Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on the hunt on the final lap of Saturday night’s race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, but was caught up in a wreck in the tri-oval as the field came to the checkered flag.
Earnhardt and his No. 88 National Guard Heritage Chevrolet crossed the finish line 19th.
Earnhardt lined up in the sixth position for the summer classic at Daytona with his drafting partner and teammate Jimmie Johnson starting right behind the No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt and Johnson, using the two-car draft, raced inside the top 10 during the opening laps of the 400-mile event.
During the long green-flag run in the middle of the race, Earnhardt and his drafting partner opted to hang back a safe distance from the lead pack to avoid any unnecessary cautions.
Earnhardt was running 23rd when the evening’s fourth caution flag waved on Lap 159, setting the field up for a green-white-checkered finish. Earnhardt was running 21st when the field went back to green-flag racing on Lap 162.
During the first attempt, a 15-car pileup occurred bringing out the fifth caution.
Earnhardt lined up 11th for the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. After the field took the white flag, Earnhardt was collected in a wreck and was credited with a 19th-place finish.
Despite the finish, Earnhardt remains seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings, and he sits 52 points behind leader Carl Edwards, and 39 points ahead of 11th-place Denny Hamlin.