Final 50 laps of the Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) – The countdown to the Big Race is finally over and the 61st Daytona 500 is here.

Forty drivers are competing in the “Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, which sold out for the fourth consecutive year.

You can find the latest updates from Daytona Beach here (all times are ET):

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5:35 p.m.:

A fifth caution is out after BJ McLeod spins coming onto pit road after contact from teammate Cody Ware. 

Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Reddick got caught in the wreck. Johnson has heavy damage on the left rear side of his car.

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5:30 p.m.:

There are 50 laps to go in the 2019 Daytona 500.

William Byron is in the lead followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick.

Kyle Busch, who won Stage 1, is currently in eighth place while the winner of Stage 2, Ryan Blaney, is in 10th.

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5:00 p.m.:

Ryan Blaney is the winner of Stage 2 of the Daytona 500.

William Byron came in second, followed by Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Matt DiBenedetto, who has led 49 laps of the race so far, came in sixth. Kyle Busch, the winner of Stage 1, came in 12th.

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4:55 p.m.:

The caution is over with nine laps left to go in Stage 2.

Ryan Blaney is in the lead followed by Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece and William Byron.

Kyle Busch is in sixth and Matt DiBenedetto is in seventh.

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4:45 p.m.:

We have our fourth caution of the race after Casey Mears and Parker Kligerman crash in Turn 1 on Lap 106.

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4:40 p.m.:

We’re halfway through the Daytona 500 and Matt DiBenedetto is holding onto his lead. Kyle Busch is 0.116 seconds behind him.

So far we’ve seen eight lead changes, five different leaders and three cautions.

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4:30 p.m.: 

We’re halfway through Stage 2 of the race and Matt DiBenedetto is in the lead. 

Hot on his tail is Kyle Busch, the winner of Stage 1.

Alex Bowman, William Byron and Erik Jones round out the first five positions.

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4:15 p.m.:

Ten laps into Stage 2 and Joey Logano is in the lead. Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola are right behind him.

Kyle Busch, the winner of Stage 1, is in 11th.

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4:03 p.m.:

Stage 1 of the Daytona 500 is complete and Kyle Busch is the winner.

Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney finished behind him.

Stage 1 saw three different race leaders, five lead changes and three cautions.

Kyle Busch led 28 laps of Stage 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led 16 laps but ended the stage in 12th. Matt DiBenedetto led 15 but dropped to 26th place. William Byron led for three laps.

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3:50 p.m.:

Caution is out after a crash involving Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace on Turn 2.

Kyle Busch is in the lead followed by Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Erik Jones and William Byron.

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3:35 p.m.:

We are 30 laps into the race, halfway through Stage 1.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in the lead with Kevin Harvick behind him. Aric Almirola is in third followed by Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. 

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3:25 p.m.:

Corey LaJoie cuts his right front tire and has significant damage to his fender. 

Caution is out on Lap 20.

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3:20 p.m.:

J.D. Gibbs, the co-founder of Joe Gibbs Racing who died last month, was honored by his team and by Fox Sports during the 11th lap.

Eleven was Gibbs’ favorite number. During the lap, the JGR crew stood on top of the pit road wall and held up a banner honoring him. 

Gibbs died at the age of 49 following a battle with a degenerative neurological disease.

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3:16 p.m.:

We are ten laps into the race and have already seen two lead changes.

Matt DiBenedetto is currently leading the pack, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace and William Byron.

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3:07 p.m.:

The green flag has been waved at Daytona International Speedway and the 61st annual Daytona 500 is officially underway.

This race marks the beginning of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

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2:55 p.m.:

JJ Watt, the grand marshal for today’s race, has given the order for drivers to start their engines.

The Houston Texans defensive end says he prepared for his role by watching videos previous grand marshals kicking off the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave the command last year. The retired driver is behind the wheel of the pace car for this year’s race.

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2:45 p.m.: 

The National Anthem is complete and the drivers are on the track, ready to go.

The 82nd Airborne Division’s “All-American” Chorus performed the anthem. The group is from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The Thunderbirds performed a flyover during the anthem.

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2:30 p.m.:

William Byron is starting from the pole, combining with teammate Alex Bowman. Behind them are six Ford drivers including Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano. Defending champion Austin Dillon starts from the 10th row.

You can find the full lineup here.

Check back for live updates throughout the race.