DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With Thursday night’s qualifying races complete, the field is officially set for the 2024 DAYTONA 500.
Despite no Hendrick Motorsports entry earning a spot on the front row during single-car qualifying, all four teams entered the Duel at Daytona races in search of solid starting positions and a better understanding of how their cars worked in the draft.
RELATED: Larson leads Hendrick Motorsports Daytona qualifying
The first of the two qualifying races opened with three entries from Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott each made the final round of qualifying, earning the second and third starting positions respectively. Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Racing entry took the green flag in the ninth position.
All three Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the opening duel spent time inside the top 10. Larson was one of the only drivers able to keep his car at the front of the pack consistently while other competitors around him shuffled positions during the race. As the laps clicked away, the three teammates executed a successful pit strategy that allowed their drafting group to overtake the race leaders when the field cycled through. However, a late-race caution set up a dramatic run to the finish.
RELATED: Hendrick Motorsports celebrating 40th anniversary in 2024
Coming to the white flag, it was Larson leading the charge. Headed into turn three, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com entry lost the lead to Tyler Reddick. He would drop further down the order after an attempted push from Bowman did not line up with Larson's bumper, moving his car to the third lane with no drafting help.
"I felt really good about my car," Larson said. "I got sideways in the corner and thankfully was able to save it. Just bummed that I wasn’t able to finish up front. I think we learned a lot. Honestly, every move we made was good, it just didn’t work out again."
On the bottom lane was Elliott who nearly got around Reddick coming to the checkered flag with Bowman in hot pursuit of both drivers. Elliott placed second in the duel followed by Bowman in third and Larson in ninth, although he led a race-high 20 laps.
"I thought we had a good night of execution to put ourselves in a good position there," Elliott said. "We came up a little bit short, but I thought overall, it was a solid effort. We kept the car in one piece, which is a big deal for Sunday."
RELATED: Everything you need to know for the 2024 DAYTONA 500
The second 150-mile qualifying race saw William Byron as the lone driver from Rick Hendrick’s team take the green flag. After beginning in the third position, the driver of the No. 24 entry settled among the front runners and traded the point position several times early in the race. After falling back on the bottom lane, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native gained spots under green-flag pit stops through quick work by his crew as well as a clean but fast pit road entry off of turn four. When the field had cycled, Byron was near the front once again.
With 13 laps remaining, Byron and Kyle Busch made contact just past the start-finish line. Although the incident brought out a red flag, the No. 24 entry was able to continue despite the damage to the left side of the car. In the end, Byron was able to navigate it to an eighth-place result in the second 60-lap qualifying race. However, due to the damage sustained, he will be going to a backup car for the DAYTONA 500.
RELATED: See every angle of the special Martinsville paint schemes
With the duel results finalized, Elliott will lead the Hendrick Motorsports quartet to the green flag from the fifth position. In line behind the No. 9 entry will be Bowman from seventh. Larson will roll off from the 17th position with Byron in the 18th starting spot for "The Great American Race" (although Byron will go to the rear for moving to a backup car).
From a points perspective, the duels do award markers to drivers finishing in the top 10, meaning all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers scored points through the qualifying races. Elliott's runner-up finish earned him nine points while Bowman took home eight. Byron rebounded to take home three markers and Larson earned two points with a ninth-place finish.
"To come home third is good," Bowman said of his duel finish. "I’m just proud of this whole Ally team. We were all disappointed with last night, but definitely a good night tonight."
Monday, Feb. 19
4 p.m. ET: DAYTONA 500 (200 laps/500 miles) - FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
STAGE LENGTHS
Stage 1: Lap 65
Stage 2: Lap 130
End of Race: Lap 200