2021 O'Reilly Auto Parts 253

Last updated
2021 O'Reilly Auto Parts 253
Race details [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Race 2 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR DIS Road Course Layout.png
Date February 21, 2021 (2021-02-21)
Location Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
3.570 mi (5.745 km)
Distance 70 laps, 252.7 mi (406.7 km)
Average speed 84.452 miles per hour (135.912 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
 Hendrick Motorsports
Grid positions set by competition-based formula
Most laps led
Driver Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 45
Winner
No. 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer
Nielsen Ratings 4.750 million [7]
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers
  • Dave Moody (Infield Section: Turns 2–6)
  • Kurt Becker (Turns 7–10)
  • Dan Hubbard (Turns 11–14)

The 2021 O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 [8] was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 21, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Contents

Added as a replacement for the cancelled Auto Club 400 because of California restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 race was scheduled for 70 laps on the 3.61-mile (5.81 km) road course, it was the second race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The race is lengthened from the 2020 schedule, where it was run at 65 laps of the course for 235 miles. It was a 400-kilometer (250 mi) race in 2021, similar to the Charlotte and Road America road course races. [9]

Chicane issues

During the Busch Clash, track visibility issues came after a safety car situation was called on Lap 9 of the first segment of 15 laps with excessive mud and dirt at the exit of the bus stop on the backstretch. The mud and dirt led to Kevin Harvick spinning early in the race, visibility issues, and later in the race, leader Martin Truex Jr. caused a safety car by crashing at the exit after overdriving the chicane and losing traction from the mud that had accumulated during the race. [10]

A social media post by Denny Hamlin confirmed on February 16 that additional work was being done in the bus stop kerbing, with officials planning to add "sausage kerbing" (also known as "turtles") to the chicane as used in the front stretch chicane in the bus stop to prevent drivers from short-cutting the chicane and throwing mud on the circuit. [11] The right rumble strip is 36 feet (11 m) long while the left is 30 feet (9.1 m) long. [12]

Entry list

No.DriverTeamManufacturer
00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 Scott Heckert Live Fast Motorsports Ford
96 Ty Dillon (i) Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

Starting Lineup

Chase Elliott was awarded the pole for the race. [4] This is the first of 28 scheduled one-day races using the competition-based formula from the 2020 season that began with last year's road course race based on owner point standings (35%) and from the previous round, the car's fastest lap (15%) and finishing position (driver's for 25% and owner's for 25%; 41st position is used in the average if the driver or owner did not participate in the previous race).

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturer
19 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
234 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
33 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
411 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
54 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
637 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
77 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
85 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
942 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
1023 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
1122 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
1220 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
1341 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
1418 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
152 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
1647 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
171 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
1814 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
1919 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2077 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
2151 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
2224 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2352 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
248 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
2553 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
2610 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
2712 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
2878 Scott Heckert Live Fast Motorsports Ford
2900 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
3017 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
3138 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
3221 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
336 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
3416 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
3599 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
3648 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3743 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
3896 Ty Dillon (i) Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
3915 James Davison Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
4066 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
Official starting lineup

Race

The seventy lap race was won by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell in a Toyota. A safety car period was called for rain which bunched the pack up, but the leaders changed onto dry tires rather than rain tires. Another caution period was called because Tyler Reddick's car caught fire. Bell claimed the lead when he overtook Joey Logano on the penultimate lap. [13] It was Bell's first Cup Series victory. [14] It was the first time since the 1950 NASCAR Grand National Series that a year's opening brace of races had maiden winners. Bell's teammate Hamlin finished in third behind Logano. Polesitter Elliott led most of the race but span after a collision with Kurt Busch and came 21st. [15] Busch finished fourth ahead of Brad Keselowski. Both drivers gained positions by not making additional pit stops. Before this, Busch had fallen down the order after he span while leading, while Keselowski had also made mistakes. [13] Harvick followed Keselowski, while A. J. Allmendinger took Kaulig Racing's best Cup Series result in seventh. [15] Michael McDowell, who had won the 2021 Daytona 500 a week prior, recovered from a lap one puncture to finish eighth. Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch were both in the top five in the final twenty laps, but Larson spun into a tire barrier coming out of turn 7 and finished 30th, while Busch's team made a strategic error and was involved in a minor crash with Chris Buescher, finishing 35th. [13]

