Last year: Daniel Suarez edged Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a three-wide finish. There were 10 cautions and an Atlanta-record 47 lead changes, alongside a pileup of at least 16 cars, the biggest in the history of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Last race: William Byron captured his second Daytona 500 win while narrowly avoiding a final-lap crash.

The Daytona 500 left Ryan Preece and others frustrated about how the race unfolded, but back-to-back winner William Byron said it was no fluke.

Thanks to one more crash, Byron used a clean ride on his final lap to escape the chaos and race to his second straight Daytona 500 victory.