Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin and JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier came together while battling for the lead of the 68th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, just before the end of the second of the race's three stages.
Allgaier led the race from the top lane, came down to the middle, and then tried to block a run Hamlin up top. The No. 40 Chevrolet was clearly never clear of the No. 11 Toyota, and that inevitable contact led to a 20-car pileup that collected several contending cars and knocked them out of the battle for the win.
Fox Sports commentator Kevin Harvick admitted that it was an aggressive move from Hamlin, but he noted that it was not the three-time Daytona 500 champion's fault.
Allgaier clearly made a late move.
"This is an aggressive move by Denny Hamlin in a tight spot, but he's there," Harvick said during the Fox broadcast. "I think some of that [from Allgaier] is not racing this car all the time. Different pace of racing, different style of racing."
Allgaier competed in the 2025 Daytona 500 and finished ninth in his first start in the "Great American Race" since 2015, but he competes full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports. He is in his 16th season in the series and 11th behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Inexperience definitely may have played a role, and unfortunately for nearly half of the rest of the 41-car field, they ended up paying the price.
Follow along with our live Daytona 500 updates here.
Fox is currently airing the remainder of the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action from stage three at the "World Center of Racing"!