The Great American Race, the Daytona 500, kicked off the 2019 NASCAR season as 40 drivers, including hometown favorite Chase Elliott, pushed themselves through 200 laps around the 2.5-mile ovoid course on Feb. 17. After an almost routine 185-laps of racing that saw very little contact between the drivers, the final 15 laps saw four yellow flags, two red flags and three wrecks that took out over half the field, as well as an overtime sprint by Denny Hamlin to secure the first checkered flag of the year. Elliott, who started the race in the 18th position, managed to avoid two of the final three wrecks only to find himself crushed into wall on the last lap by Erik Jones as he lost control of the No. 14 car on a move to the inside lane. The wreck marked another disappointing finish for Elliott who, despite an outstanding qualifying record at Daytona. has yet to finish a race on the track, a trend he alluded to when he discussed his strategy for success in a pre-race interview.