At the end of the 53rd running of the Daytona 500, Trevor Bayne became the youngest driver to win NASCAR’s premier race. Not only was this a record win for NASCAR, this was also only the second time a driver won at Daytona on their first try.
Second place belonged to Carl Edwards who finished only .118 seconds behind Bayne. Bayne’s victory was a surprise not only because it was his first time, but also because he had wrecked the car just 3 days earlier. The wreck occurred at the end of a qualifying race, the Gatorade Duel 150 on Thursday of race week. After missing both practice rounds on Friday, the Woods Brothers team was able to get the #21 Ford car up and running in time for the big race on Sunday.
This win was the 98th NASCAR win for the Woods Brothers team and their fifth win at the Daytona 500. Finishing third behind Edwards was David Gilliland. Bobby Labonte finished fourth and Kurt Busch crossed the finish line in fifth place.