Daytona 500: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings after Daytona
By Phil Naegely
Kurt Busch won his first Daytona 500 race. Check out the full Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings after Sunday’s competition at Daytona International Speedway.
A full 20 percent of the 2017 Daytona 500 took place under a yellow flag. The first stage was the smoothest segment of the race before all hell broke loose on the track. Kurt Busch stayed unscathed from serious damage and survived the 200 lap race, and on the final lap, made a beautiful pass of Kyle Larson to take his first lead of the race and hold on for his first Daytona 500 win.
As a result of his win, Busch leads the standings with 56 points and holds a 12-point lead. Ryan Blaney was one of the most consistent drivers throughout the race and was rewarded with stage points from Stage 1 and Stage 2.The standings after the Daytona 500 includes those from the Can-Am Duel, stages, and the finish of the Daytona 500.
The standings after the Daytona 500 includes those from the Can-Am Duel, stages and the finish of the Daytona 500.
| 1 | Kurt Busch | 56 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 44 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 43 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 42 |
| 5 | AJ Allmendinger | 39 |
| 6 | Aric Almirola | 37 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 36 |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 33 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 33 |
| 10 | Paul Menard | 32 |
| 11 | Trevor Bayne | 32 |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | 31 |
| 13 | Kasey Kahne | 30 |
| 14 | Michael Waltrip | 29 |
| 15 | Matt DiBenedetto | 28 |
| 16 | Austin Dillon | 25 |
| 17 | Martin Truex Jr. | 24 |
| 18 | Michael McDowell | 22 |
| 19 | Ryan Newman | 22 |
| 20 | Jamie McMurray | 22 |
| 21 | Landon Cassill | 21 |
| 22 | Cole Whitt | 21 |
| 23 | Clint Bowyer | 18 |
| 24 | Danica Patrick | 16 |
| 25 | Corey LaJoie | 13 |
| 26 | David Ragan | 13 |
| 27 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 13 |
| 28 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | 11 |
| 29 | Kyle Busch | 11 |
| 30 | Daniel Suarez | 9 |
| 31 | Ty Dillon | 9 |
| 32 | Matt Kenseth | 7 |
| 33 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 6 |
| 34 | Jimmie Johnson | 5 |
| 35 | Chris Buescher | 2 |
| 36 | D.J. Kennington | 1 |
| 37 | Erik Jones | 1 |
| 38 | Brendan Gaughan | 0 |
| 39 | Elliott Sadler | 0 |
| 40 | Joey Gase | 0 |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | 0 |
| 42 | Timmy Hill | 0 |
| 43 | Gray Gaulding | 0 |
Obviously, the standings are tight right now with only one race in the books. Points from the Duel and stages add up, but racers still get the most points from winning and finishing a race in the top 10. Sunday’s action saw a majority of the field exit early due to damage from crashes.
Next: Daytona 500: Kurt Busch pulls ahead on final lap
Daytona is one of the tracks where chaos happens more often. Next week’s race in Atlanta should be smoother, but crazier things have happened. Until then, Kurt Busch is at the top of the standings.