The field is officially set for the 75th running of the Daytona 500. Forty-two cars took part in the two races that make up the Duel at Daytona Thursday night to lock in their starting positions for the Great American Race, while two of the cars failed to make the race. In the end, reigning Monster Energy Cup Series Champion, Joey Logano, and Aric Almirola won the Duel at Daytona.
DUEL AT DAYTONA 1
While the Chevrolets may have dominated qualifying, the first Duel belonged to the Fords. During pit stops, the Chevys pitted together first and wound up losing ground on the track to the Fords and Toyotas. When the other manufacturers pitted, the Chevys couldn’t make up the difference. In the end, Joey Logano, in his number 22 Ford, held off Christopher Bell, in his number 20 Toyota to win the first Duel.
Here’s a look at the finishing order:
- Joey Logano
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Blaney
- Chris Buescher
- Michael McDowell
- Kevin Harvick
- Bubba Wallace
- Zane Smith
- Harrison Burton
- William Byron
- Ross Chastain
- Erik Jones
- Austin Dillon
- Jimmie Johnson
- AJ Allmendinger
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr
- Alex Bowman
- Chandler Smith
- Ty Gibbs
- Cody Ware
- Ty Dillon
Former truck series champion Zane Smith, who finished eighth, raced his way into the Daytona 500. Chandler Smith, who finished 18th, will not make the Daytona 500. The 60-lap Duel went green to checker without a caution.
DUEL AT DAYTONA RACE 2
The second Duel was much wilder than the first. Daniel Suarez turned leader Kyle Busch in front of the field. Riley Herbst, Travis Pastrana and Austin Hill were caught up in the crash and that had a big impact on who made the Great American Race. Then, in the final laps, as cars were jockeying for position, Todd Gilliland got loose. He managed to save the car, but it led to Aric Almirola finding his way to the front and winning the second Duel.
Here’s a look at the finishing order:
- Aric Almirola
- Austin Cindric
- Chase Elliott
- Brad Keselowski
- Corey Lajoie
- Kyle Larson
- Todd Gilliland
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Denny Hamlin
- Ryan Preece
- Noah Gragson
- Daniel Suarez
- Tyler Reddick
- Justin Haley
- Chase Briscoe
- BJ McLeod
- Conor Daly
- Austin Hill
- Kyle Busch
- Riley Herbst
- Travis Pastrana
Austin Hill was in position to race his way into the Daytona 500 until he was collected in that wreck. He was unable to finish meaning Conor Daly, who was a lap down at the time, became the last driver to race his way into the Great American Race.
Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson will be on the front row for Sunday’s running of the Daytona 500. Logano and Almirola have secured their spots on row two. Daytona is a wildcard by nature, and it will be interesting to see who comes away with the win on Sunday.
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