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Daytona 500

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Our Race Centre Live 'beyond F1' service has a couple of weeks off before resuming with Rally Mexico coverage on the first weekend of March.
That's it for our live coverage of the Daytona 500. We'll be back in Live mode very early tomorrow - join us just before 7am UK time as Formula 1 testing begins at Barcelona, with some early car launches too.
"I don’t think I could have done anything better to be in with a chance to win it," he added. "And it was, because I almost won it. I felt like I had the momentum, and I did until the few final feet."
"You’d rather get beat by a few feet than few inches absolutely," Truex continues.
"It hurts a little bit but there’s a lot to be proud of," says Truex in the post-500 media session.
A huge sigh and a grin from Truex. "I finished second..." He's now reflecting on how promising a start that was to Furniture Row's relationship with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing.
A year ago Kyle Busch sat this one out after breaking his leg in the supporting Xfinity race. Now he's back as reigning champion and has just finished third: "365 days later this could've gone two spots better but we finished third and that's my best finish in the Daytona 500 so far. I'll take that. We can and should and will win plenty of these races,"
The four Joe Gibbs Toyotas were joined by Truex's Furniture Row example in that formation at the end. Furniture Row has switched from Chevrolet this year and is now affiliated with JGR. It showed - but it didn't stop NASCAR's favourite underdog from nearly denying Gibbs a Daytona win.
"I saw Denny had the line and I thought he was going round me if I didn't block him. We're here to try to win the Daytona 500 and we came up short," Kenseth continues.
"They don't get much more crushing than that!" says Kenseth, but thankfully with a big laugh.
Hamlin on finally winning the Daytona 500: "This is a team victory. My team-mates did an amazing job working together. I don't know where that came from, I don't know what happened, I don't even know what I did. This wouldn't have been possible without the Toyotas sticking together all race long."
Here's how they finished:

1 Hamlin
2 Truex
3 Kyle Busch
4 Harvick
5 Edwards
6 Logano
7 Larson
8 Smith
9 A Dillon
10 Kurt Busch
11 Newman
12 Almirola
13 Kahne
14 Kenseth
15 McDowell
16 Johnson
17 McMurray
18 Menard
19 Blaney
20 Keselowski
21 Allmendinger
22 Stenhouse
23 Cassill
24 Scott
25 T Dillon
26 Vickers
27 Annett
28 Bayne
29 Ragan
30 Waltrip

Earnhardt and Elliott were classified 36th and 37th
That was one of the best final laps we've seen at Daytona, with Kenseth somehow catching a wild slide and that photo finish.
Truex on coming agonisingly close to that win: "I'm really proud of that. I probably should have run him up a little bit more, but I thought I was close enough."
Hamlin beats Truex by inches to win the Daytona 500 for the first time.
That's the sixth caution of the race. Patrick made contact with Biffle.
Kenseth, Truex, Kyle Busch, Logano and Hamlin pulling clear of Dillon in sixth. Vickers still high, but he looks like he wants a way out.
The front four cars are breaking clear, but it's three-car wide in the middle of the pack.
Vickers takes to the outside. Will he be able to make it work better than the last few drivers to try it?
Green flag: Kenseth leads from Truex and Kyle Busch.
"That caught me by surprise there," says Earnhardt. He's out of the 500.

By: Matt Beer

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