The historic Daytona 200 delivered high-speed drama and intense battles during Bike Week. With Josh Herrin staying cool under pressure to claim his third straight victory at the legendary track.
Motorsport fans from around the world flock to Daytona, home of the legendary long distance races. Before the Speedway opened in 1959, racers set records on Daytona Beach’s hard-packed sand. Since then, the track has fueled high-speed racing and become the heartbeat of NASCAR.. And, of course, the Daytona 200.
83RD DAYTONA 200
On January 24, 1937, Ed Kretz won the first-ever Daytona 200. This 200-mile race (around 321 km) originally took place on a course that included both the beach and the surrounding roads. While the days of racing on the sand are long gone, the spirit of challenge remains. Today, the Daytona 200 runs on a partially oval track, demanding total focus as riders go full gas at angles few bikes ever reach.
American racer Josh Herrin entered the weekend as the favorite. As the defending champion, the Ducati rider was aiming for his third consecutive Daytona 200 victory. However, it wouldn’t be easy, as he lined up alongside 30 other riders, all hungry for the win.
It proved to be anything but an easy race. From lights out, the field stayed tightly packed, with fierce battles for the lead unfolding early on. At times, it even felt like a battle of nations, with a strong British presence — top BSB and road racers taking the fight to the American field.
The Daytona 200 isn’t a typical sprint race. Beyond the turns being banked at a steep 31 degrees, riders must also make critical pit stops for both fuel and tires. Strategy plays a huge role, and being in the lead isn’t always an advantage. Especially on the straights, leading can actually pull the chasing pack closer — and at times, I saw six riders lined up side-by-side diving into the same apex!
RED FLAGS
As the first round of pitstops were in full swing a rain front hit the track and the red flag came out. No rain tires are available in this race so it was time for waiting for the track to dry. With a red flag early on due to rain, it was going to be tricky for the racers to keep their concentration up.
The restart wasn’t going smooth unfortunately. With the front runners having a good start, more in the back it became tight. Jason Farrell came down going into turn 1 and brought back out the red flag. It was looking scary for a minute as Farell lay down still for a minute. Proper hard crash, but thankfully the medical staff was there straight away. After a few minutes Farell was pushed into the ambulance as he gave the crowd a thumbs up. Later reports suggested he sustained a concussion from the crash.
DOMINANCE
With the track cleared and cleaned up, it was time for the restart. Herrin got in the zone and quickly pulled away from the pack, keeping the pace high throughout the remaining laps and even setting a new race lap record of 1:47.879, just 0.0046 seconds off his qualifying time.
Josh Herrin and his Ducati Panigale V2 dominated after 200 miles of racing. Two red flags and a tricky pit exit couldn’t stop him, and with a gap of over five seconds, he crossed the line to take a historic third consecutive Daytona 200 victory.
Richie Escalante followed in second, just ahead of Tyler Scott in third. Peter Hickman finished as the top Brit, with Brandon Paasch, the former Moriwaki 250 rider, impressing in fifth. Danny Eslick came home sixth, with Mat and Harry Truelove rounding out seventh and eighth. Road racing legend Michael Dunlop secured ninth place, and Joseph LiMandri Jr. completed the top 10.
The Daytona 200 remains one of racing’s great spectacles. I’ve seen the TT at Assen and the North West 200, but this race is something else entirely. Watching riders go bar-to-bar on Daytona’s steep high banks at those speeds is simply insane.
