Daytona 500 2017
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Dale Jr has heavy damage on his 88 car. Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Erik Jones and Ty Dillon also involved with 94 laps to go.
Yellow flag
There's trouble in turn three.
If it rains at Daytona today, the race will only have been deemed 'complete' if stage two has been completed. In previous years, we'd have to have reached the halfway stage of the race for it to have been deemed complete. This new three-stage race format is a very wide-ranging rule change.
Elliott Sadler is in second, having started last. We're at the halfway point.
Note that the top eight drivers haven't pitted this stage. Pit strategies have varied hugely because of this new three-stage format.
Dale Jr is just behind Johnson, who's leading.
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The Team Penske Fords of Keselowski and Logano pit with those SHR Fords.
Halfway through the second stage now and mid-race, Harvick has led 36 laps so far. There have been nine lead changes. Harvick will now pit with his Stewart-Haas team-mates.
Harvick, Blaney and Johnson are running in single-file behind those Toyotas that just pitted.
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Here it comes. All the Toyotas come in. Kyle Busch is the first Toyota driver to leave the pits. A much smoother stop this time for all.
All of the Toyotas pitted together around 14 laps into this race. They might well repeat that soon, with 40 laps to go in stage two.
Johnson and Logano are in third and fourth though Harvick looks very comfortable in the lead.
There are 124 laps to go of this Daytona 500. That means 44 laps left of the second stage and then another 80 lap stage to finish the race off. Harvick leads.
Harvick wins that battle but watch for Jimmie Johnson who's up to fourth position.
It's Larson and Harvick battling for the lead at 195mph side by side.
Kyle Busch is really pushing Larson, giving the #42 some help on the inside line.
Green flag
Here's the green flag for stage two of the Daytona 500
Kyle Larson's #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet will begin the restart at the front of the grid.
Kyle Busch crosses the line at the end of the first stage. Photo: Levitt/LAT
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All but eight cars have pitted. Keselowski just missed his pit box and had to reverse back in. Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing will face a penalty for speeding.
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Checkered flag
That's the end of stage 1 of the Daytona 500.
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One lap to go as Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick fight for the lead, Ryan Blaney in third as Dale Jr is looking to advance up the field just behind him.
This is the last opportunity to pit before lap 60, so Erik Jones and his team-mate at Furniture Row, Martin Truex Jr, take that chance.
Kyle Busch leads by two car lengths. In two laps, the pits will be closed.
There was a puff of smoke as Kyle Busch made contact with Blaney. Blaney is now in the lead and Kyle Busch may have picked up some damage.
Of course, with repairs now being limited to a five-minute timeframe after an accident, you'd expect the chance of a big accident to be quite low. Scratch that, Ryan Blaney nearly lost control in the middle of the track.
With 15 laps to go it's now Kyle Busch in the lead. There are points at stake when the first stage ends so expect the racing to ramp up in aggression towards the 60th lap.
Martin Truex Jr of Furniture Row Racing is the new leader. Kyle Busch is fending off Ryan Blaney, who is in a backup car, for second.
30 laps to go in this first stage of the Daytona 500 and Harvick, in his SHR Ford, is fighting off Kyle Busch and two Toyotas just behind.
Kevin Harvick's #4 leads the restart with Jamie McMurray.
That shows how difficult it is to slow a NASCAR car down from 190mph to 50mph. Kurt Busch, however, kept his car above 50mph on pit road and will now start from the back of the grid.
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By: Matt Beer
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