Sunday’s Daytona 500 single-car qualifying set only the front row for the “Great American Race” — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will lead the field when the green flag drops Feb. 16 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with Alex Bowman on the outside.
The qualifying speeds, though, set the lineups for Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the twin 60-lap races that determine the full starting lineup and running order for the 62nd running of the Daytona 500.
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Duel 1 is typically comprised from the odd-numbered drivers on the Daytona 500 qualifying speed chart — first, third, fifth, etc. Duel 2 is then the even-finishing drivers. NASCAR officials, though, ensure there are an even number of Open, non-Charter teams in each duel race.
The results of those two Duel races on Thursday will determine both the final two cars that qualify for the Daytona 500, and where there 40 cars in the field line up on the grid. The winner of Duel 1 will start the Daytona 500 in third place, second place starts fifth, and so on through the inside row. The winner of Duel 2 will start the Daytona 500 in fourth place, second place starts sixth and so on through the outside row.
There are 36 Charter teams whose spots in the Daytona 500 are guaranteed, leaving four remaining positions for Open, non-Charter teams. Justin Haley and Brendan Gaughan claimed two of those spots Sunday, locking themselves into the Daytona 500 field by virtue of being the fastest two Open cars during qualifying.
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Below is the official starting lineup for each Duel race.
* denotes Open, non-Charter team
OFFICIAL DUEL 1 LINEUP
STARTING POSITION |
DRIVER | TEAM |
1. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing |
2. | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports |
3. | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing |
4. | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing |
5. | Christopher Bell | Leavine Family Racing |
6. | Joey Logano | Team Penske |
7. | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing |
8. | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing |
9. | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing |
10. | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing |
11. | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing |
12. | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske |
13. | John Hunter Nemechek | Front Row Motorsports |
14. | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske |
15. | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing |
16. | Justin Haley* | Kaulig Racing* |
17. | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports |
18. | Reed Sorenson* | Premium Motorsports* |
19. | Daniel Suarez* | Gaunt Brothers Racing* |
20. | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing |
21. | Chad Finchum* | MBM Motorsports* |
22. | Joey Gase | Petty Ware Racing |
OFFICIAL DUEL 2 LINEUP
STARTING POSITION |
DRIVER | TEAM |
1. | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports |
2. | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports |
3. | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing |
4. | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports |
5. | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing |
6. | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing |
7. | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing |
8. | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing |
9. | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing |
10. | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing |
11. | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing |
12. | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports |
13. | David Ragan | Rick Ware Racing |
14. | Ross Chastain | Spire Motorsports |
15. | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing |
16. | Brendan Gaughan* | Beard Motorsports* |
17. | Timmy Hill* | MBM Motorsports* |
18. | Corey LaJoie | GO FAS Racing |
19. | J.J. Yeley* | Rick Ware Racing* |
20. | Brennan Poole | Premium Motorsports |
21. | BJ McLeod | Rick Ware Racing |