NASCAR is heading back to the Daytona International Speedway for the second time in as many weeks on Sunday, this time for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 road race.
This is the second year NASCAR has included the race in its Truck, Xfinity and Cup series races due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Chase became the course’s first winner in 2020 and will now try to replicate that feat.
Elliott holds the pole position heading into Sunday’s race, but that’s not the only advantage he has ahead of the Daytona race: He has won at NASCAR’s last four road courses, leading a total of 176 laps in that span. Another win Sunday will put him within one race of tying Jeff Gordon’s record-six consecutive road course wins.
Elliott’s No. 9 car has already seen some success on the course this year, as well; he finished second in the Clash at Daytona, behind Kyle Busch. Sunday’s field will include 21 total drivers who drove in the unofficial opener for the 2021 NASCAR season. Busch comes in at the No. 14 position ahead of Sunday’s race; Michael McDowell, who last Sunday won the Daytona 500, is second.
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Sporting News is tracking live race updates and lap-by-lap highlights from NASCAR’s road course race at Daytona. Follow for complete results from the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253.
NASCAR at Daytona live updates, highlights from road course race
All times Eastern
5:28 p.m.: Elliott and Bell are playing a game of cat and mouse as neither pit with 20 laps to go. They’ll need to pit here in a few laps.
5:19 p.m.: Elliott is still comfortably in the lead with 23 laps remaining (but Bill in hot pursuit behind him). He has led 34 of 47 laps.
5:08 p.m.: And now Kurt Busch hits Keselowski from behind him, forcing the latter to spin out.
5:07 p.m.: Elliott retakes the lead heading into Turn 1.
5:06 p.m.: Bell, Elliott and Truex Jr. make up the top three after Kurt Busch’s mishap.
5:04 p.m.: There goes Kurt Busch’s lead; he hits the curb coming out of Turn 3, causing him to spin out and slide through the grass all the way to Turn 5. He’s now in 25th. No caution.
5:03 p.m.: And now Kurt Busch takes over the lead position in Lap 38. Elliott moves up to fourth.
4:59 p.m.: Daniel Suarez, DiBenedetto and Kurt Busch take positions 1-3, respectively heading into the restart. Elliott is at sixth; Hamlin and Bell are fourth and fifth.
4:52 p.m.: Good portion of the field pits under caution on Lap 36.
4:48 p.m: Denny Hamlin wins Stage 2, with Elliott coming in sixth. Here are the other top-10 finishers for the stage:
Denny Hamlin wins Stage 2. He has three playoff points now because he swept the first two stages last week.
Others getting stage points:
2. KuBusch
3. Logano
4. Bell
5. Truex
6. Elliott
7. Byron
8. Custer
9. No one (Allmendinger doesn’t get points)
10. KyBusch— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 21, 2021
4:46 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr. locks up heading into the frontstretch chicane, losing a couple of positions. in the process. No need to pit, however. And now Elliott’s right on his rear.
4:43 p.m.: And there’s Elliott climbing the positions; he’s now seventh.
4:42 p.m.: Bubba Wallace’s car locks up and he’s forced to pit; no caution necessary.
4:38 p.m.: Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson take the top three positions in the restart; Elliott starts at 11 but falls back to two positions to 13th.
4:37 p.m.: Chastain’s day is finished.
4:33 p.m.: We’re on Lap 13 of 18 in the second stage; a good portion of the field, meanwhile, pits under caution.
4:31 p.m.: And now Tyler Reddick’s car has slowed to a crawl on the oval. Not sure what the issue is there.
4:29 p.m.: We’re under our fourth caution as Ross Chastain’s car hit the wall coming out of Turn 6. He was 20th at the time the yellow flag waved; he has some damage to his car — looks like his suspension — but is able to drive off. Now he’s trying to get to pit row as quickly as possible without tearing up his car.
4:24 p.m.: Keselowski, 11th, misses the…
Read More: NASCAR at Daytona live updates, results, highlights from 2021 road course race