Ricky Stenhouse Jr. an unlikely winner in unpredictable and historic Daytona 500

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won a wild and unpredictable Daytona 500 on Sunday night, in a race marked by a series of late crashes that took the event into two overtimes.

Stenhouse won The Great American race due to being fractionally ahead of Joey Logano at the moment a final caution flag came out, to cap off the undisputed highlight of his career.

There could hardly have been more drama, especially in the closing stages, but Stenhouse made the most of his opportunity at just the right time, having run steadily all day after qualifying in 31st.

Stenhouse's victory was the third of his NASCAR Cup Series career and his first in six years (snapping a 199-race winless streak), but he was not seen as a likely winner. Yet this race can be guaranteed to provide the unexpected, and it did so again.

"My team left me a note on my car," Stenhouse said. "They believed in me."

Due to repeated stoppages, the race ultimately ended on the 211th lap, making it the longest Daytona 500 in history.

Minutes before the end, teammates Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon seemed in position to control things in overtime, but couldn't generate enough speed — Dillon got turned and major carnage ensued.

That left Stenhouse in front, battling with Logano and Kyle Larson. It figured to be a sprint to the finish, but another wreck, because the white flag had already been raised, essentially ended the race.

NASCAR's signature event had seen upsets twice in succession. Michael McDowell won in 2021 after avoiding a huge late wreck, and Austin Cindric topped the podium last year — those triumphs remain the only Cup Series victory for each man. This year looked like it would have a more familiar feel, with Larson and Logano being the last two Series champions.

Busch headed a group of big names that were chasing their first success in the 500, including Brad Keselowski, who won the first stage and led late. None of them were able to best Stenhouse in the end.

Ross Chastain took Stage 2 ahead of pole-sitter Alex Bowman and Logano but could not maintain momentum when things resumed.

Busch had an eventful week, having been in the headlines following a recent gun carry issue in Mexico and a crash in qualifying that saw him forced to retreat to the back of the field at the start as he was using a backup vehicle. Busch went a lap down, battled back and strongly threatened, but his dream outcome did not materialize.

The first half of the race passed without major incident, but that changed on lap 118, when Tyler Reddick piled into the wall after a bump from Kevin Harvick, with the collision also taking Erik Jones and Chase Elliott out of the race.

That was nothing compared to what took place near the end, as opportunity beckoned and no shortage of drivers made bold moves in a bid for glory.

Such was the wild nature of the closing stages, that motocross superstar Travis Pastrana found himself on the fringe of the top 10 before the final restart.

In the end though, it was Stenhouse's night, able to ride out the chaos and pull off a memorable victory.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

Top NASCAR stories from FOX Sports:

• Daytona 500 updates: NASCAR Cup Series top moments on FOX
• There's nothing quite like the Daytona 500
• Five drivers most likely to win first Cup Series title in 2023
• Austin Hill takes Xfinity opener in climatic finish during final-lap crash
• Ty Gibbs confident in translating Xfinity title into rookie Cup success
• Can Kyle Busch break RCR's title drought? Richard Childress has no doubt
• Dillon brothers reflect on iconic Dale Earnhardt photo after '98 Daytona 500
• ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ star Frankie Muniz ready to show racing chops in ARCA Series
• NASCAR safety changes to Next Gen car in place for Daytona qualifying
• Bubba Wallace can't escape the spotlight. But he just wants to win races