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NASCAR: Winners And Losers At Daytona

By Cole Mentzel

Feb 21, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (19), Kevin Harvick (4), Jaime McMurray (1), Ryan Blaney (21), Brad Keselowski (2) and Kyle Larson (42) during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (19), Kevin Harvick (4), Jaime McMurray (1), Ryan Blaney (21), Brad Keselowski (2) and Kyle Larson (42) during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 21, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Chris Buescher (34) is towed back to the garage during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Chris Buescher (34) is towed back to the garage during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Rookies

The next generation of the Sprint Cup Series made their respective debuts on Sunday with Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Brian Scott all on the track.

With so much hype for the future, the praise will have to wait for another week.

Chase Elliott, the newest driver of Jeff Gordon’s old No. 24, left his mark on the field by winning the pole for the Daytona 500. He looked strong at the beginning of the race, leading three laps, before eventually spinning and taking major damage once reaching the grass. He went on to finish 37th.

Ryan Blaney had a solid car all week long in practice and qualifying and looked great on Thursday night in the first Can-Am Duel. Though he stayed in the top-10 for the first half of the race, he later faded off and finished 19th.

Chris Buescher picked up a Cup Series ride after winning the championship in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series last season. However, on Lap 92, he slammed hard into the wall, making contact with Matt DiBenedetto which led to a finish of 39th. He later described the event as “exponentially the hardest hit” he had ever taken.

Brian Scott of Richard Petty Motorsports wasn’t sure if he was going to have a full-time ride just a few months ago, but he found himself racing on Sunday. Though he finished in 24th, Scott certainly has an incredible teacher to learn from and a great teammate in Aric Almirola.

The rookies struggled in their first time with the other Cup drivers, but they will certainly have more chances to prove themselves on tracks that aren’t as challenging as Daytona. It’s just a matter of taking some time to learn and digest racing with a new field of drivers.

Next: A Change Was Okay

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