How did the rookies fare in the 2023 Daytona 500?

Entering Sunday evening's Daytona 500, the excitement could be felt industry-wide as NASCAR has officially returned.

Jimmie Johnson, arguably the best driver of all time, is suiting up for one last ride. Kevin Harvick, another living legend, is retiring at season's end and was ready to lay it all on the line. Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. were both finally looking to snap their winless streaks at NASCAR's biggest event.

Then there are the rookies. In this year's 500, a whopping six rookies entered the event, with only one of them (Noah Gragson) having previously competed in the biggest race of the year. 

How did the rookies fare?

Starting with Zane Smith, who won Friday night's Truck Series race and was the 2022 Truck Series champion. The 23-year-old ran the No. 36 car for Front Row Motorsports and finished a respectable 17th after (mostly) steering clear of any wrecks.

Noah Gragson, 24, had done nothing but win in both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series before moving up to the Cup Series full-time in 2023. Gragson has appeared in the Daytona 500 before (finished 31st in 2021) but is technically a rookie as he is doing the full schedule this year. He was caught up in a "Big One" and finished 24th after starting 22nd.

Conor Daly, a longtime Indy Car driver, made his Cup Series debut at 31 years old on Sunday. He drove for The Money Team, owned by Floyd Mayweather Jr. His day did not go according to plan as he had trouble staying on pace with the field and finished 29th, six laps down.

Ty Gibbs, the 2022 Xfinity Series champion, is only 20 years old but already has some Cup Series races under his belt thanks to Kurt Busch missing the second half of last year's regular season. Gibbs is entering 2023 with sky-high expectations but he was involved in the same wreck as Gragson and limped home 25th.

Then there's Travis Pastrana, one of the most accomplished racers in history. He has competed at every level of seemingly all auto racing you can find. The Daytona 500 was his Cup Series debut and he surprisingly finished 14th in the event. He crashed on the last lap and was ultimately responsible for the race ending under caution.

The top-finishing rookie of this year's Daytona 500 is 23-year-old Riley Herbst. Herbst was driving for the low-budget Rick Ware Racing and surprised many by sneaking into the top 10 at the end of the race and secured a 10th-place finish in his Cup Series debut.