2013 Daytona 500 Live Race Blog

The 2013 running of the Daytona 500 is set for Sunday February 24.  You can listen to the race live and follow our live race blog.

4:50 p.m. - Thanks for dealing with me for the past few hours! It's been fun and I hope I was able to bring the race to you, wherever you might be. But for now, I have to sit back and digest the race, the beer and the chili. Have a great Sunday, folks!

4:44 p.m. - Patrick seemed composed during her interview. Maybe the media is onto something with all this hype... Still, there are 25 races until the cutoff to the Chase and anything goes.

4:41 p.m. - Johnson is so smug with his car pressed up against the wall. Of course, he has won five championships and took this race in 2006 so I'll give him that. Danica Patrick finishes 8th, and Dale Jr. takes 2nd for the third time.

Lap 200 - Race is over! Johnson wins it with Dale jr. second, Martin 3rd, Kes 4th and Newman 5th.

Lap 199 - White flag! Biffle is still a couple car lengths back, but can't catch him.

Lap 198 - Two laps to go! Johnson still leads. If someone is going to make a move, they'd better do it now.

Lap 196 - Darrell Waltrip just realized that we haven't seen a lot of slingshots during this race. He's the John Madden of NASCAR.

Lap 196 - Johnson, Biffle, Patrick, Dale Jr. are your top four. Race is starting to go single-file again.

Lap 195 - Johnson has the lead with Biffle and Patrick in tow. Inside line has Kes leading a small troop of cars.

Lap 194 - I couldn't even begin to say who might win this race. All bets are off as they come to the line for the green flag.

Lap 192 - Kes on the radio: "Whoever is going three wide behind us is killing our lane."

Lap 190 - Caution is out! Debris in turn two is what I heard, and Kes ran into it. Well, looking at his car, I guess it can't hurt.

Lap 188 - A gaggle of cars sweeps around the track, with three wide in turn one. Kes' car looks like it was used in a demo derby, not the Daytona 500. Can we see a first time winner here with Keselowski or is it going to be a repeat winner?

Lap 187 - That inside line is heating up fast. Johnson battles for the lead with help form Hamlin. Patrick is 5th/6th right now. This looks like it won't end well...

Lap 186 - Battle at the front! Johnson leads inside, Kes leads outside. Remember, Kes' car was damaged earlier in the race.

Lap 185 - Inside line is heating up with Johnson leading. The outside is still where all the speed is, though, with the Fords of Keselowski and Biffle leading the Chevy of Patrick. Gordon right behind her.

Lap 183 - Two Fords lead two Chevy cars. Could there be some fighting at the top?

Lap 182 - It's like a family reunion up front, as Patrick sits 3rd with Gordon 4th. Keseloski and Biffle still in front.

Lap 181 - Green flag with 19 laps to go! Field is bunched in two lines with a third row developing mid-pack. Biffle is pushing the used up car of Keselowski.

Lap 180 - Keselowski has the lead. This might be the continuation of his amazing 2012 season, but then again bad luck could strike at any time.

Lap 180 - Hamlin has led 33 laps. He also started 33rd. Coincidence? Maybe the stars are lining up. As for Danica Patrick, she's in 7th place, moving up slowly.

Lap 179 - Almost everyone is hitting pit road. That ought to even the playing field a little bit. There are still a few stragglers looking to stay out and lead a lap if they can.

Lap 176 - Jeff Burton smacks the wall, bringing out the 5th caution. He was having a fairly good day, too. Scott Speed has the lead, but has to pit. His team was the last to get into the race and may be the least funded out of them all.

Lap 175 - This is interesting, Keselowski and Logano have found each other and now run 1-2. Truex Jr. also just reported that his engine is blowing up. Tough break for him, but his engines come from Gibbs so there was some risk.

Lap 174 - Local shout-out to Regan Smith from Cato, NY, as he leads the Daytona 500 for nearly an entire lap.

Lap 173 - No real changes yet. Top six are bunched with three others, including Patrick, bumming it a little further behind. Pit stops are also starting. Biffle tried to pull a fancy move, but ending up following the herd.

Lap 170 - Ambrose is said to be able to go a little farther than the other drivers. Will that help him win?

Lap 167 - Hamlin has the race in his hands right now, with no real competition coming up at this moment. There is a line of about 14 cars all single-file to lead the field. To break from that line is to kill your chances of winning.

Lap 165 - Nothing special to report. More banter from Mike Joy and the other FOX guys, coupled with some single-file racing. A lot of these drivers are probably hoping for a caution right about now.

