NASCAR: Winners and Losers At Daytona

NASCAR: Winners And Losers At Daytona

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 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) leads during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Outside Line Racing (Unless You Were Denny Hamlin)

Restrictor plate tracks bring on many challenges during races, such as the draft and what line you should be in at what time. On Sunday, that was definitely the inside line.

As soon as the green flag dropped, Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. went to work on the inside. That became a trend as that inside line began to break away during long stretches in the race and during critical times like Lap 199.

Many drivers tried to tame the outside line and bring it the front but many were unsuccessful. Only Denny Hamlin, with the power the he brought in his winning Toyota, was able to do such a thing. On a re-start, he battled Jimmie Johnson for 15-20 laps before finally taking the lead and it was Hamlin who made the last lap move to the outside that eventually led to his victory.

Single-file racing and a lack of moves to the outside was a story during the Daytona 500 and even though he had to do it to block Hamlin late, Matt Kenseth’s outside move led to the loss of a top-10 finish.

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