| Official Race Results | |||||||||
| Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | |||||||||
| February 21, 2016 | Race 1 of 36 | |||||||||
| Average Speed: 157.5 MPH | |||||||||
| Margin of Victory: .011 | Time of Race: 3 Hrs., 10 Mins., 25 Secs. | ||||||||
| Lead Changes: 15 among 20 drivers | |||||||||
| Cautions: 6 for 31 laps | |||||||||
| FIN | St | # | Driver | Make | Sponsor | Pts | Laps | Status | Winnings |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Express | 45/5 | 200 | Running | |
| 2 | 28 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats | 40/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 3 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | M&M's 75 | 39/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 4 | 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Jimmy John's | 37/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 5 | 10 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | ARRIS | 36/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 6 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | 35/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 7 | 14 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | Target | 34/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 8 | 27 | 7 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | Golden Corral/Nikko | 33/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 9 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | DOW | 33/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 10 | 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | Haas Automation/Monster Energy | 31/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 11 | 38 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | CAT | 31/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 12 | 34 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Smithfield | 29/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 13 | 13 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance | 28/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 14 | 2 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | Dollar General | 28/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 15 | 39 | 59 | Michael McDowell | Chevrolet | Thrivent Financial | 26/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 16 | 26 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 26/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 17 | 6 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | McDonald's/Cessna | 24/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 18 | 37 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | Peak Antifreeze/Menards | 23/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 19 | 7 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire &… | 22/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 20 | 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | Miller Lite | 22/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 21 | 30 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Chevrolet | Kroger/Scott Products | 20/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 22 | 19 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | Fastenal | 19/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 23 | 24 | 38 | Landon Cassill | Ford | Florida Lottery | 18/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 24 | 35 | 44 | Brian Scott | Ford | Albertsons Co./Shore Lodge | 18/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 25 | 12 | 95 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | Cheerios | 0/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 26 | 18 | 14 | Brian Vickers | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 | 15/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 27 | 22 | 46 | Michael Annett | Chevrolet | Pilot/Flying J | 15/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 28 | 23 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | AdvoCare | 13/0 | 200 | Running | |
| 29 | 29 | 23 | David Ragan | Toyota | Dr Pepper | 13/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 30 | 36 | 83 | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | Maxwell House | 12/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 31 | 33 | 32 | Bobby Labonte | Ford | C&J Energy Services | 11/1 | 200 | Running | |
| 32 | 32 | 13 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | GEICO | 9/0 | 199 | Running | |
| 33 | 31 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | 5-hour Energy | 8/0 | 199 | Running | |
| 34 | 15 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | KFC Nashville Hot | 7/0 | 198 | Running | |
| 35 | 16 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | Nature's Bakery | 6/0 | 184 | Accident | |
| 36 | 3 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | Nationwide | 6/1 | 169 | Accident | |
| 37 | 1 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts | 5/1 | 160 | Running | |
| 38 | 40 | 26 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Toyota | Stalk It | 3/0 | 135 | Engine | |
| 39 | 17 | 34 | Chris Buescher | Ford | Love's Travel Stops | 2/0 | 91 | Accident | |
| 40 | 20 | 93 | Matt DiBenedetto | Toyota | Dustless Blasting | 1/0 | 91 | Accident | |