The 2021 NASCAR Season Begins | Kyle Busch Claims First Win

Feb 16, 2021

Racecars lined up at the 2020 Daytona 500

The 2021 NASCAR season began on Tuesday, February 9, with Kyle Busch claiming his first win of the season at Daytona International Speedway in the Busch Clash of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Only four races in, the season has already been filled with dramatic upsets and nail-biting finishes, particularly at the rain-soaked Daytona 500 on February 14. Driver Michael McDowell, who drives the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory following a multi-car pileup in the final lap—his best finish to date since a fourth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in 2017.

McDowell joins a short list of drivers whose first victory in the Cup Series has been at the Daytona 500, including Pete Hamilton and Mario Andretti.

First-time NASCAR Cup Series winners in the Daytona 500

Michael McDowell celebrating his 2021 Daytona 500 win

The No. 34 Ford at last year's Daytona 500

K&N’s History in NASCAR®

K&N continues to be the Official Performance Filter of NASCAR®, and has a history in the sport that can be traced back to the 1970s when the company began providing filters to NASCAR Cup Series™ teams at California’s old Riverside Speedway. K&N previously served as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, and has helped crown notable champions such as William Byron (2016) and Kyle Larson (2012) during its time as a series entitlement sponsor in grassroots NASCAR.

The season continues on Sunday, February 21 with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at Daytona.

VIEW THE FULL SCHEDULE AT NASCAR.COM

SUNDAY, FEB. 21

3:00 PM ET