NASCAR at Daytona live updates: William Byron wins race, makes playoffs; Johnson out

NASCAR is moving full speed ahead with plans to race Saturday at Daytona International Speedway for the final regular season event of the Cup Series schedule, the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

The race follows a week of news around athlete strikes in professional sports leagues, including the NBA, WNBA, MLB and MLS, and game postponements in each of those leagues, as well as the NHL, following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc.

NASCAR president Steve Phelps addressed the sport’s place in combating racial inequality before the Saturday’s race in a discussion with NBCSN’s broadcasters Krista Voda and Brad Daugherty.

“I pivot back, frankly, to where we were back in early June,” Phelps said. “With, you know, coming out of the death of George Floyd, what the drivers did with their video in Atlanta, you know, kind of that moment of listening that we had as a sport in Atlanta.”

Phelps also cited the sport’s ban of the Confederate flag and the industry’s support for Black driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway after a rope tied like a noose was found in his garage stall, which the FBI later determined was not a hate crime. Phelps reiterated that he was proud of the work the sport had done in June, but he did not mention an action plan for the future.

“There’s still work that needs to be done, for sure,” Phelps said. “And since June, we’ve done a lot of listening with our own employees, with our industry broadly, with our many partners, Comcast, Coca-Cola, Anheiser-Busch, Geico and many, many others about the role that sports can play, the role that our athletes can play and the roles, frankly, that our broadcast sponsors and our sponsors can play in what’s going on in our sport.”

Earlier this week, Wallace said in a Twitter thread that NASCAR’s decision to continue to race, “DOES NOT mean we are stepping down and turning away from the dark and evil acts that have taken over our nation.”

“Absolutely NOT!!!” Wallace tweeted. “I can assure all of you that myself and many of my competitors are continuing to work hard with @NASCAR to continue the efforts and the fight for racial equality. Let’s stand or kneel TOGETHER and continue push for what’s right.”

Without any pause, NASCAR is set to race the 400-miler. Follow along here for lap-by-lap updates from NASCAR’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Refresh this page for the latest updates. Full results will be published here shortly after the race.

FINAL: Byron wins race

William Byron, who was fighting for a playoff spot, held on during a crazy couple of overtime laps to win the race and qualify for the playoffs. 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who got caught up in the wreck that caused overtime, was able to get back on the track but with a banged up car finished 17th, behind Matt DiBenedetto (12th) and out of the playoffs as DiBenedetto took the final spot.

10:24 p.m., Lap 162: Going to overtime

After another big wreck we’re going to overtime. William Byron is in the lead, followed by Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer. Jimmie Johnson, who got caught up in the wreck, is on the track but a real longshot for the last playoff spot.

9:53 p.m., Lap 152: Red flag with eight to go

A huge wreck has knocked a bunch of competitiors out. With eight laps to go Denny Hamlin is in the lead with Tyler Reddick second and Chris Bueschler third. In the three-driver race for the final two playoff spots, Matt DiBenedetto is 9th, Jimmie Johnson 10th and William Byron 11th. That would currently put Byron out. Again, one of those two playoff spots could be lost if a current non-playoff qualifier wins the race.

9:36 p.m., Lap 141: Bush still out front

With less than 20 laps to go Kyle Bush is the leader followed by Denny Hamlin and William Byron. That is great news for Byron, who is trying to secure one of the final two playoff spots. Matt DiBenedetto is running 15th and Jimmie Johnson 19th. Those two could battle it out for the final spot in the playoffs -- a spot that could disappear if a non-playoff qualifier wins the race.

9:20 p.m., Lap 121: Johnson falls way back

Kyle Busch is running out front with under 40 to go. But the big story is that Jimmie Johnson, who had been running third, saw himself alone when he went three wide and lost huge track position. He is currently running 18th, while William Byron is 4th and Matt DiBenedetto 8th. If they finished in those positions Johnson would miss the playoffs.

