A rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup race that started after midnight, produced 22 lead changes and ended with a multi-car wreck that flipped Austin Dillon's car into the fence.
Daytona's 2015 summer race ran into the early hours after rain, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won it. The finish involved a wreck of at least 24 cars, which sent Austin Dillon's car into the catch fence. It was Earnhardt's second win of 2015, and he led a race-high 96 laps.
The 2015 Coke Zero 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on 5 and 6 July 2015. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won it, his second victory of the season, after rain delayed the start until 11:42 p.m. The race finished in the early hours of the Monday, and it ended with a violent wreck at the finish.
What was the 2015 Coke Zero 400?
The race was the 17th event of the 2015 Sprint Cup season and was contested over 161 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway. The distance was extended from the scheduled 160 laps. Earnhardt's team-mate Jimmie Johnson finished second, with Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch completing the top five.
The event was also the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race to air on NBC since 2006. It was part of a ten-year deal signed in 2013 under which NBCUniversal and its networks would broadcast the final half of the Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series seasons.
A rain-soaked start, a record-length delay and a finish crash that left the Daytona fence with a 60 foot gap.
Who won the 2015 Coke Zero 400?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race, which was his 25th career victory and his tenth in points-paying restrictor plate races. It was his fourth win at Daytona and his 14th at the track for Hendrick Motorsports. The result moved him up to second in the points standings.
He spent 96 laps out front, more than any other driver. He held off the field on the final restart with two laps to go. Chevrolet left Daytona with an 83-point lead over Ford in the manufacturers' standings.
How did the race come to start so late?
Qualifying was rained out on the Saturday, and the two scheduled rounds of single-car qualifying were cancelled. Earnhardt later said that his crew chief, Greg Ives, had wanted a long first practice run to put a lap down before the weather turned, and that the plan had paid off.
The starting lineup was set by first practice times, so Earnhardt was declared the polesitter under the rulebook. Rain fell throughout the afternoon on the Sunday, and the race was scheduled for 8:04 p.m. Eastern time.
Further rain delays pushed the green flag back to 11:42 p.m., which was the longest start delay for the race since 2005. The race concluded at 2:40 a.m. Eastern time on the Monday, so the finish came well after the original start.
What changes were made to the track before the race?
The race was shaped by an earlier accident. During the Alert Today Florida 300 in the Xfinity Series, Kyle Busch hit a concrete wall just beyond the pit road exit, broke a leg and missed the first eleven Sprint Cup races as a result.
Officials responded by fitting SAFER barriers along the whole outer wall and by paving over the grass close to turn 1 and the tri-oval exit where the crash happened.
The timing of the race also changed. At the request of its broadcaster NBC, the race moved from its traditional Saturday night slot to Sunday night. Track president Joie Chitwood III said NBC saw the race as a showcase for its return, much as it did with Sunday Night Football. The move also avoided a clash with NBC's annual Macy's 4th of July fireworks special.
Who entered the race and who missed it?
The entry list was released on Monday, June 29, and forty-five cars were entered. Of those, all but the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford driven by Ryan Blaney had also been entered for the previous race at Sonoma Raceway.
Several drivers changed for the weekend, including Bobby Labonte in the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford normally driven by Mike Bliss, and Brian Scott in the No. 33 Hillman-Circle Sport car normally driven by Alex Kennedy.
Brett Moffitt returned to the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. Blaney missed the race entirely despite posting the 22nd fastest lap in first practice.
What happened in practice and qualifying?
In first practice Earnhardt was quickest, lapping in 44.492 seconds, or 202.284 mph (325.545 km/h). Early in the session Keselowski tangled with Kyle Busch and sent him around in the middle of the field. Nine other drivers, among them Hamlin, Edwards and Truex, were swept up in the incident, and Truex's crew had to switch to a backup car.
Danica Patrick was fastest in the final practice, with a lap of 45.424 seconds at 198.133 mph (318.864 km/h). In qualifying the rain came back, and both scheduled rounds were cancelled. Earnhardt was given the first starting spot, and Jeff Gordon started 23rd in his 46th and final career race at Daytona.
The Wood Brothers' car failed to qualify for the first time in seven years. Its team co-owner Eddie Wood said the result was hard to accept, because the team had been part-time since 2009 and had dodged many problems before.
