2021 O'Reilly Auto Parts 253
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | February 21, 2021 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 3.570 miles (5.745 km) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 252.7 mi (406.7 km) | ||
| Average speed | 84.452 miles per hour (135.912 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 45 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 4.750 million | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn announcers |
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The 2021 O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 21, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Added as a replacement for the cancelled Auto Club 400 because of California restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 race was scheduled for 70 laps on the 3.61-mile (5.81 km) road course, it was the second race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was lengthened from the 2020 schedule, where it was run at 65 laps of the course for 235 miles. It was classified as a 400-kilometer (250 mi) race in 2021, similar to the Charlotte and Road America road course races.
At 84.452 miles per hour (135.912 km/h), it was the slowest Daytona race in NASCAR Cup Series history, although it was run on the road course, Christopher Bell scored his inaugural Cup Series win.