Lap 160 - Through the field... Patrick 9th, Dale Jr. 12th, Mark Martin 14th, Ryan Newman 16th, Keselowski 20th.

Lap 159 - Time is running out for a lot of drivers who are looking to take this race from Hamlin. One pit stop remains in this race, so crews had better step up and get it right.

Lap 157 - Kyle Busch looked a little grumpy walking back to his hauler. That's probably due to the blown engine. Back to the front, where there is once again single-file racing. Hamlin, Truex Jr. and Biffle make up your top three.

Lap 153 - Team Hendrick is looking like the spoiler right now, with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in 4th and 5th. They could be formidable against the trio of Hamlin, Truex Jr. and Biffle. Then again, Labonte and Marcos Ambrose are also camping out in 6th and 7th.

Lap 152 - Kyle Busch hits pit road! He says his engine is blowing up. This is not looking good for Joe Gibbs Racing. If you remember, last year the team had a bunch of issues with blown engines and whatnot.

Lap 150 - Hamlin is now on point, with Kyle Busch close behind in second. Truex Jr. is in third, with Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson rounding out the top five. Gordon also coming back, riding in sixth.

Lap 148 - Bobby Labonte is 7th?! Is this 1997 again? Meanwhile, smoke is coming from Kenseth's car. He also says he has a vibration. His day could be done if it's an engine issue. He falls back quickly and is hitting pit road.

Lap 146 - Race is back to green. Kenseth is on the outside and quickly spaces himself out. Inside line doesn't put up much of a fight. Cars are bunching up a little bit, making this look like the races of yesteryear.

Lap 145 - Carl Edwards discussed his awful Speedweeks, where he wrecked four cars. The only thing he didn't hit was the jet dryer. Of course, Montoya hit that last year...

Why are there so many commercials?! This is starting to get ridiculous. FOX is hitting a 9 commercial streak and hasn't shown a picture-in-picture yet. Weren't they supposed to do less of this? Apparently not.

Lap 141 - An unseen casualty in the wreck a few laps ago was Joey Logano. The young gun was doing well, but now falls to 28th.

Lap 140 - There are still quite a few drivers who could win the Daytona 500. Among them are Mark Martin, Dale Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. This race is still alive and well, it just looks like any moves will have to be completed before the field spaces out.

Lap 138 - Several cars are still on the track waiting for crews to assist them. Carl Edwards has officially become the Bad Luck Brian of NASCAR. His season is starting off on a bad note, but maybe he'll snap out of his funk this year.

Lap 137 - Accident collects Bayne, Edwards, Ragan and Josh Wise. Caution is out. Field is bunched up again.

Lap 136 - Patrick slips to 9th after pit stops, but is still in great position to make a run for the top. Still, there are eight great drivers in between her and history.

Lap 132 - Mr. Consistency is still consistent, with Kenseth holding on as your leader. Notables include Johnson in 11th, Gordon 23rd, Edwards 25th and Tony Stewart in 41st.

Lap 131 - Cycling around, your leader is once again Matt Kenseth. Hamlin, Bowyer, Logano and Kyle Busch round out the top five.

Lap 129 - Biffle and Patrick hit pit road along with Jimmie Johnson. Gordon also pits. Hendrick might be hedging his bets with some different pitting strategies. Most of these drivers can make it to the end on one more stop.

Lap 128 - Your new top three: Patrick, Biffle, Logano. Harvick re-enters the race. He sits 43rd right now.

Lap 127 - More pit stops for the leaders. Kenseth and Hamlin come in. Patrick stays out.

Lap 124 - Another break, another Michael Waltrip commercial. I dare him to make another ad for Aaron's... On a side note, no mention of Carl Edwards yet. I'm guessing 30th place doesn't offer many chances to get talked about.

Lap 122 - Simgle file still, as the race shows a distinct lack of jostling for position. I suppose this could be a new risk to the Gen-6 cars, but for now it's given the benefit of the doubt. Your top three: Kenseth, Hamlin and Patrick.

Lap 120 - Gordon continues to slip back, falling to 26th. His day may be done unless he can get a couple good cautions. Tony Stewart is also back on the track, leaving only Kevin Harvick in the garage. Not a good start to the season for either driver.

Lap 118 - If Kenseth wins, he could become 4th driver to win back to back Daytona 500s.

Lap 115 - Never thought I'd see it, but Tony Stewart is 43rd in today's race. That's a pretty far drop from where many thought he would finish. Kevin Harvick's day hasn't gone much better, as he sits in 42nd. An eight car accident left them on the wrong side looking in. Others, like Joey Logano are breathing a sigh of relief, as he rides 10th after missing the carnage.