Bell said he was "not overly shocked", [16] but felt that "to win the first road course of the year is quite surprising". [16] He also said that he "certainly knew we would be in contention or at least competitive today." [16] He expressed the view that road racing "showcases talent". [16]

The caution flag flown for rain during the last stage of the race was criticized as an "entertainment" caution, due to the surface being not being considered too wet to continue racing, as well as also altering the finish of the race preventing Elliott (who, alongside Kyle Busch, questioned the caution over the radio on NASCAR Race Hub's Radioactive segment, the show's team radio chatter highlights) from walking away easily with a win. [17] The race had been declared a dry race at the start. Had the start been declared a wet race (teams must start on rain tires), NASCAR would not call a safety car situation if it dries, and rains again. NASCAR changed rules in 2022 where, if a race was declared a dry race to start, a safety car is no longer automatically implemented when rain becomes an issue to prevent this situation.

Stage Results

Stage OneLaps: 16

PosNoDriverTeamManufacturerPoints
19Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet10
222Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord9
311Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota8
42Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord7
51Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet6
65Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5
719Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota4
83Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet3
94Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord2
1017Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord1
Official stage one results

Stage TwoLaps: 18

PosNoDriverTeamManufacturerPoints
111Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota10
21Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet9
322Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord8
420Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota7
519Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota6
69Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5
724William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4
841Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord3
916A. J. Allmendinger (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet0
1018Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage ThreeLaps: 36

PosGridNoDriverTeamManufacturerLapsPoints
11220Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota7047
21122Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord7052
3411Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota7052
4171Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet7048
5152Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord7039
654Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord7033
73416A. J. Allmendinger (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet700
8234Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord7029
9637Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet7028
103648Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet7027
113017Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord7027
121919Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota7035
131341Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord7027
143743Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet7023
152712Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord7022
163599Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet7021
172610Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord7020
181647Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet7019
193896Ty Dillon (i)Gaunt Brothers RacingToyota700
20336Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord7017
2119Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet7031
223138Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord7015
233915James DavisonRick Ware RacingChevrolet7014
242077Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet700
252151Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet700
261023Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota7011
272553Garrett Smithley (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet700
282878Scott HeckertLive Fast MotorsportsFord709
294066Timmy Hill (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota700
3085Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet7012
3177Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet706
321814Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord705
332224William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet698
3433Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet696
351418Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota693
362352Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord681
373221Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord651
38248Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet581
39942Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet261
402900Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet31
Official race results

Race statistics

Media

Television

Fox Sports televised the race in the United States on Fox. Mike Joy, six-time Daytona winner Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox
Booth announcersPit reportersIn-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer 		Jamie Little
Regan Smith 		Larry McReynolds

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Mike Bagley
Driver Expert: Rusty Wallace 		Turns 2–6 (Infield section): Dave Moody
Turns 7–10: Kurt Becker
Turns 11–14: Dan Hubbard		Steve Post
Jason Toy

Standings after the race

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References

  1. ↑ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site . Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. ↑ "O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ "O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "DAYTONA Road Course Weekend". Daytona International Speedway . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". Official Site of Nascar. NASCAR. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  10. ↑ Bardley, Charles. "Truex: Daytona needs to "figure out" keeping chicane mud off track". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com Network. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  11. ↑ Hamlin, Denny. "Denny Hamlin on Twitter". Twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  12. ↑ Utter, Jim (18 February 2021). "Daytona chicane undergoes changes after driver criticism". Autosport . Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 Nichol, Jake (22 February 2021). "Nascar Daytona road course: Bell passes Logano for first Cup win". Autosport . Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "Christopher Bell wins O'Reilly on Daytona infield road course". Reuters . 21 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  15. 1 2 Fryer, Jenna (22 February 2021). "Bell snags first Cup victory in another surprise Gibbs win". Associated Press . Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Nichol, Jake (22 February 2021). "Bell not "overly shocked" to claim first NASCAR Cup win". Autosport . Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "Does NASCAR have an entertainment caution problem?". 23 February 2021.
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