Joey Logano Wins White-Knuckle Daytona 500

Joey Logano, the driver who seemed washed up at 22 years old, has won his first career Daytona 500. Logano took the lead in the white-knuckle race following a restart with 19 laps remaining today. Once out front, his Ford was stout and he seemed to have the race in control until a caution with three to go at Daytona International Speedway stopped the race. NASCAR needed nearly seven minutes to clean the track, which gave Logano a two-lap sprint to the finish. He got a terrific jump on the field, and as Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. mounted a push for the lead, a wreck further back brought out the yellow flag. It froze the field and Logano won under caution.

Logano was looking for work near the end of 2012 when Joe Gibbs Racing decided to cut him loose. He was snatched up by Roger Penske, and rewarded "The Captain" with the owner's second Daytona 500 title. (More NASCAR stories.)