Lap 113 - Gordon falls even further behind, slipping outside the top 20 to 24th. His day has been completely dependent on engine and water issues.

Lap 111 - Michael Waltrip finding his groove, driving his Newtown, CT car up to the 6th position. He could have a shot to take this race today. He did win it twice already.

Lap 109 - There isn't much to report. Kenseth holds the lead, but others like Kyle Busch have dropped into obscurity. A fallen jack ruined his great day.

Lap 108 - The same three are sitting at the top of the charts. Clean racing so far has left the race spread out single-file. These cars don't seem to bunch the field like the older cars, or leave two-car tandems like the Car of Tomorrow.

Let's play a few more commercials while we're at it... This race could not be bogged down any better. On an unrelated note, Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson is out for 14 weeks with a fractured right forearm after he was hit by a pitch.

Lap 101 - Jeff Gordon has seen a bunch of trouble today with water pressure, engine temp and debris issues. Can he move up from 14th to win the race?

Lap 100 - Halfway through and there have only been 15 lead changes. A little low, don't you think? Patrick runs third behind the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Kenseth and Hamlin.

Lap 96 - Some notables on the track include Brad Keseloswki in 22nd, Dale Jr. in 11th and  Kyle Busch sitting in 23rd. Now is the time to start preparing to move up. Expect them to find their stride in the coming laps.

Lap 95 - Battle at the front as the inside line finally comes to life. Kenseth in the lead with teammate Hamlin close behind are leading the outside. Jimmie Johnson is working his way up to the front on the inside with Jeff Burton in tow.

Lap 93 - Teammates line up with Hamlin and Kenseth linking up. Near wreck occurs between Patrick and Bowyer. Everyone hangs on and the race keeps going.

Lap 91 - Your top three are Patrick, Bowyer and Hamlin. Outside line is once again making it rough for the inside drivers.

Lap 90 - Patrick leads the lap, becoming the first woman to lead at the Daytona 500!

Lap 89 - Michael Waltrip and Danica Patrick at the front as we restart the race.

We're nearly half way through this race and Matt Kenseth has lead the most laps. Gordon has led the second most. Who are your picks for today's winner? Are they still in it?

I get the feeling this is going to be a faster race than usual. Only three cautions so far, with only one for an accident.

Lap 85 - Caution out for debris. Field is once again bunched up. Pit stops only eight laps into the run. Fuel only for most of the teams. Patrick comes out on top.

Lap 85 - Patrick rides in eighth place, only 5 spots ahead of fellow rookie/boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Who's going to finish higher?

Lap 83 - Ford has been strong in the past four Daytona 500 races, but may not be able to fight the Toyota of Matt Kenseth. You're top three are still Hamlin, Truex Jr. and Kenseth.

Lap 79 - Danica Patrick has a vibration. Otherwise, top three is Hamlin, Truex Jr. and Kenseth.

Lap 75 - Ryan Newman and Michael Waltrip with the top spots, but still need to pit. Should be done very soon.

Lap 74 - #43 of Aric Almirola is too fast on pit road. He has to serve a pass through penalty.

Lap 73 - Mark Martin has the lead!

Lap 72 - Field is starting to jumble up. Gordon, Patrick, Johnson, Logano and others are in to pit. This will determine who leaves with the lead. Time for the pit crews to step up.

Lap 70 - Cut scene to Stewart grinding on his own car to get it back on track. True competitor there. Otherwise, pit stops are starting to happen.

What do you guys think of this year's Daytona 500? To me, the Gen-6 cars are doing their thing, but the race seems to lack the excitement of prior years.

Lap 65 - That vibration is still there, but Kenseth shows no signs of coming in to pit. Projected pit stops should begin within the next 5 laps.

Lap 63 - Kenseth is killing it out there, but Patrick is doing her thing and holding on. Team looks pretty stout right now. Gordon though is spitting some water, perhaps because of the debris mentioned earlier. Your top five remain the same.

Don't forget to get in on the conversation. Tweet us at @WIBXnews or chat up on Facebook, just look for the link.

Lap 58 - A long chain is forming with about 15 cars. No one is really doing anything but biding their time. The outside line looks pretty solid right now. Kenseth still leads. Crash took down eight cars, with 6 in the garage.

Lap 55 - We're about 13-15 laps from pit stops, and they're showing the crash for the 76th time. Your top five: Kenseth, Johnson, Patrick, Gordon, Busch. Curretn champ Brad Keselowski is 25th.

