What should have been a tune for the Daytona 500 might have cost Hendrick Motorsports the front row for NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl.
Alex Bowman and William Byron would lead the Daytona 500 field to green, but that is in jeopardy after Thursday night’s qualifying races. Bowman had an engine problem in the first 150-mile race, and if his car needs to be changed, he will forfeit Sunday’s pole.
Aric Almirola (10) beats Christopher Bell (20), Ryan Newman (6) and Joey Logano (22) to the finish line to win the first NASCAR Daytona 500 two-fight qualifying car race.
(AP Photo / Chris O’Meara)
Byron was caught in an accident in the second duel and it ruined his Chevrolet. He has to move to a backup car for the 500 and the exchange sends him to the back of the field.
“Bummer,” Byron said. “Man, that thing was fast.”
Aric Almirola won the first race. After a rain delay pushed the second duel to a Friday morning final, Austin Dillon used a cross on Bubba Wallace to beat Wallace to the checkered flag.
Almirola in a Ford will start behind Byron, but will slip to the front row if Byron falls behind. Dillon in a Chevrolet will wait to see if Hendrick changes Bowman’s engine this weekend.
Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala both earned their first place in the Daytona 500 by claiming the two available transfer positions in the duel. Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Garrett Smithley and Noah Gragson could not succeed in penetrating.
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Smithley and Gragson chased each other in the second race when Smithley wanted to turn around Gragson. Brad Keselowski on his outside did not expect Smithley to fill the gap, and the two collided and started a wreck that eliminated both Smithley and Gragson.
Byron was also caught in the crash.
Bowman noticed a problem with his engine and instead of pushing it too far, he drove to Pit Street during the first race to give his No. 48 team a chance to save his pole winner.
“I do not want to keep driving it,” Bowman said.
The team got its car back on track, but must decide whether to make a change of appearance of the engine or the one who can now venture into the car can overtake the Sunday. Winning the 500-pole is coveted, but the actual starting position is very small in a 500-mile race at Daytona.
“I feel like we did it well to understand it and hopefully we are able to diagnose it and make sure everything is fine,” crew chief Greg Ives said of the work ahead.
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Meanwhile, in his debut for the new 23XI Racing team owned by Michael Jordan, Wallace whispered with his first victory in a cup car. He was the frontrunner on the final lap of the second duel until Dillon crossed to Wallace’s inside and was ahead.
Wallace tries to keep it steady, but staggers after slamming doors with Dillon.
“Good debut, but nothing to be really happy about myself,” Wallace said. “It’s OK for drivers to be hard on themselves – that’s how we motivate ourselves. I know I have to learn a lot here.”
Cindric and Grala both climbed into their first Daytona 500 through NASCAR’s peculiar qualification for its biggest race of the year. The race had 48 participants for 40 slots, but all but four are claimed by teams with guaranteed entry.
It scored eight drivers for four places, with two awarded to David Ragan and Ryan Preece in Wednesday’s time trials. The other two places were open to the best “open” cars in each duel – unless Ragan or Preece were the highest finishes.
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Preece overtook Ty Dillon in the final series of the first race, and although Dillon finished sixth out of the 22 cars, the transfer point to Cindric dropped due to his qualifying speed the day before.
“Some days it’s your day, I think,” says Cindric, who gets Dillon on the pit road and shakes his hand towards the end.
Grala’s transfer was similar, as Ragan was second in the second duel and Smithley and Gragson were part of the wreckage Byron collected.
Almirola won his first career at Speedweeks and the Tampa track remarked that it was a good week; The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl and Almirola thinks he has a chance to win NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl.
“This thing was a hot rod. Our race car is so fast,” Almirola said. “We have an amazing race car and I can’t wait for the Daytona 500.”
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The Daytona 500 starts at 14:30 EST on Fox
Here is the preliminary starting line-up for the race:
Alex Bowman No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports
2. William Byron no. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
3.Aric Almirola no. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
4. Austin Dillon no. 3 Richard Childress Racing
5. Christopher Bell no. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
Bubba Wallace No 23 23XI Racing
7. Ryan Newman no. 6 Roush Fenway Racing
Kevin Harvick No.4 Stewart-Haas Racing
9. Joe Logano no. 22 Team Penske
10. Kyle Busch no. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
11. Ryan Preece * No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing *
12. Jaag Elliott No.9 Hendrick Motorsports
13. Kyle Larson no. 5 Hendrick Motorsports
14. Ryan Blaney no. 12-span Penske
15. Daniel Suarez no. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team
16. Corey LaJoie no. 7 Spire Motorsports
17. Michael McDowell No. 34 Front Row Motorsports
18. David Ragan * No. 36 Front Row Motorsports *
19. Jamie McMurray no. 77 Spire Motorsports
20. Kurt Busch number 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. no. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
22. Chris Buescher no. 17 Roush Fenway Racing
23. Matt DiBenedetto no. 21 Wood Brothers Racing
24. Brad Keselowski no. 2-span Penske
25. Denny Hamlin no. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
26. Martin Truex Jr. no. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
27. Cole Custer no. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
28. Joe Gase no. 53 Rick Ware Racing
29. Tyler Reddick no. 8 Richard Childress Racing
30. Chase Briscoe no. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
31. Erik Jones no. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
32. Derrike Cope no. Rick Ware Racing
33. Quin Houff no. 00 StarCom Racing
34. Ross Chastain No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
35. Cody Ware no. 51 Rick Ware Racing
36. Anthony Alfredo No. 38 Front Row Motorsports
37. Josh Bilicki no. 52 Rick Ware Racing
38. BJ McLeod No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports
39. Austin Cindric * No 33 Team Penske
40.Kaz Grala * nr. 16 Kaulig Racing