DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Denny Hamlin finished fifth and failed to win his third straight Daytona 500 championship.
No driver had ever won three straight Daytona 500 championships.
Hamlin paired the 2019 and 2020 Daytona victories with his 2016 win to thrust himself in the conversation as one of the best drivers to conquer “The Great American Race.”
Hamlin won both of the opening stages and led a race-high 98 of 200 laps.
