Josh Herrin has clinched his third career victory at the Daytona International Speedway after producing a commanding performance to win the 2024 Daytona 200 over Richie Escalante.

The American rolled with the punches during the busy early stages but a perfectly-executed first pit-stop was all it took for Herrin to take control of the endurance race on the Warhorse HSBK Ducati Panigale V2 thereafter.

Earning him enough of an advantage to manage back to Richie Escalante, despite the Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki rider's best efforts to reel him over the remaining 40 laps it would be to the Mexican's cost as after running out of fuel on the final lap, dropping him to fifth at the flag.

As such, it was Tyler Scott and Hayden Gillim who'd flash through on their fellow Suzuki rider to complete the podium alongside Herrin, who adds to his 2010 and 2023 wins to become a triple Daytona 200 winner.

British favourite Richard Cooper, meanwhile, made a huge impression on only his second visit to the Florida event as he muscled it out with the leaders during the first stint - repeatedly drafting himself into the lead at times - but after losing a fistful of time during his pit-stop, would go on to crash out unharmed on lap 26 of 57.

There was to be double heartache for PHR Performance too after Peter Hickman, having gradually worked his way up the order to run just outside the top ten, retired just three laps from the chequered flag.

Foreign delegation makes mark but no ruffling the Daytona 200 locals

While you have to go back to 2008 to find the last non-American winner of the Daytona 200, the odds coming into this year's race of an international rider emulating Chaz Davies 16 years ago were certainly higher than usual.

Beyond Cooper and Hickman, who certainly made waves by reaching the Time Attack to secure 8th and 12th on the grid, the likes of Xavi Fores - 2023 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion - Colombian front row starter Stefano Mesa and new Daytona lap record holder Escalante from Mexico loomed large up front against their local MotoAmerica welcoming party.

Indeed, if the high-speeds of Daytona might have daunted the riders during practice runs, the crucial drafting effect within a group certainly would have widened their eyes as the early stages proved typically frantic, but nonetheless clean.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the local contingent would control the pace early on with pole sitter Tyler Scott, Herrin, Bobby Fong and Escalante making the most of their familiarity around one another to establish an experienced front-line.

However, they were also joined by a plucky Cooper, who after getting a strong start from eighth, not only got stuck into the lead peloton, used his feathery weight to his advantage to repeatedly surge past the front group to lead more than once into the first turns.

Though Cooper looked less assured through the more technical sections of the lap - especially once the leaders came up on back markers - his evident advantage in the slipstream kept him within a lead group of six, together with another of the foreign interlopers in Karel Hanika, the Czech rider showing strongly on his Daytona 200 debut.

It was only when the first round of pit-stops began that the race began to take some shape with Herrin - who despite a couple of leery moments kept fighting his way to the front - gained a huge advantage with a slick refuel and tyre change from the Warhorse HSBK Ducati team that left his rivals standing.

Indeed, while Herrin came in at the same time as Vision Wheel M4 Suzuki's Escalante, the Mexican clipped a tyre jack belonging to another team on the way in and missed his marker. On his return to the track he'd ceded ten seconds.

With Fong and Scott choosing different laps to pit, it would transpire to be a mistake when they'd find themselves up to half-a-minute off Herrin and riding solo, giving them less of a chance to make up time.

It was a benefit Herrin - also pushing his own air out front - could take advantage of, the American managing the gap back to Escalante who, despite his best efforts to get the gap down to keep him in sight, couldn't whittle it to anything closer than four seconds shy.

It meant Herrin - even with a second pit-stop - could control the pace from Lap 20 to the flag on Lap 57, even managing his fuel better than his rival, who instead found himself weaving desperately on the final revolution to get some pick-up as victory slipped away and rivals loomed behind him.

It was little concern for Herrin though, who up front eased across the line for back-to-back wins with the Warhorse HSBK Ducati team, a welcome fillip for the ex-Moto2 rider ahead of his MotoAmerica Superbike programme alongside Loris Baz in 2024.

Escalante, meanwhile, lost the fight to protect second, being literally powerless as he coasted towards the line to prevent team-mate Scott powering through to second place, albeit a huge 45secs in arrears of Herrin.

Gillim made it a Suzuki 2-3, the Vesrah Racing rider putting in a sterling effort after losing touch with the front group early on when he ran on at Turn 6 and dropped outside the top ten.

Fong also dealt a blow to Escalante to secure fourth, leaving the new lap record holder - who was helped out of the lead of the race by Herrin 12 months ago - to make do with fifth.

Double heartache for PHR Performance, YART shines, Yaakov 12th

Having run the leaders closely in the first stint, Cooper's race came undone rather quickly when a bungled pit-stop dumped him down to 15th before crashing out altogether at the tricky Turn 6 flip-flop.

Team-mate Hickman, meanwhile, found the going tougher on his Daytona 200 debut after dropping from 12th to 20th initially, but kept plugging on to find himself running just outside the top ten in the closing stages only to park up just three laps from the flag with issues.

As such, the best-placed - and only - British finisher would be Matt Truelove, who secured a solid 14th on his Truelove Brothers Racing Suzuki. His brother Harry Truelove, meanwhile, retired due to pain to his knee.

There would also be disappointment for MotoAmerica Supersport Champion Xavi Fores after he was forced to pull his Attack Performance Yamaha up on lap two, mirroring a similar DNF he suffered on the Ducati last year.

However, Yamaha's fortunes were upheld by a stellar performance from Hanika, who stayed on the lead lap to secure a fine top six finish for Endurance World Champions YART, with team-mate Marvin Fritz in eighth.

Between them in seventh was two-time Daytona 200 winner Brandon Paasch, who was lucky to both finish and not be set alight after first almost running out of fuel at the end of his first stint before then being completely doused in it when the stopper in the refuelled failed and spilled over him and the bike.

Other notable results included a 12th place result for teenage sensation Kayla Yaakov, who not only lapped strongly throughout her first visit to Daytona 200, but the 16-year old finished ahead of more experienced team-mates Corey Alexander and PJ Jacobsen too.

🇺🇲 🏁 2024 Daytona 200 | RACE Results

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