Daytona 500: Stage 1 wreck takes out Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez

Half of the Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing contingents in the 2018 Daytona 500 were involved in one wreck near the end of Stage 1.

It hasn’t been the smoothest Speedweeks for 17-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and the Daytona 500 didn’t go any better for him.

On the final lap of Stage 1, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. barely avoided disaster when he moved up to block Ryan Blaney. Though Stenhouse managed not to wreck, people checking up behind him weren’t so lucky.

Six cars ended up spinning or colliding or both. One of them was Johnson, and another was teammate William Byron, though his 24 was able to get fixed up an back on track. As former Hendrick superstar Jeff Gordon pointed out on the TV broadcast, it was the third car Johnson saw crumpled up at Daytona.

He wasn’t super happy about if after being released from the infield care center.

“Unfortunately, many thought that was the black and white checkered flag and not the green and white checkered flag,” Johnson told the Fox Sports crew. “On lap 59, to be throwing blocks like that …”

Joe Gibbs Racing also had a Daytona 500 to forget in Stage 1. Denny Hamlin went a lap down early with a variety of issues, including one of the self-inflicted variety when he slid through his pit box. Kyle Busch blew left rear tires twice, and both Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez were collected in the wreck that claimed Johnson.

Next: More 2018 Daytona 500 highlights

Kurt Busch won Stage 1, his victory almost an afterthought considering the carnage behind him. With more than half the Daytona 500 to go, the feeling that another even bigger wreck was still lurking was unavoidable, so hopefully the drivers will take it a little easier at the end of Stage 2.