Lap 52 - We're seeing a lot of dominance from only a few cars. Kenseth, Johnson and Gordon have all won this race before. Kenseth is still leading, but says he feels a slight vibration. Says it could be a loose lug nut.

Lap 47 - If they show this wreck one more time... On the main screen, the field laps one car and continues pacing along. No one seems to want to get out of line for good reason. Leaving the draft now would send them hurtling back at least ten positions.

Lap 45 - I'll hand it to Danica Patrick. She is hanging on pretty well for her first Daytona 500. Top 10 seems to be running single file with a gap to the next group. Kenseth, Johnson, Patrick are your top 3.

Lap 40 - Kevin Harvick isn't nearly as angry as I though he would be. Meanwhile, on the track, Kenseth has the top spot with Johnson and Patrick following suit.

Lap 38 - Cars still in two nice lines going into turn one. Top line has the edge compared to the bottom right now. Kenseth still on point.

Lap 37 - Green flag drops! Kenseth has the lead with Johnson and Patrick in pursuit.

2:06 p.m. - Crews are still cleaning up the mess. Several cars are in garage right now making repairs to get back out onto the track. Remember, with the new points rubric, finishing poorly hurts a lot more than it used to.

It's tough to say who might be winning this race right now. Any takers on who might move up and take the 2013 Daytona 500? Comment on our Twitter (@WIBXnews) or on our Facebook page.

Lap 33 -  We have a caution! Huge wreck involves Kahne, Stewart, Harvick and a few others. Looks like Stewart won't be taking home the hardware today. It looks like Busch tapped Kahne, starting the wreck.

Lap 31 - Back to racing! Gordon keeps the lead to start, but now he has competiton from fellow teammate, Jimmie Johnson. Inside lane is taking off now with a little boost.

Lap 28 - Everyone hits pit road for fuel. Gordon keeps the lead.

Lap 27 - Debris in turn 3 has led to a caution. Joe Nemechek gets the free pass. The parade bunches up with Gordon maintaining the lead. Gordon pulls a classy move and uses the pace car to get his debris off! Pit road should open this lap.

Lap 21 - Gordon stays in the lead, followed by Patrick, Busch, Kahne and Bowyer. He does have debris on his air intake. Engine temps are climbing. Michael Waltrip and Trevor Bayne have also fallen off the pace after nearly hitting each other.

Lap 15 - David Gilliland has fallen off the pace. If he doesn't maintain safe speeds he will be black flagged. Of course, if something is wrong here, the field will be bunched up with a caution.

Lap 10 - Gordon still on point. Patrick staying on his bumper. This is starting to look a little bit like a high-speed parade. Drivers did say the new Gen-6 cars will change drafting patterns, though.

Lap 5 - All going well so far with Gordon in the lead and Patrick close behind. Three lanes forming mid-pack. Usually not a good sign here.

Lap 2 - Gordon to the lead, outside lane looking strong early on.

Lap 1 - Patrick chooses the outside lane to start and leads the field into turn 1. Gordon to her inside.

1:26 p.m. - The drivers are on the track. Running pace laps before the green flag drops. Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon lead the cars around the track, waiting for the 2013 season to begin.

1:17 p.m. - Danica Patrick is listed at 20:1 to win this race. That might actually be an accurate set of odds. She seems a little too green to be running up front for more than several laps. Of course, people said the same thing about Trevor Bayne in 2011...

1:05 p.m. - Less than a half hour until the green flag drops. What are some of your favorite Daytona 500 memories? Feel free to comment on Twitter (@WIBXnews or @GinoGeruntino) or on our Facebook page!

12:50 p.m. - Wow. If we could choose a winner based on the amount of cheers they get, it'd probably be Tony Stewart winning this race with Jimmie Johnson close behind. The Busch brothers would finish somewhere between J.J. Yeley and David Gilliland.

12:46 p.m. - Driver introductions have begun. Not a whole lot of excitement for anyone in row 14 or further back...

12:40 p.m. - It's been thirteen years since a pole-sitter has won the Daytona 500, and that was when Dale Jarrett did it in 2000. Danica may have the chance to make more history today, but only if can hold off the men for 500 miles.

12:29 p.m. - Welcome to the live blog! Gino Geruntino here walking you through the 2013 Daytona 500. Is there an opportunity for Jeff Gordon to win from the front row, or will Tony Stewart finally break through to win his first? Can Danica hang on and win her first race in the top series? Find out the answers to all that and more today!

Additional NASCAR Coverage:

Major Crash Injures Spectators at Nationwide Series Daytona Race [VIDEO]

Danica Patrick Takes Daytona 500 Pole