NASCAR 2015 Episode 17 Recap: Daytona 2

NASCAR 2015 Episode 17 Recap: Daytona 2

What went down: It was a long, long night at Daytona that ended with happiness from Jr. Nation and controversy, one that is all too familiar now for Daytona.

The traditional Coke Zero (formerly Pepsi) 400 run on the Saturday night of Independence Day weekend was pushed back to a late Sunday night start this year by broadcasting returnee NBC. Consequently, Mother Nature decided to rain on the Florida coast all late afternoon long, pushing back an already late 8pm start time. 

With NASCAR in a pinch due to testing at Kentucky this Wednesday, they made the decision to run the race, at 11:30pm on a Sunday night. And from that point on, it was crashes galore and Dale Jr. domination. It seemed that not a single driver could get to Dale Jr.'s back bumper or make any sort of move around him, while he blocked and diced his way to a fairly comfortable victory, something that is not easy at a restrictor plate track.

But the big focus of this race will be on the crash that happened as the cars crossed the finish line to end the race. A typical wrong place, wrong time bump (common on these types of tracks) by Kevin Harvick on Denny Hamlin sent Hamlin spinning and caused a chain reaction behind. Austin Dillon's car got turned and launched itself over two rows of cars, right into the catchfence, where it was shredded to pieces, destroying the fence in the process and scattering debris into the stands. Dillon's car came to a rest upside down, only to be broadsided by Brad Keselowski (who had lost control of his car), and was sent spinning another few times.

Crew members from several teams immediately rushed to Dillon's car and quickly gave a "thumbs up", letting everyone know Dillon was moving and trying to exit the overturned car. For as violent as the wreck was, Dillon ended up with a bruised arm and tailbone, in what could've been a much worse scenario. Unfortunately, a couple of handfuls of fans were hit with debris, though the injuries for all were minor, with one being transported to the local hospital and being quickly released.

A few of those fans are now seeking action against NASCAR for the incident, one that has essentially happened three eerily similar times in the last few seasons. But in the end, everyone turned out alive and well from the incident. And "Redneck Jesus" is on top once again, at least for now.

What it means for Earnhardt, Jr.: This is Earnhardt's second win of the season, with the other also coming on a restrictor plate track, that being Talladega. It appears that Jr. has regained his once dominating restrictor plate form of the past, and will have a chance to score what could be a crucial win at Talladega in the Chase. This was Dale Jr.'s 25th career victory and 4th at Daytona.

What it means for everyone else: Kyle Busch turned what could've been a disastrous day into a semi-positive one. Now that Busch has the win he needed via Sonoma last week, he needs to get into the top-30 in points. Busch crashed on his own early in the race, but was able to get the car fixed and scored a top-20, keeping his chances of cracking the top-30 realistic.

Landon Cassill once again ran strong for his small Hillman Racing team at a restrictor plate track, running in the top-10 most of the night and finishing 13th at the end.

Trevor Bayne finally had a good run this season, running top-10 most of the evening and finishing 9th. 

What’s next: The series heads to Kentucky Speedway where the new rules package will be tested, leading to a somewhat unknown race, potentially.