Twenty year old Trevor Bayne (he turned 20 on Saturday!) became the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history and second-youngest winner in NASCAR’s top division.
Only his second Sprint Cup start, Bayne drove a nearly flawless race in a fast car but also benefited from attrition on a day in which Daytona 500 records were set for lead changes (74), different leaders (22) and caution flags (16) and matched for most caution laps (60).
Eddie Wood, who gave the kid a shot, is co-founder of the 58-year-old team that invented the modern pit stop. He was known to have knocked heads with Petty Enterprises in the 1960s and ’70s. It was their first Sprint Cup win in the sport since 2001.
It was the Woods’ 5th Daytona 500 win since 1976 when 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Pearson, after a last-lap crash with Petty, managed to limped across the finish line first.
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