2018 Daytona 200 Results

| March 17, 2018

2018 Daytona 200 Results – Danny Eslick captured his fourth victory at the 77th running of the Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Saturday, March 17. He did it in dominating fashion on the number-69 TOBC Racing Yamaha R6.

2018 Daytona 200 Results

For Eslick, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, follows this victory with his previous three in 2014, ’15 and ’17. He becomes the third rider to win the Daytona 200 at least four times. Five-time champions Scott Russell (1992, ’94-95, ’97-98) and Miguel Duhamel (1991, ’96, ’99, 2003, ’05) share the all-time record for Daytona 200 victories.

Cory West (Yamaha R6 600) of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, finished second in the 57-lap/200-mile race on the 3.51-mile road course, 26.294 seconds behind Eslick. In an emotion-packed effort, Miami Beach rider Robertino Pietri (Suzuki GSXR 600) rounded out the podium via a last-lap pass of Geoff May (Yamaha R6 600) to match the third-place finish posted by his father Roberto Pietri in 1982.

“We’ve kind of set our name in the books here at Daytona; we’ve done pretty well,” Eslick said. “The biggest thing is the crew here at DIS; this is the only race [of the season] where we do pit stops.”

Eslick, who averaged 95.834 mph, also credited his crew with their preparation of a spare engine forced into use after the team’s first engine failed during Friday’s qualifying.

“Again, it goes back to the team,” Eslick said. “They busted their butt last night. I don’t know what they did but they found a couple horsepower in that thing and it definitely made my life easier.”

2018 Daytona 200 Results

Polesitter Valentin Debise—a native of France now living in Lake Elsinore, California—was leading the race when he crashed entering the course’s International Horseshoe turn on Lap 10. Debise was taken to a local hospital where on Saturday afternoon he was undergoing further evaluation. Debise was seeking to become the second French rider to win the Daytona 200. Patrick Pons (1980) is the race’s only French champion.

Second-fastest qualifier and 2016 race champion Michael Barnes, a veteran rider from Boca Raton, Florida, had a strong run until lap 24, when his Yamaha R6 600 was retired due to mechanical problems. Two years ago, Barnes came out of retirement to become the oldest Daytona 200 champion, at the age of 47. Prior to Saturday, Barnes hinted that this year would be his last appearance in the race.

John Ashmead (Kawasaki ZX6R 636) of Palm City, Florida—the 1989 DAYTONA 200 champion—extended his record for career miles completed in the Daytona 200. Ashmead finished 18th and now totals 4,533 miles.

2018 Daytona 200 Results

Daytona International Raceway

Danytona Beach, Florida

RESULTS: March 17, 2018

Danny Eslick (Yam) 57 laps
Cory West (Yam) 57
Robertino Pietri (Suz) 57
Geoff May, (Yam) 57
Shane Narbonne (Yam) 57
Max Angles, (Yam) 56
Darren James (Yam) 56
Bailey Cox (Kaw) 56
Joseph Giannotto (Yam) 56
Jody Barry (Kaw) 55
Daniel Spaulding (Yam), 55
Joel Lenk, (Yam) 55
Cooper McDonald (Yam) 55
Jeremy Kolewski (Kaw) 54
Krunal Jadhav (Yam) 54
Jason Dai, (Yam) 54
Alexander Guilbeault (Yam) 54
John Ashmead (Kaw) 54
David McPherson (Yam) 54
Anthony Fania (Yam) 54

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