Logano Tops Stage 1 Of Daytona 500 Before Throttle Issue

Joey Logano in action at Daytona Int'l Speedway Sunday. (HHP/Chris Owens photo)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joey Logano dominated the opening stage of Sunday’s 67th Daytona 500, leading 38 of the first 65 laps en route to his first stage win in the Great American Race.

Logano jumped to the point at Daytona Int’l Speedway just before a lap-24 restart, as those ahead of him at the time jumped down pit lane to top off their fuel tanks, and then largely controlled the lead draft with the help of veteran Brad Keselowski and his Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric – both also in Fords.

After weathering a brief challenge from Chase Elliott, the three-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2015 Daytona 500 winner went unchallenged for the final 24 laps of the segment after retaking command of the field on lap 42.

Logano actually won the stage under caution after a check-up in the pack led to a three-car incident exiting turn two involving three-time winner Denny Hamlin, Zane Smith, and Josh Berry.

It marked Logano’s 43rd career Cup Series stage win.

Keselowski and Blaney trailed Logano across the start-finish line in second and third, with 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ending stage one in fourth and Christopher Bell fifth.

Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, and defending Daytona 500 winner William Byron closed out the top 10 runners that earned bonus points at the first stage break.

Logano’s night went sour shortly after his stage-one win, however, as his engine began laying down on the lap-71 restart that kicked off stage two and created an accordion-style stack up in the middle of the pack.

It ended in a seven-car accident in turns one and two, after John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota turned the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain up into four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. Also involved were the likes of two-time ‘500’ winner Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

The team later diagnosed the issue as a piece of debris that went through the front grille, into the throttle body and restricted it, at one point putting Logano down by 1,000 rpm and 20 mph compared to the rest of the pack.

A new throttle body was put on in 80 seconds to keep Logano on the lead lap, after he received the free pass under a debris caution at lap 83.

Sunday’s opening stage began just after 2 p.m. ET, but was stopped at lap 11 due to rain and delayed for four hours before green conditions finally resumed just after 6:30 p.m. ET.