Daytona 500 provides followers with a thrilling finish
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Daytona 500 is one of the most popular races in the Nascar season and up there with the best-followed fixtures of any motorsport. It attracts a global audience with thousands attending the race to get as close to the action as is safely possible and to soak up the unique atmosphere of this battle around the oval track. Millions more watch the race on television and through the best live streaming apps on their smartphone.
We have enjoyed some memorable renewals of the Daytona 500 spectacle in recent years, but you’ll have to go far back to find one that was as exciting as the 2022 race. Heading to the start line, fans of the sport held high hopes of a pulsating race and they got their wish. With fans packed inside the stadium and Nascar looking back to full fitness following the devastating impact of the pandemic, the scene was set. All that was needed was for the best drivers to do their bit and put on a show. The stars of the Nascar Championship stepped up to the plate and gave us a race for the ages.
When the cars lined up to begin Daytona 500, followers couldn’t help but notice the edge of excitement and drama in the air. Fans had placed a huge amount of pressure on the teams to get it right while the drivers knew exactly what was at stake. The Nascar title wasn’t going to be won or lost at Daytona 500, but it was a great opportunity for the leading names in the frame for the championship to lay down a marker. They wanted to make a name for themselves by winning Nascar’s top prize. But which driver held their nerve and finished on the top step?
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Cindric and Blaney work together
Austin Cindric won Daytona 500 2022 but was pushed all the way by Wallace in a race that had everything. In his first full season in the Cup Series, Cindric gave supporters reason to cheer by winning the title courtesy of a photo finish. This driver has attracted plenty of attention over the last few months with many experts and followers of the sport predicting a new dawn for Nascar.
They believe Cindric is the long-term future of Nascar and has the ability to rule for many years. That remains to be seen and it’s obvious there’s still some way to go before he reaches his full potential, but Cindric is heading in the right direction and his win at Daytona 500 shows he is fast-approaching his best.
He won the title in nail-biting fashion after the race was forced into a two-lap overtime to decide a winner. We had earlier seen a crash involving Ricky Stenhouse and Chris Beuscher. It was a nasty collision that caused shock amongst those watching. As it became obvious that both drivers came out of the collision on good health, the attentions of the audience turned to finding a winner. The two extra laps allowed them to do that.
If the race wasn’t already tense enough, there was more drama in the final lap. Last year, Roger Penske saw all three of his drivers crash out in the final lap as they were racing for the win, and he was eager to avoid a repeat performance. He gave his employees one rule this year, to win the race without taking out a teammate. The drivers were as good as their word but there were a few scary moments in the final few laps.
Cindric and Blaney worked together to ensure Austin won the race and the team had more than one reason to celebrate. The eventual winner was under pressure on the final lap and received a bump, but Blaney played his part to protect the leader and help him cross the finish line as the Daytona 500 2022 champion.
Blaney may have helped Cindric secure the race but that only came after he had challenged for the win himself. He made a last-gasp attempt up high to pass Cindric but was blocked off by a clever piece of driving and in that moment the pair knew who deserved to be champion.
