Regarding Keselowski, Johnson, Pastrana at Daytona – Motorsports Tribune

Brad Keselowski was released from the infield care center at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday night and proceeded to walk directly to his waiting golf cart and set sail into the distance.

The disappointment was palpable.

Keselowski led six times for a race high 42 laps in the Daytona 500. It is the only remaining omission from his NASCAR Cup Series resume. The No. 6 he co-owns at RFK Racing was the dominant force of the afternoon.

It was quickest in final practice on Saturday and Keselowski backed it up throughout the race. The 2012 champion could literally drive his car through the field like no one else. When linked up with teammate Chris Buescher, the pair of Ford Mustangs were untouchable up front, at least until five laps to go.

That’s when the Richard Childress Racing duo of Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon drafted past them.

But a caution right before the white flag eventually saw to it that none of the above would win the race. In fact, Keselowski, Busch and Dillon were all eliminated in subsequent crashes. Buescher finished fourth with less disappointment than his boss, but disappointment nevertheless.

At 39 years old, there’s more road behind Keselowski than ahead of him, which surely contributes to the mood of the evening.

JIMMIE JOHNSON MIXES IT UP

For a moment, it looked like a classic Jimmie Johnson race, one where he methodically works his way through the field and is ready to strike when the figurative pay window opens.

Remember his seventh and final Cup Series championship race? Kind of like that.

Approaching the final 10 laps, Johnson was just outside the top-10 and was pushing towards a top-5 approaching five laps to go, before getting shuffled again outside of the top-10. He was 12th on the penultimate restart when William Byron and Austin Dillon collided in front of him, leaving him nowhere to go.