NASCAR Race: Christopher Bell Wins Daytona Road Course Race, Locks Up Playoff Spot

Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR drivers headed to Daytona International Speedway for the second race of the season. The O’Reilly Auto Parts 253, which was available to watch online with a fuboTV trial, featured multiple incidents, a sprinkling of rain, and another impressive performance by Chase Elliott. Ultimately, Christopher Bell secured the win and locked up a playoff spot.

Bell had to fight for the top spot throughout the remainder of Sunday’s race. He was in third place behind Kurt Busch with ten laps remaining but worked his way past his peer and into the second position. Catching Joey Logano seemed to be out of reach, but Bell kept pushing. He finally muscled his way past the No. 22 Ford Mustang and raced to the checkered flag.

The race started in wild fashion as defending Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell locked up entering the first corner and dropped back into the pack. He then went off the track and sustained some damage in the dirt and grass. Pieces of his car broke off and landed in the track, bringing out the caution flag after only one full lap.

McDowell was not the only driver to sustain damage during the 70-lap race. Kyle Busch also went off the track during the first lap and had issues with his right front fender. Though he was able to return to the race and work his way back to fourth place overall midway through the race.

Ross Chastain, on the other hand, saw his day come to a close early after an incident. He passed Ryan Blaney and then appeared to go for a crossover move. However, he slammed nose-first into the wall after contact with Blaney, doing major damage to the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro. He ended the race in the 39th position.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 featured several other issues during all three stages. Matt DiBenedetto lost the right rear fender of his No. 21 Ford Mustang while Tyler Reddick’s No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro caught on fire during a late incident. Even Kurt Busch spun several times after losing control and going off the track. This incident dropped him to the rear of the field, but Busch worked his way back to the second position with only 10 laps remaining.

With the race now complete, the drivers will prepare for one more race in Florida before heading west to the desert. They will compete in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 28. The last time the Cup Series headed to this Florida track, Denny Hamlin secured the win while Elliott finished second.