Watch: Chase Elliott wins first stage at Daytona 500

Elliott also gained 10 points in the standings, and teammate Kyle Larson received nine points by finishing the stage in second.

Larsson quickly challenged for the top spot, but Ross Chastain gave Elliott a slight assist to get him over the edge.

The Hendrick Motorsports team dominated early, with Alex Bowman (No. 4) and William Byron (No. 5) beginning the race in the top five.

Chevrolet drivers, in general, fared well out of the gate, with Trackhouse Racing's Chastain (No. 3) and Daniel Suarez (No. 10) landing in the top 10 alongside Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch (No. 6).

Toyota's Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing), Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) rounded out the top 10, shutting Ford out of the top 10 in Stage 1. 

That's a massive departure from last year when Ford held the top five spots, including seven of the top 10, after the first stage.

The Daytona 500, NASCAR's signature race, was initially scheduled for Sunday, but rain pushed the event back to Monday.

Last year, Elliott finished 38th, earning one point.