Things get stacked up. Lots of trouble. #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/zuLmY5Mh20
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025
It’s inevitable when competing in a giant pack on a superspeedway, the multi-car wreck that
Usually, it’s triggered by a late move or a bad block at the front of the pack, but this time, it was the result of a mechanical issue for defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano.
Logano, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, was running at the head of the pack on the outside line, when something went wrong with his car, stacking up the field behind him, and causing ‘The Big One’.
The one bright side, though, is that the majority of those involved in the wreck were going at a pretty slow speed, meaning the damage likely isn’t going to be race-ending for the majority of those involved.
Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Helio Castroneves seemed to take the biggest impact in the incident, which caused significant damage to both cars. Castroneves, who had to take an Open Exemption Provisional (OEP), was towed to the garage.
Also involved in the incident — which for the most part came from the initial stack up and drivers taking evasive action — were Jimmie Johnson, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst, John Hunter Nemechek, Martin Truex, Jr., Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer, and Cody Ware.
Chastain, Castroneves, and Truex were the three drivers that went to the garage. Per the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP), Chastain and Truex, who drove into the garage, can return to the race, whereas Castroneves, who was towed, cannot.
Both Truex and Chastain eventually were determined to be OUT of the event.