NASCAR at Daytona road course live updates: Chase Elliott holds off Denny Hamlin

4:22 p.m., Lap 27: Hamlin gets the lead after green flag pit stops

The NBC broadcast shows Kyle Busch getting loose around Turn 6, then spins into the grass, but recovers quickly and only drops to 13th place. Green flag pit stops starting coming out around Lap 26. With three laps left, Truex pits from the lead to give Hamlin the top spot. Bowyer, Blaney, Byron and Stenhouse stay out for the top-five. Truex then drives too fast exiting pit road on Lap 29, and gets a penalty, which will put him in the rear of the field on the next restart. That’s a tough blow to Truex’s top track position.

4:06 p.m., Lap 23: Hamlin, Truex battle and Truex prevails

On the Stage 2 restart, Logano jumped to a brief lead only to fall behind to Hamlin, Harvick and Kurt Busch. By the end of the lap, Hamlin and Harvick commanded the lead. Truex, meanwhile, raced up to fourth then, second to chase Hamlin down for two laps before finally making an inside pass of the No. 11 for the lead.

3:53 p.m., Lap 15: Chase Elliott wins Stage 1 at Daytona road course

Between Laps 12 and 13, drivers pit under green flag conditions. That includes leader Truex, as well as Kurt Busch, Bell, Blaney, Keselowski, Almirola, Reddick, Grala and others. Elliott, Logano and Johnson do not pit until the stage end and Elliott keeps the lead through the green-and-white checkered flag. The rest of the finishing order for the stage after Johnson is Bowyer, DiBenedetto, Jones, Byron, Truex, Custer and Preece. Hendrick drivers are racing a similar setup, Byron said before the race, so it’s not surprising to see them pit at the same time. The No. 88 of Alex Bowman, however, earlier had a flat rear left tire and he misses points at the stage finish. Kyle Busch also made a second pit stop under green flag conditions.

3:43 p.m., Lap 12: Truex leads while Hamlin, Harvick pit

On Lap 9, Truex makes a pass of Hamlin for the lead. Hamlin contacts Truex on Hamlin’s left front bumper and Truex’s back right. Truex then puts distance over Hamlin on the straightaway and Hamlin pits a lap later for tire run. Harvick also pits to change all four tires on Lap 12.

3:33 p.m., Lap 5: Kyle Busch to pit road for early tire wear

Kyle Busch goes a lap down after pitting for left-side tire wear. “That tire was all the way through,” Busch’s No. 18 crew chief Adam Stevens says on the radio. “We wouldn’t have made it another lap.” The top-five running order is Hamlin, Truex, Elliott, Logano and Harvick. Jimmie Johnson is up to sixth place. “We’ll be OK here. Settle in,” Stevens tells Busch as he exits pit road. “A lot of racing left.”

3:23 p.m., Lap 2: Race goes green and it’s OK early

Denny Hamlin, starting in second place, jumps out to an early lead off the start. He leads the first lap of the race. Kyle Busch, who started fourth, makes a pass of Harvick rounding a turn on the first lap. The field runs two-wide off the start, but no early incidents are reported. On the radios, there is a lot of chatter happening guiding drivers’ positions around the track. It’s constant talk from spotters and crew chiefs. Kyle Busch makes it to P1 on the second lap and leads the race, but then reports a flat right front tire after sliding and relinquishes the lead to Hamlin.

3:01 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies get rolling, engines fired

Limited fans stand at Daytona International Speedway for the invocation delivered by AdventHealth chaplain Joel Rivera-Mercado and the live performance of the national anthem by singer Catina Mack. Ryan Newman comes on over the car radio and thanks NASCAR officials and track workers. This is Newman’s first race back at the superspeedway since his Daytona 500 accident in February. After Newman’s “thank-you,” comes the command to start engines and cars roll off the grid for the start of the race.

2:40 p.m.: Drivers to the rear

Four drivers will drop to the rear at the start of the race. Grala in the No. 3 and due to the driver change for Dillon, who was previously slated to start 10th. Stanton Barrett in the No. 77 replacing Reed Sorrenson will also move to the back for a driver change. The No. 32 car of Corey LaJoie failed pre-race inspection track and the No. 66 of Timmy Hill will also drop back for an unapproved adjustment. The green flag is scheduled for 3:19 p.m.

2:30 p.m.: Storms holding off but NASCAR moves up start time

Before the race, NASCAR announces it is adjusting its schedule slighting, moving up pre-race ceremonies and start time by five minutes. The invocation and national anthem are scheduled for 3 p.m. followed by the command to start engines at 3:07 p.m. and the green flag at 3:19 p.m. The race will be 65 laps, with stages ending on laps 15, 30 and 65.

The race is expected to last roughly two and a half hours, but storms are likely to hit the area around 5 p.m., which could impact the finish of the race. Saturday’s Xfinity race was delayed due to lightning strikes.

2:25 p.m.: Austin Dillon tests positive for COVID-19, will have a replacement driver

On Saturday, Richard Childress Racing announced its No. 3 Chevrolet driver Austin Dillon tested positive for COVID-19 and would miss Sunday’s race at the Daytona road course. Dillon won a race earlier this season at Texas to guarantee his spot in the playoffs. He is the fourth NASCAR driver to test positive for the virus and second full-time Cup driver to test positive after Jimmie Johnson.

Dillon will be replaced by part-time RCR Xfinity driver Kaz Grala in the No. 3 Chevy for the race. Although Grala’s best finish in the last five oval races was 13th, he’s had more success on road courses with two top-five finishes at Road America over the last two seasons.

NASCAR AT THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE LINEUP