Austin Cindric won his first Daytona 500 Sunday in a race that saw multiple crashes take out major contenders, including a pair in the last few laps.
Cindric, 23, successfully warded off advances by Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace to win the race in his Ford Mustang, delivering Team Penske owner Roger Penske an 85th birthday present in his eighth start.
Blaney pushed Cindric off Turn 4 in the final lap but Cindric was able to block, before managing to hold off Wallace near the start/finish line for the win.
Cindric also successfully avoided a pair of late-race crashes including one on lap 196 that saw Ricky Stenhouse, who was leading the race with eight laps to go but was ultimately forced to end his day after spinning out into the wall.
Wallace, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski were also involved in the crash but were able to keep driving.
Two laps earlier, 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larsen crashed into Kevin Harvick, the 2007 Daytona 500 champ, sending him spinning out causing a six-car crash.
Stage 1 ended with an eight-car crash on lap 64 that saw favorite Denny Hamlin eliminated from the race.