Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] | |||
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Race 1 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
Date | February 14–15, 2021 | ||
Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
Average speed | 144.416 miles per hour (232.415 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
Time | 47.056 | ||
Qualifying race winners | |||
Duel 1 Winner | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
Duel 2 Winner | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | |
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
Laps | 98 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | Fox | ||
Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer | ||
Nielsen Ratings | 4.830 million[12] | ||
Radio in the United States | |||
Radio | MRN | ||
Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace | ||
Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) |
The 2021 Daytona 500, the 63rd running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 14–15, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the first race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. In one of the biggest surprise upsets in Daytona 500 history, Michael McDowell, driving for Front Row Motorsports, won after Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski wrecked battling for the lead on the final lap.[13][14] McDowell was a 100–1 underdog, making his 358th Cup Series start and driving for a team with only two previous Cup Series victories.
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida that is one of six superspeedways, the others being Auto Club Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[15] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[16] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[16] The race will be the return of multiple retired drivers, such as 2010 winner Jamie McMurray[17] and Derrike Cope, the 1990 winner.[18] The race will also be the debut of drivers Anthony Alfredo, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric[19] and Noah Gragson.[20] Although Gragson missed the race due to Crashing in duel 2. The race will also be the debut of many new teams, most notably 23XI Racing.[21]
This is the first Daytona 500 without two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson since 2001.
Bubba Wallace was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 45.057 seconds and a speed of 199.747 mph (321.462 km/h).[22] This was the first practice session for a NASCAR Cup Series race in almost a year, the last one being at the 2020 March Phoenix Race.
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 45.057 | 199.747 |
2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.069 | 199.694 |
3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.070 | 199.689 |
Official first practice results |
Alex Bowman scored the pole for the race with a time of 47.056 and a speed of 191.261 mph (307.805 km/h).[23]Electrical problems for Derrike Cope and multiple inspection failures for Noah Gragson kept them from taking a timed lap.
The Bluegreen Vacations Duels are a pair of NASCAR Cup Series races held in conjunction with the Daytona 500 annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. They consist of two races 60 laps and 150 miles (240 km) in length, which serve as heat races that set the lineup for the Daytona 500. The first race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in odd-numbered positions on pole qualifying day, while the second race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in even-numbered positions. The Duels set the lineup for positions 3–38, while positions 39 and 40 are filled by the two "Open" (teams without a charter) cars that set the fastest times in qualifying, but did not lock in a spot in the Duels.
Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 10 |
2 | 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 9 |
3 | 12 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 60 | 8 |
4 | 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 60 | 7 |
5 | 5 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 6 |
6 | 17 | 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
7 | 8 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 4 |
8 | 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 60 | 3 |
9 | 14 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 2 |
10 | 18 | 77 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 1 |
11 | 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
12 | 9 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 |
13 | 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
14 | 13 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 |
15 | 16 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
16 | 10 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 59 | 0 |
17 | 15 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
18 | 19 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 58 | 0 |
19 | 20 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 57 | 0 |
20 | 1 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 |
21 | 21 | 51 | Cody Ware | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 |
22 | 22 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 14 | 0 |
Official race results |
Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 10 |
2 | 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 63 | 9 |
3 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 63 | 8 |
4 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 63 | 7 |
5 | 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 6 |
6 | 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 63 | 5 |
7 | 17 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 4 |
8 | 6 | 36 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 63 | 3 |
9 | 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 2 |
10 | 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 63 | 1 |
11 | 13 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 63 | 0 |
12 | 14 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 63 | 0 |
13 | 20 | 53 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 63 | 0 |
14 | 10 | 16 | Kaz Grala | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 |
15 | 11 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 61 | 0 |
16 | 18 | 13 | Garrett Smithley (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 61 | 0 |
17 | 21 | 15 | Derrike Cope | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 |
18 | 22 | 62 | Noah Gragson (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 |
19 | 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 |
20 | 12 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 |
21 | 16 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 35 | 0 |
22 | 19 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 35 | 0 |
Official race results |
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fastest in pole qualifying |
2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Second in pole qualifying |
3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Duel 1 Winner |
4 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Duel 2 Winner |
5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Second in Duel 1 |
6 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | Second in Duel 2 |
7 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Third in Duel 1 |
8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Third in Duel 2 |
9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Fourth in Duel 1 |
10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Fourth in Duel 2 |
11 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Fifth in Duel 1 |
12 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fifth in Duel 2 |
13 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Seventh in Duel 1 |
14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Sixth in Duel 2 |
15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | Eighth in Duel 1 |
16 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Seventh in Duel 2 |
17 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Ninth in Duel 1 |
18 | 36 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Eighth in Duel 2 |
19 | 77 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tenth in Duel 1 |
20 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Ninth in Duel 2 |
21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Eleventh in Duel 1 |
22 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Tenth in Duel 2 |
23 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Twelfth in Duel 1 |
24 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | Eleventh in Duel 2 |
25 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Thirteenth in Duel 1 |
26 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Twelfth in Duel 2 |
27 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Fourteenth in Duel 1 |
28 | 53 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | Thirteenth in Duel 2 |
29 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Fifteenth in Duel 1 |
30 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Fifteenth in Duel 2 |
31 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | Seventeenth in Duel 1 |
32 | 15 | Derrike Cope | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | Seventeenth in Duel 2 |
33 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | Eighteenth in Duel 1 |
34 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Twentieth in Duel 2 |
35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 21st in Duel 1 |
36 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 21st in Duel 2 |
37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 22nd in Duel 1 |
38 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 22nd in Duel 2 |
39 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Qualifying speed |
40 | 16 | Kaz Grala | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Qualifying speed |
Did not qualify | |||||
41 | 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | |
42 | 13 | Garrett Smithley (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | |
43 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | |
44 | 62 | Noah Gragson (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | |
Official starting lineup |
Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 45.826 seconds and a speed of 196.395 mph (316.067 km/h).[24]
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 45.826 | 196.395 |
2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.051 | 195.435 |
3 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 46.080 | 195.313 |
Official second practice results |
Final practice session scheduled for Saturday was cancelled due to rain.
