The final pieces in the Daytona 500 starting grid puzzle were put into place Thursday evening with the running of two Gander RV Duel races at Daytona International Speedway. Kevin Harvick won the first 60-lap/150-mile race and reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano the second to claim second-row Daytona 500 starting spots – the third and fourth positions on the grid – behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates and front-row Daytona 500 starters, pole sitter William Byron and Alex Bowman.
Ford driver swept the top-three of the finishing orders in both Duel races to give the new Mustang the next six Daytona 500 starting spots behind the all-Chevrolet front row. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Paul Menard were second and third to Harvick in Duel 1 to to glaim Daytona 500 starting positions fifth and seventh, while Harvick's Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola were second and third in the second Duel for Daytona 500 starting-grid spots sixth and eighth.
Meanwhile, Parker Kligerman and Brendan Gaughan led among drivers on open, or non-chartered, teams in their respective Duels to garner Daytona 500 starting spots, while Ryan Truex and Joey Gase wound up the two drivers who saw their Daytona Speedweeks draw to a close with Thursday night's Duel races.
“I always come off as a class clown, but I haven’t been that nervous in a long time getting behind the wheel of a race car,” Gaughan said. “The Beard family put so much into this and we come here to run very well; not run like that. You’ve got to have discretion of valor you’ve got to make do with what you have to make do with. I had to change strategies on the fly. Darren Shaw, my crew chief, and Ron Lewis, my spotter did a great job.”
The other two "open" drivers, Tyler Reddick and Casey Mears, were able to fall back on their lap times in the Daytona 500 front-row qualifying session Feb. 10 to claim the final two starting positions, 39th and 40th, for the Daytona 500.
The yellow flage waved only once Thursday night in the total 120 laps of the two Duel races, waving on lap 25 of the first Duel when Jimmie Johnson made contact with Kyle Busch that sent Busch into a spin. Busch managed to avoid hitting the outside retaining wall and the infield grass.
“I just kind of misjudged that situation,” Johnson said after the race.
Byron led the opening laps of the first Duel until pit stops around lap 12. After stops were completed, Harvick was up front. He led the rest of the way with Stenhouse and Menard behind him in second and third.
“They [pit crew[ did a good job on pit road and got on and off pit road, and then, we had a couple Ford Mustangs behind us, as well. Ricky and Paul worked with us, and we were able to keep the track position, and our cars were fast enough together to keep everyone else back there.”
Bowman led early in the second Duel, but like his teammate Byron before him, was shuffled back by green-flag pit stops around lap 12. Three drivers, led by Gaughan, stayed out a few extra laps to run up front in the second Duel before pitting on lap 22 and handing the lead over to Bowyer.
Bowyer, then, led until the final lap of the final Duel until he was passed for the win on the last lap by Logano.
Results: Duel 1 results | Duel 2 results | Daytona 500 starting grid
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