Mark Martin ran third, Polesitter Danica Patrick came home eighth

Jimmie Johnson sped away from the field after a restart with six laps left in Sunday’s Daytona 500 and held off a charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the 55th running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway.






























Carl Edwards has snapped a 70-race losing streak with a win at Phoenix International Raceway.But the attention Sunday was on the three-driver championship race, and a dominating performance by Denny Hamlin that was derailed by poor fuel mileage in his Toyota. 
Denny Hamlin’s wish came true — what’s left is for the second-place driver in the Chase to maximize his advantage in Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin, who has won the past two races at Martinsville, claimed his second career pole at the .526-mile short track during Friday’s qualifying session. The pole is Hamlin’s second of the season and the ninth of his career.