Asterisk Mark Report – Daytona (2023 – 500)

Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski had a great car in the Daytona 500 that I would argue was the best, but he finished an asterisk mark 22nd. In the race, Keselowski won Stage #1, led a race high 42 laps, earned the 2nd best driver rating, had the 2nd best average running position (8.6), was the leader as late as lap 196 but then late in the race he got shuffled out of the lead by a group of Chevy’s and then crashed in overtime.

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Bubba Wallace – In the Daytona 500, Bubba Wallace looked great and likely was a factor, but he finished an asterisk mark 20th. In the race, Wallace led 5 laps but while leading on lap 52, Wallace got a bad bump from Truex that led to him slapping the wall hard and making an unexpected pit stop.

William Byron – William Byron looked great at Daytona in February but like just about everyone in this post he crashed late which led to an asterisk mark 34th. “Performance Wise”, I think Byron was a top five contender. In the race, Byron finished 7th in Stage #2, was running in 3rd on lap 198 but then during the first lap of overtime he was caught up in the “Big One” which marked the end of his race.

Kyle Busch – In this year’s Daytona 500, Kyle Busch was the leader at the 500-mile mark, led 6 laps, but was then shuffled out of line in overtime and wrecked which led to his 19th.

Michael McDowell – Michael McDowell use to be about as safe of a pick as they come at Daytona but since winning the 2021 Daytona 500, he’s finished 28th or worse in 3 of the last 4 races. In this year’s Daytona 500, McDowell finished 5th in Stage #1, about the mid-teens in Stage #2, was running in 7th before the final pit cycle but then on lap 181 he was involved in a multi-car accident that doomed him to his 28th.

Austin Cindric – In this year’s Daytona 500, Cindric looked sporty but crashed late and finished 23rd. In the race, Cindric finished 5th in Stage #2, had the 4th best average running position (9.5), the 5th best driver rating, was running in 9th on lap 198 but then shortly after that he was caught up in the overtime “Big One.”

Kyle Larson – Kyle Larson was a top ten contender in the Daytona 500 but late in the race he crashed which led to his 18th. In the race, Larson had an 11th place average running position, led 6 laps and was running in 2nd at the time of the final restart for overtime before getting collected in the carnage.

Chase Elliott – In this year’s Daytona 500, it’s tough to have real takeaways from Chase Elliott’s afternoon. Elliott was running in 13th on lap 116 but then on lap 118 he was involved in a multi-car wreck which marked the end of his race leading to his 38th.

Austin Dillon – Austin Dillon was M.I.A for much of the Daytona 500 but when it was closing time, he was Kyle Busch’s wingman at the front, but a late restart led to him crashing and finishing 33rd.

Erik Jones – Erik Jones showed top ten potential in the Daytona 500 but he crashed while running in 9th shortly before the end of Stage #2 which led to his asterisk mark 37th.

Aric Almirola – Aric Almirola had one of the best cars in the Daytona 500 but finished an asterisk mark 21st. In the race, Almirola finished 8th in Stage #1, 8th in Stage #2, had a race best 8.5 average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating, led 16 laps but was collected in late carnage which led to his 21st. Before the final green flag pit cycle started, Almirola was running in 3rd, and at the time of the final overtime restart in which he wrecked he was in 14th.

Denny Hamlin – In this year’s Daytona 500, Hamlin had a solid showing but finished 17th after getting collected in the overtime #1 crash, and the crash coming to the finish line. In the race, Hamlin had the 7th best average running position (11.5) and was running in 8th before the final pit cycle started which shuffled him back to the mid-teens.

Ty Gibbs – Ty Gibbs showed potential in the Great American Race but he crashed like many others. In the race, Gibbs finished 5th in Stage #1, was running in 5th on lap 116 but then on lap 118 he was involved in a multi-car accident that damaged the #54 and led to him limping home to finish 25th.

Tyler Reddick – Tyler Reddick showed top ten potential at Daytona in February but as is norm for him here, he wrecked and finished 39th. On lap 116 he was running in 6th, but then two laps later he crashed just before the end of Stage #2.

Todd Gilliland – In the Daytona 500, Todd Gilliland looked mid-pack but he was a late crash victim which led to his 27th. In the race, Gilliland finished 10th in Stage #1, around 19th in Stage #2, was running in 21st on lap 198 but then shortly after that he was caught up in an overtime wreck.

Chase Briscoe – Chase Briscoe didn’t do anything special in the Daytona 500 other than look mid-pack but he did crash late which led to his 35th. On lap 170 he was running in 19th, but then shortly after that on lap 181 following a green flag pit cycle he was caught up in a multi-car accident.

Justin Haley – In this year’s Daytona 500, Justin Haley ran well at times but crashed late. On lap 198 he was in 22nd but was then collected in the overtime #1 wreck which led to his 32nd. For the race, Haley’s average running position was 20.4.

Ty Dillon – In this year’s Daytona 500, nobody had a shorter race than Ty Dillon and he finished 40th after having an early engine failure. On lap 20 shortly before his demise, Dillon was running in 31st.

Ryan Preece – In this year’s Daytona 500, Preece looked good, but his race wasn’t incident free. In the race, Preece finished 2nd in Stage #1, led 4 laps, was running in 5th on lap 170 but then shortly after that on lap 180 following a round of green flag pit stops, he was caught up in a multi-car wreck that led to his 36th.

Harrison Burton – Harrison Burton is 3 for 3 at crashing at Daytona on the Cup level. In this year’s 500, Burton crashed in overtime which led to his 26th. On lap 198 shortly before his crash, Burton was running in 16th.