2024 Daytona 500: Early wreck ruins day for several drivers

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A handful of drivers were caught up in a wreck Monday night at the Daytona 500 that took them out of contention early in the race.

Coming out of Turn 4 on Lap 6, John Hunter Nemechek was on the outside of Harrison Burton as the pack made it into the tri-oval. Brad Keselowski ran into the back of Nemechek, who then bumped Burton as he came down the track. Burton spun out and Carson Hocevar came with him.

Burton and Hocevar couldn’t come to a stop in the grass and kept sliding.

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Ryan Preece, back left, Kaz Grala, center, and Harrison Burton (21) crash during early laps of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Burton and Hocevar went back up the track near the start-finish line and tagged a few other cars.

Ryan Preece got caught up in the wreck, spun out and hit the wall toward the pit road exit. Kaz Grala, Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson were also involved and saw their evenings essentially ruined.

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Burton said it was frustrating to be out of the race so early.

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Harrison Burton sits on the apron in front of pit road after wrecking during the Daytona 500. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

“Bummer. I don’t know what to say or do different. I don’t think I even got wide open at that point,” he said. “I was just saving fuel, and yeah, that’s it.”

Hocevar said he had virtually no time to get out of the way.

“I had 0.1 second, basically. It happened right in my lap,” he said after he was cleared from the infield care center. “I tried my best not to slide across the grass, but with two-plus days of rain it was going to be really slick.”