The Daytona 500 turned into the Daytona 530 on Sunday, as overtime added 30 miles to the race's distance. The ending was chaotic, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. eventually declared the winner over Joey Logano in the second overtime period.
Adding to the chaos was the fact that Stenhouse's car was out of fuel, so he might not have been able to get to the finish line were it not for the crash that ended the race.
There was a lot of confusion after the yellow flag flew as NASCAR tried to figure out who won. It was eventually determined that Stenhouse was just ahead of Logano when the caution came out.
RT to congratulate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on his #DAYTONA500 win! pic.twitter.com/OstRwcdmFi
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 19, 2023
MORE: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. inches past Joey Logano to win Daytona 500 under caution
How did NASCAR declare Ricky Stenhouse Jr. the Daytona 500 winner?
Although Logano crossed the finish line first, NASCAR called the race as soon as the caution flag came out after Kyle Larson crashed while trying to make a move.
Stenhouse was scored as the race leader at the moment the yellow came out, meaning that he was the race winner.
The timing of the caution flag was important because Stenhouse and Logano were racing side by side on the final lap.
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This is the third victory of Stenhouse's career and his first Daytona 500 triumph. His other two wins came in 2017, including one in the Daytona summer race.
"I think this whole offseason (crew chief Mike Kelley) just preached how much we all believed in each other. They left me a note in the car that said they believe in me and to go get the job done," Stenhouse told Fox Sports after the win (as reported by The Associated Press). "Man, this is unbelievable. This was the site of my last win back in 2017. We’ve worked really hard. We had a couple shots last year to get a win and fell short."
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Why can a NASCAR race end under caution?
Ending races under caution is a bit of a controversial issue in NASCAR circles.
If a caution flag comes out after the leader has started the final lap of the race (i.e., taken the white flag) — or after three restarts — then the results are official from the moment the yellow is thrown.
There is, however, a second stipulation to the rule: Cars must be able to cross the finish line and finish the lap. If Stenhouse hadn't been able to finish the final lap Sunday because he had run out of fuel, then Logano would have been declared the winner.
Because Stenhouse did finish, even though he trailed Logano at the line, he was able to lock in his winning position.
