Kurt Busch 1st Driver to Win Daytona 500 Leading Only Last Lap

Driver Kurt Busch on Sunday became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the Daytona 500 while leading just the final lap of the race, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Busch trailed just the No. 42 car of Kyle Larson when the white flag dropped, but Larson ran out of gas in the final 2.5 miles, and Busch took it home from there. Busch's younger brother Kyle won the first segment of the race but crashed out and finished 38th. It was the elder Busch brother's first career Daytona 500 victory.

Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, Busch has won a total of four races out of 105 prior to Sunday's victory. While there are multiple new rules in across the NASCAR series in 2017, his win Sunday still guarantees he will make the newly minted NASCAR playoffs, formerly known as the Chase for the Cup.

Notorious for its big and numerous crashes due to the restrictor plate bunching up the field, Sunday was no exception to the rule. Just 15 cars finished the event on the lead lap, and only 25 of the 40 drivers to start the race were on the track at the conclusion.

At the very least, Busch got off to a good start Sunday and owns a 12-point leading in the standings. He and the series will travel to Atlanta for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 this week. A veteran of the top series, the 38-year-old has a history of success at the track, winning there three times and finishing in the top five four times in 22 races. Another victory would widen his gap in the standings and put Busch in a great position for the playoffs with 24 races remaining (following Sunday) before the playoffs.