On a restart with only three laps left out of 120, Hill surged past Jordan Anderson and maintained his lead despite Chandler Smith’s close pursuit, winning Monday night’s rain-delayed race. The event was marked by numerous multi-car wrecks.
Hill’s victory at Daytona, his third consecutive win at the track, was hard-earned. Despite early involvement in an accident and facing multiple issues on pit road, including a speeding penalty, he emerged triumphant.
This win marks the seventh of Hill’s career and secures his spot in the 2024 series playoffs after just one race into the season.
“This tops it all. I mean, a three-peat? You know how hard it is to win at Daytona? God, Almighty,” exclaimed Hill. “I don’t know what was going on with me on pit road today, but my guys just kept telling me I was good at these superspeedways. I kept trying to screw it up on pit road, still.”
Expressing gratitude to the dedicated fans who endured the rain delay, Hill added, “Thank you to all these fans that stuck it out. I don’t even know what time it is. I just know it’s past my bedtime but we’re about to party tonight, I can tell you that.”
Behind Hill, Anderson claimed third place, followed by Parker Retzlaff in fourth and Chandler Smith in fifth. The top 10 was completed by Riley Herbst, John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, and A.J. Allmendinger.
In Stage 1, pole-winner Jesse Love secured the win after holding off Hill in a one-lap dash. Parker Kligerman finished third, with Anthony Alfredo and Jeb Burton rounding out the top five.
However, a four-car wreck during this stage led to the early exit of several drivers, including Daniel Suarez, Sam Mayer, Hailie Deegan, and Kyle Weatherman.
Stage 2 saw Hill pass Sheldon Creed on the final lap to claim victory, with Sammy Smith closely behind in second. Creed finished third, followed by Cole Custer and Ryan Sieg. However, tension escalated during lap 37, resulting in an 11-car accident that involved contenders such as Shane van Gisbergen and Kligerman.
As the race progressed into Stage 3, Hill maintained his lead after a round of green flag pit stops, which started with 44 laps remaining. However, incidents continued to unfold, with Burton spinning off Turn 4 after contact with van Gisbergen, prompting the seventh caution of the race.
Amidst the chaos, Anderson emerged as the leader and maintained his position through the final restart with three laps to go, ultimately securing a podium finish behind Hill and Chandler Smith.