8:51 p.m., Lap 100: Another aggressive stage finish, another Logano win

Joey Logano pushes through the middle lane, then scoots to the outside to run in first place past Daniel Suárez with under 10 laps left in Stage 2. Suárez led multiple laps and a group that included some Toyotas, i.e., Kyle Busch. Busch wasn’t going to make the full run on fuel and had to pit late. The field earlier split into two Chevy-Ford groups, but the Chevys caught up with the leaders, including Logano, Blaney and Keselowski. Matt DiBenedetto stayed up front and held on at the green-and-white checkered for a top-10 finish, but Jimmie Johnson got ahead him, to fifth, at the finish. William Byron finished out of the top-10 to put him four points below Johnson. The finishing order was Logano, Truex, Bowyer, Ku. Busch, Johnson, Keselowski, DiBenedetto, Stenhouse, Blaney and Bell in the top-10 for points.

8:31 p.m., Lap 66: Green flag pits stops and fuel gambles

A group of Chevrolet cars pit before the Toyotas while the race is green. The first group of Chevys includes Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Alex Bowman. Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., John Hunter Nemechek, Matt DiBenedetto and Joey Logano are running in the top-five, but the leaders haven’t pitted yet. Busch’s crew chief says they can’t make it on fuel on the team radio, so they’ll need to pit before the stage finish. Erik Jones now needs a win to make it to playoffs (he’ll miss on points). Matt DiBenedetto needs to hold on for a top-10 finish this stage after Byron and Johnson finished in the top-10 in Stage 1 to continue into the postseason, so he’s looking to keep his spot. Denny Hamlin received a penalty earlier for not entering pit road single file, but he’s raced up to fifth.

8:15 p.m., Lap 50: Joey Logano wins Stage 1

Joey Logano holds onto the lead at the green-and-white-checkered flag, but a big move came from Tyler Reddick with under five laps left in the stage. After Jimmie Johnson attempted to jump out of the high line running outside of the top-10, he quickly returned to the lane with no help, but Reddick dropped down shortly after. Johnson, William Byron and Alex Bowman followed low. With one lap to go, the field scattered, with multiple cars changing lanes. At the flag, the finishing order was Logano, Jones, Reddick, Blaney, Johnson, Bell, Byron, McDowell, Hamlin and Kyle Busch. DiBenedetto finished outside the top-10.

8:02 p.m., Lap 35: Jones and Byron back and forth for lead

Three Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Erik Jones, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin run in a line, in that order, on the restart. They run the low line as Byron leads the field from the outside lane, but Busch gives Jones a push and Jones runs high as Byron drops to the lower lane. Jones briefly holds the lead before Byron gets out from from the inside lane. Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano are also in the mix running in the top-five with under 20 laps left in Stage 1.

7:47 p.m., Lap 20: Harvick bails low, competition caution

Kevin Harvick drops from the front of the pack after reporting that his car has debris on the nose. Jimmie Johnson says he’s tight rounding Turn 4 on the driver radio and asks where teammate Chase Elliott is running (17th), likely looking to team up with another Hendrick driver as Byron leads. The competition caution comes out shortly after a lightning strike is spotted near the track, but the strike apparently did not occur within an eight-mile radius to prompt a delay. Byron and Johnson take only fuel (no tires) on the pit stop.

7:38 p.m., Lap 10: Byron holds the lead

Martin Truex Jr., starting in the front row on the outside lane, but runs low and gets ahead of Kevin Harvick, the race pole-sitter, for the first lap, but Harvick gets it back to lead the second lap before William Byron takes the lead. Byron is able to hold the lead from the outside lane as the field runs three-wide. Meanwhile, Matt DiBenedetto says his car is hitting the track too hard (meaning his track bar mound is low) as sparks fly behind the right rear of his No. 21 car.

7:20 p.m.: Austin Dillon’s car to the rear, pre-race ceremonies

NASCAR announces before the race that the No. 3 car driven by Austin Dillon failed inspection twice. Dillon will start from the rear. He was previously slated to start 12th. Kevin Harvick is on the pole. Pre-race ceremonies are completed with teams on the grid. Engines are fired and the race gets ready to go green as dark clouds loom over Turn 1, according to reporters on-site.

NASCAR AT THE DAYTONA LINEUP

This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 7:25 PM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription