a better and smarter move, I’d be in Victory Lane right now—I really wanted it.” 

The Virginia native’s disappointment was obvious in his post-race quotes. Losing the Daytona 500 like that was devastating, but he had 35 races left in the season to compete for victories and try to win in hopes of avenging his failure in the Great American Race.

Following the Daytona 500, Sadler spent the rest of the 2009 season competing with his #19 RPM team where he finished 26th in the points after earning five Top 10’s. In 2010, he returned to the same organization and a dismal year, which included a massive crash at Pocono, resulted in a 27th place points finish. He was released from the #19 team following the conclusion of the season and he needed a new ride. Cup Series offers didn’t arise for the Virginia driver, but a new opportunity emerged for the three-time series winner for the 2011 season. 

Kevin Harvick Incorporated, a team owned by Harvick and his wife, signed him to compete full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, which is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Over the past seven seasons since his return to the NXS, Sadler has competed for organizations like KHI in 2011, Richard Childress Racing in 2012, Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013 and 2014, Roush Fenway Racing in 2015, and JR Motorsports since the 2016 season. 

In those seven years of competition, the Virginia native captured eight wins, 73 Top 5’s, 164 Top 10’s, 11 poles, and four second place finishes in the series points standings. 2018 marks his eighth consecutive season in the NXS and his third with JR Motorsports driving the #1 Chevrolet Camaro with OneMain Financial as the primary sponsor.

The entire #1 team hopes to deliver Sadler’s first NXS championship this season after a frustrating conclusion to his 2017 title chase at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Their 2018 championship pursuit begins today in the season opening event for the series at Daytona and Sadler will need to outlast the chaos to secure a promising beginning to the campaign. 

In addition to his recent tenure in the NXS, Sadler has made two starts in the Daytona 500 since he left full-time Cup competition. In 2012, he competed in the #33 for Richard Childress Racing and finished 27th. Last year, driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing, he led five laps and came home in 20th. Still, neither one of those performances matched the history he nearly achieved in the 2009 running of the Great American Race. And his failure on February 15, 2009, still remains a regretful moment in his career. 

Prior to the 2012 Daytona 500 on the NASCAR Media Tour, Sadler told reporters that he “relive[s] the 2009 Daytona 500 almost every day.” The Daytona 500 is more than just a race. A 500 victory is a historic achievement that turns average and unknown drivers into historic and legendary figures in the sport. But losing the Great American Race, just as Elliott Sadler did in 2009 when he lost the lead and it began to rain a few minutes later, haunts a driver’s memory and becomes a historic moment for all the wrong reasons. 

(More Stats Down Below!)

Cautions: 8 for 35 Laps

Lead Changes: 9

Margin of Victory: Under Caution

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Matt Kenseth
2nd: Kevin Harvick
3rd: A.J. Allmendinger
4th: Clint Bowyer
5th: Elliott Sadler

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Michael Waltrip
8th: Tony Stewart
10th: Kurt Busch
11th: Martin Truex Jr.
13th: Jeff Gordon
16th: Mark Martin
18th: Carl Edwards
20th: Greg Biffle
21st: Regan Smith
23rd: Bill Elliott
24th: Terry Labonte
26th: Denny Hamlin
27th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
28th: Jeff Burton
29th: Kasey Kahne
31st: Jimmie Johnson
36th: Ryan Newman
41st: Kyle Busch
43rd: Joey Logano




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
racing-reference.info/race/2009_Daytona_500/W
-First Quote:
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Articles/2009/02/Kenseth-Wins-Daytona-500.aspx
-Second Quote:
www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2012/01/28/esadler-daytona-500-rcr-no-33.html?eref=/drivers/dps/esadler&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
-Image:
www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/photo/main-gallery/matt-kenseth-roush-fenway-racing-ford-and-elliott-sadler-richard-petty-motorsports-dodge/
-Video of Finish:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ba6wsL5HCg
-Full Race:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVWnlPUKvmM&t=11699s