Alex Bowman started on pole, as the race was under threat from rain and thunderstorms. Derrike Cope cut a tire and hit the wall on lap 3, ironically during the lap 3 tribute to Dale Earnhardt, who cut a tire allowing Cope to win the 500 thirty-one years earlier, to bring out the first caution while causing damage to Bubba Wallace. On lap 14, "The Big One" struck in turn 3 as Aric Almirola and Bowman got turned into the outside wall collecting 16 cars. Two laps later, the race was red-flagged for 5 hours and 40 minutes due to rain and lightning. The race restarted with Kevin Harvick as the leader. Defending winner Denny Hamlin won stages 1 and 2 as Christopher Bell lost a left-rear tire and spun collecting Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jamie McMurray in stage 2. The final stage remained caution-free as Hamlin, in contention to win the race for the third consecutive time, pitted from the lead on final pit stops but fell back to 13th as the pack got single file with Joey Logano leading. On the last lap, Brad Keselowski attempted to pass Logano on the backstretch but the two collided, creating a fiery crash sending Keselowski into the catchfence and collecting Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain and Cole Custer. Michael McDowell, who was third at the time, dodged the final lap crash to win his first career victory under caution as well as earning Front Row Motorsports' third Cup victory.
Stage OneLaps: 65
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
2 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
5 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 4 |
8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
9 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
10 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
Official stage one results |
Stage TwoLaps: 65
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
3 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 8 |
4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
7 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 |
8 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
Official stage two results |
Stage ThreeLaps: 70
Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 44 |
2 | 12 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 42 |
3 | 4 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 48 |
4 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 42 |
5 | 25 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 52 |
6 | 11 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 40 |
7 | 34 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 32 |
8 | 19 | 77 | Jamie McMurray | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 29 |
9 | 16 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 28 |
10 | 13 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 37 |
11 | 27 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 27 |
12 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 199 | 33 |
13 | 24 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 199 | 25 |
14 | 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 199 | 25 |
15 | 39 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 199 | 0 |
16 | 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 199 | 26 |
17 | 6 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 198 | 32 |
18 | 21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 19 |
19 | 30 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 197 | 18 |
20 | 28 | 53 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 196 | 17 |
21 | 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 16 |
22 | 20 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 15 |
23 | 38 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 195 | 0 |
24 | 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 194 | 13 |
25 | 26 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 12 |
26 | 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 11 |
27 | 29 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 10 |
28 | 40 | 16 | Kaz Grala | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 9 |
29 | 33 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 37 | 8 |
30 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 14 | 7 |
31 | 22 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 14 | 6 |
32 | 36 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 14 | 5 |
33 | 23 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 14 | 4 |
34 | 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 13 | 3 |
35 | 1 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 | 2 |
36 | 15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 13 | 1 |
37 | 18 | 36 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 13 | 1 |
38 | 7 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 13 | 1 |
39 | 31 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 | 1 |
40 | 32 | 15 | Derrike Cope | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 3 | 1 |
Official race results |
Since 2001—with the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2006—the Daytona 500 has been broadcast on Fox in the United States. The booth crew consisted of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, three-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Vince Welch handled pit road for the television side. 1992 and 1998 Daytona 500 winning crew chief Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
Fox Television | ||
---|---|---|
Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer | Jamie Little Regan Smith Vince Welch | Larry McReynolds |
The race was broadcast on radio by the Motor Racing Network—who has covered the Daytona 500 since 1970—and was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The booth crew consisted of Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Longtime turn announcer Dave Moody was the lead turn announcer, calling the race from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley worked the backstretch for the race from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track & Kyle Rickey called the race when the field raced through turns 3 and 4 from the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 4. On pit road, MRN was manned by Steve Post and Kim Coon.
MRN Radio | ||
---|---|---|
Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey | Steve Post Kim Coon |
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