Joey Logano wins Daytona 500, after NASCAR indefinitely suspends Kurt Busch

Joey Logano wins his first Daytona 500 — (Image credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

After a week of NASCAR drama, Joey Logano won Sunday's Daytona 500, beating out a field that included last year's winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., four-time champion Jeff Gordon — in his final Daytona 500 race — and Tony Stewart. Logano, 22, is the second-youngest driver to win NASCAR's big race.

Notably absent from the Daytona 500 was Kurt Busch, whom NASCAR suspended indefinitely on Friday, after a family court in Delaware found that he "more likely than not" strangled ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll and smashed her head against the wall of his trailer during the weekend of the Dover International Speedway last September. The suspension by NASCAR was upheld last Saturday, barring Busch from Daytona and all other races until he completes an undisclosed course of action.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.