Remembering Last Year's #NASCAR Daytona 500

A Thrilling Daytona 500 Photo Finish

The 2016 Daytona 500, the 58th running of the event, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on February 21, 2016, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the first race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Denny Hamlin won the race in a photo finish over Martin Truex Jr.. The top-five was rounded out by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.

Chase Elliott won the pole for the race and led three laps before crashing out early in the race and finished 37th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch won the Duel races. Unlike Busch, Earnhardt Jr. crashed out with 29 laps to go and finished 36th.

Race Fast Facts

Daytona International Speedway

• 58th Annual Daytona 500
• Race Winner: Denny Hamlin
• Age: 35
• Team : No. 11 - FedEx Express Toyota
• Owner: J.D. Gibbs
• Crew Chief: Michael Wheeler

• Denny Hamlin won the 58th Annual Daytona 500, his 27th victory in 363 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
• This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2016.
• This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 21 races at Daytona International Speedway.
• Martin Truex Jr. (second) posted his third top-10 finish in 22 races at Daytona International Speedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2016.
• Kyle Busch (third) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 22 races at Daytona International Speedway.
• Ryan Blaney (19th) was the highest finishing rookie.
• Denny Hamlin leads the point standings by 5 points over Martin Truex Jr.
• This is the first Daytona 500 win for Toyota.
• Today's Margin of Victory is the closest in Daytona 500 history at 0.010 second.
• Denny Hamlin becomes the fifth driver in series history to win the Sprint Unlimited and the Daytona 500 in the same season joining Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987), Dale Jarrett (1996, 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997).