Logano and Almirola Win Daytona Qualifying Races - Field is set for the Daytona 500

NASCAR.com

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – RIS -Daytona has qualifying races.  It’s pretty much been that way forever.  It’s part of the magic of Speedweeks at the 2.5-miletrack.  This year was no different.  The race was dominated by the Fords of Team Penske, although the finish was very exciting. Joey Logano led a four-Ford breakout and held off the Toyota of Christopher Bell to win the Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 1 at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday night.

Running fifth behind four Fords, Bell made a move at the east end of the 2.5-mile superspeedway on the last lap and maneuvered outside of Logano’s No. 22 Ford. With the help of teammate Ryan Blaney, Logano edged his Team Penske car to the checkered flag for his third career qualifying win.

“The execution of this race is everything,” said Logano, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion who led the last 29 laps of his Duel. “You know most likely there won’t be a caution, so you have to do a good job on pit road. I was sitting there as the leader and was like, ‘I’m a sitting duck, this is not where you want to be.’ … I was hoping they’d start racing back there, which they did. It ended up working out for me.” 

Ryan Blaney led the first 15 of 16 laps.  When the Chevrolets pitted early, it left the blue oval cars way ahead.  When they pitted late it shoo up the field, but this time it was Logano to the front, a place he stayed until a run by Christopher Bell on the last lap.  Pole-sitter Alex Bowman, who quailed fastest on Wednesday , stayed out of the fray most of the race since he was guaranteed his first starting position unless he had trouble.  He certainly didn’t want trouble. Blaney led a race-high 30 laps in the caution-free qualifier and finished third behind Logano and Bell. Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five. The finishers set the inside row for the Daytona 500.

Zane Smith, one of the open, non-charter drivers and 2022 Craftsman truck champion, raced his way into the field for the Daytona 500.

“Once we got to 10 (laps) to go, I was like, ‘Please, no cautions,'” said Smith.

Winning the second Dual was Aric Almirola.  Just like the first race, it was a close finish.  Almirola beat Austin Cindric to the line in the second race after Todd Gillliand's near-spin at the front of the field with a push from Kyle Larson shuffled the pack on the final lap. Gilliland got loose from a Kyle Larson push in Turns 1 and 2 while he was racing side-by-side for the lead with Almirola.

The second Duel had more cautions. The first came for a window that flew out of Justin Haley’s car and the second happened when race leader Kyle Busch went crashing into the backstretch wall off the bumper of Daniel Suarez. That crash collected both Austin Hill and Travis Pastrana and allowed Conor Daly to make the Daytona 500 despite being a lap down at the time of the crash.

Almirola’s win completes a Ford sweep in Victory Lane after Joey Logano dominated Duel 1. Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five finishers.

Perhaps the biggest moment of the race came on Lap 40 when Daniel Suárez got into the back of race leader Kyle Busch, sending his No. 8 Chevrolet spinning into the outside wall. A handful of cars were collected in the incident, including open-car hopeful Austin Hill who was vying for a race bid and needed a solid finish. Busch was visibly upset but was released from the Infield Care Center without further issue. Suárez finished 12th.

Daly’s car had an apparent mechanical issue at the beginning of the race and was slow the entire race. But since Hill and Pastrana were unable to continue after the crash, Daly secured the final Daytona 500 starting spot.

Pastrana qualified for the 500 on Wednesday night as he was the second-fastest of the six non-charter cars in front row qualifying. Jimmie Johnson was the fastest, so he and Pastrana will start 39th and 40th on Sunday. Hill and Chandler Smith failed to make the race.

Starting Lineup, Daytona 500
Position, Driver, Car No., How Spot is Determined
1) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, Fastest in qualifying
2) Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, Second fastest in qualifying
3) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, Duel No. 1 winner
4) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, Duel No. 2 winner
5) Christopher Bell, No. 20 DeWalt/Rheem Toyota, Duel No. 1 second place
6) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford, Duel No. 2 second place
7) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Blue DEF/PEAK Ford, Duel No. 1 third place
8) Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, Duel No. 2 third place
9) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, Duel No. 1 fourth place
10) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Nexlizet Ford, Duel No. 2 fourth place
11) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, Duel No. 1 fifth place
12) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Celsius Chevrolet, Duel No. 2 fifth place
13) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Light Ford, Duel No. 1 sixth place
14) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Skills Ford, Duel No. 2 sixth place
15) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, Duel No. 1 seventh place
16) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, Duel No. 2 seventh place
17) Zane Smith*, No. 36 Wellcare Ford *, Highest finishing Open car in Duel No. 1; Duel No. 1 eighth place
18) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx 50 Toyota, Duel No. 2 eighth place
19) Harrison Burton, No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Ford, Duel No. 1 ninth place
20) Ryan Preece, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford, Duel No. 2 ninth place
21) William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 10th place
22) Noah Gragson, No. 42 Wendy's Chevrolet, Duel. No. 2 10th place
23) Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 11th place
24) Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, Duel No. 2 11th place
25) Erik Jones, No. 43 GUNS N' ROSES Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 12th place
26) Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, Duel No. 2 12th place
27) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 13th place
28) Justin Haley, No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet, Duel No. 2 13th place
29) Jimmie Johnson*, No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet *, Fastest Open car in qualifying; Duel No. 1 14th place
30) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, Duel No. 2 14th place
31) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 15th place
32) BJ McLeod, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, Duel No. 2 15th place
33) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 16th place
34) Conor Daly*, No. 50 BitNile.com Chevrolet *, Highest-finishing Open Car in Duel No. 2; Duel No. 2 16th place
35) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Monster Energy/Interstate Batteries Toyota, Duel No. 1 17th place
36) Kyle Busch, No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet, Duel No. 2 17th place
37) Cody Ware, No. 51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, Duel No. 1 18th place
38) Riley Herbst, No. 15 SunnyD Ford, Duel No. 2 18th place
39) Ty Dillon, No. 77 Ferris Chevrolet, Duel No. 1 19th place
40) Travis Pastrana*, No. 67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota *, Second-fastest Open car in qualifying

Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 at DAYTONA - February 16, 2023, Daytona International Speedway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps , Pts, Status, Tms Led, Laps Led
1) 3, Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 60, 10, Running, 1, 29
2) 11, Christopher Bell, No. 20 DeWalt/Rheem Toyota, 60, 9, Running, , 
3) 4, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Blue DEF/PEAK Ford, 60, 8, Running, 2, 30
4) 7, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 60, 7, Running, , 
5) 13, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 60, 6, Running, , 
6) 9, Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Light Ford, 60, 5, Running, , 
7) 6, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, 60, 4, Running, , 
8) 15, * Zane Smith(i), No. 36 Wellcare Ford, 60, 3, Running, , 
9) 5, Harrison Burton, No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Ford, 60, 2, Running, , 
10) 2, William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 60, 1, Running, , 
11) 8, Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, 1, 1
12) 14, Erik Jones, No. 43 GUNS N' ROSES Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
13) 17, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
14) 12, * Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
15) 16, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
16) 18, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet, 59, 0, Running, , 
17) 1, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 59, 0, Running, , 
18) 21, * Chandler Smith(i), No. 13 Quick Tie Inc. Chevrolet, 59, 0, Running, , 
19) 10, Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy/Interstate Batteries Toyota, 59, 0, Running, , 
20) 19, Cody Ware, No. 51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, 59, 0, Running, , 
21) 20, Ty Dillon, No. 77 Ferris Chevrolet, 59, 0, Running, ,

Race Length: 60 Laps, 150. Miles
Time of Race: 0 Hrs, 47 Mins, 58 Secs.
Average Speed: 187.63 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.018 Seconds

Comments: Joey Logano has won the Bluegreen Vacations Duel #1 at Daytona International Speedway, his third career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying race. Prior to the start of the race, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reason indicated: No. 13 (unapproved adjustments).

No cautions

Lead Changes: 4 among 3 drivers:
A. Bowman 0:
R. Blaney 1-5:
R. Chastain 6:
R. Blaney 7-31:
J. Logano 32-60.

Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 at DAYTONA, February 16, 2023 - Daytona International Speedway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps , Pts, Status, Tms Led, Laps Led
1) 2, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 60, 10, Running, 5, 17
2) 4, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford, 60, 9, Running, 1, 3
3) 7, Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 60, 8, Running, , 
4) 9, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Nexlizet Ford, 60, 7, Running, , 
5) 20, Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Celsius Chevrolet, 60, 6, Running, , 
6) 1, Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 60, 5, Running, 6, 9
7) 17, Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Skills Ford, 60, 4, Running, 1, 1
8) 11, Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 60, 3, Running, , 
9) 13, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx 50 Toyota, 60, 2, Running, , 
10) 8, Ryan Preece, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford, 60, 1, Running, , 
11) 14, Noah Gragson #, No. 42 Wendy's Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
12) 6, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, 1, 2
13) 10, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 60, 0, Running, , 
14) 15, Justin Haley, No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
15) 3, Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 60, 0, Running, , 
16) 18, BJ McLeod, No. 78 Power Slap Rumble Chevrolet, 60, 0, Running, , 
17) 21, * Conor Daly(i), No. 50 BitNile.com Chevrolet, 59, 0, Running, , 
18) 16, * Austin Hill(i), No. 62 Bennett Transportation/Beard Chevrolet, 41, 0, Accident, , 
19) 5, Kyle Busch, No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet, 40, 0, Accident, 2, 28
20) 19, Riley Herbst(i), No. 15 SunnyD Ford, 40, 0, Accident, , 
21) 12, * Travis Pastrana, No. 67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota, 40, 0, Accident, ,

Race Length: 60 Laps - 150. Miles
Time of Race: 0 Hrs, 59 Mins, 17 Secs.
Average Speed: 151.813 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.122 Seconds

Comments: Aric Almirola has won the Bluegreen Vacation Duel #2 at Daytona International Speedway, his second career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying race.

Prior to the start, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty: No. 78 (unapproved adjustments).

Failed to Qualify: None.

Cautions: 2 for 9 laps;
Laps: 7-10 (Debris Backstretch [None]);
42-46 (No. 8, 99, 67, 62, 15, 31 Incident Backstretch [78]).

Lead Changes: 15 among 6 drivers;
K. Larson 1;
A. Almirola 2-4;
K. Larson 5;
A. Almirola 6-10;
K. Larson 11;
K. Busch 12-13;
K. Larson 14;
K. Busch 15-40;
D. Suarez 41-42;
K. Larson 43-45;
A. Almirola 46;
K. Larson 47-48;
A. Almirola 49-54;
A. Cindric 55-57;
T. Gilliland 58;
A. Almirola 59-60.