How did the first half of the race unfold?
Earnhardt led the field to the green flag at 11:42 p.m., but Austin Dillon drove to his outside and led the first eight laps. The first caution came on lap 3, when a multi-car wreck erupted after David Gilliland tried to drop in behind Earnhardt on the inside and was turned by Clint Bowyer.
Around ten cars piled in, including reigning Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano and Danica Patrick, and several drivers were penalised for pitting before the pit road was open.
Earnhardt passed Dillon on lap 10 to take the lead. Kyle Busch got loose while trying to pass Jamie McMurray and hit the turn 2 wall on lap 17. The second caution, a scheduled competition stop, came on lap 26, and Jimmie Johnson left the pits with the lead. Earnhardt and Johnson traded the lead through the pit cycles, and a third caution on lap 53 for a flat tire on Carl Edwards's car set up another pit cycle.
How did the second half and the final restart play out?
The race entered its second half with more cautions. A fourth caution came on lap 58 when Gilliland spun and stalled on the track, and Johnson took the lead again before Matt Kenseth briefly led on lap 80. A fifth caution on lap 86 followed a multi-car wreck in turn 2, which left Denny Hamlin in front after the pit stops.
By the halfway point the race was still close. Kasey Kahne used a push from Kevin Harvick to lead on the restart, and Earnhardt drove under Hamlin to retake the lead on lap 104. A sixth caution on lap 105 came when Kenseth was turned by Kahne, and his car washed up the track and collected nine others.
With 46 laps to go Johnson retook the lead, but Earnhardt dove underneath his team-mate to regain it with 43 laps left. A seventh caution followed with 33 laps to go when Danica Patrick cut a tyre and hit the outside wall. An eighth caution with twelve laps to go came when Ragan spun into the grass, and he recovered to finish twelfth. The ninth and final caution came three laps after the restart on lap 151, when Hornish Jr. spun out on the backstretch and was almost flipped.
What happened in the finish crash?
The race went to a green-white-checkered finish. Earnhardt held off the field to win, but as the cars raced to the checkered flag Kevin Harvick tapped Hamlin from behind and started a massive wreck involving at least 24 cars. Hamlin struck Dillon's car at an angle that flipped it, and it flew over two lanes and into the catch fence, ripping out the engine.
It struck a fence post at roughly 190 mph and slowed almost to a halt. The impact left a hole about 60 foot wide and a bent post in the fence. Dillon's car landed upside down at the exit to pit road and was then hit again by Brad Keselowski, who spun on oil while trying to avoid the crash. Five fans were injured by debris, and one was taken to Halifax Medical Center before being released.
Dillon was helped out of his car by pit crews from Earnhardt and Mears, to loud cheers, and he walked away. He was treated and released from the infield care centre with a bruised tailbone and forearm. The crash was compared with several other notable finish wrecks at Daytona, including those in 1987, 2000, 2009 and 2013.
How did the drivers react, and what were the race statistics?
Dillon described the crash as very vicious, saying the belts loosened with each hit and that the speeds at Daytona were too high. Earnhardt said in victory lane that he had been close to tears and had been very scared for the driver of the car. Jimmie Johnson, who finished second, said he was shocked that Dillon was alive.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| 1st | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 2nd | Jimmie Johnson |
| 3rd | Denny Hamlin |
| 4th | Kevin Harvick |
| 5th | Kurt Busch |
| Lead changes | 22 among 12 different drivers |
| Cautions | 9 for 43 laps |
| Race time | 2 hours, 58 minutes, 58 seconds |
| Average speed | 134.941 mph (217.166 km/h) |
| Winner's prize | $300,040 |
Which drivers took the race awards?
Several drivers picked up sponsor awards for their work during the race. Earnhardt took the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race award with a driver rating of 131.9, Carl Edwards was honoured for the American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award, and Kurt Busch won the Ingersoll Rand Power Move award for gaining ten positions.
Austin Dillon received the Duralast Brakes award for Bake In The Race, while Jimmie Johnson took the Freescale Wide Open award. Casey Mears set the fastest lap on lap 78, with a time of 44.490 seconds, or 202.297 mph (325.565 km/h).
Matt DiBenedetto took the Sunoco Rookie of the Race honour. There was no Coors Light pole award, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup leader bonus rolled over to $140,000 for the next event.
