Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins Daytona 500 after long rain delay: 5 things you need to know

56th Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane with the the Harley J. Earl trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Five things to know about the rain-delayed Daytona 500, NASCAR's signature event that finished under the lights Sunday at Daytona International Speedway:

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HENDRICK DOMINATION: Richard Childress Racing garnered attention last week. Joe Gibbs Racing grabbed headlines this week. Hendrick Motorsports left Daytona International Speedway with the only prize that really mattered.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second Daytona 500 and first in more than a decade Sunday night, overcoming rain and wrecks to end a 55-race drought with a victory under the lights at the famed speedway where his father died in a last-lap crash at the 2001 race.

"It's obviously very significant (when) any Earnhardt wins at Daytona," second-place finisher Denny Hamlin said. "It's a significant day for their family and great for the race team."