DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The field is officially set for Sunday afternoon’s DAYTONA 500.
After a front row sweep during Wednesday night's qualifying session, the Hendrick Motorsports quartet returned to the track for the Daytona Duels. The 150-mile qualifying races set the field for Sunday afternoon’s main event at Daytona International Speedway.
William Byron and Alex Bowman represented the four-car operation in the first Duel. The driver of the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 finished the 60-lap event in the 10th spot while Bowman, Sunday’s pole sitter, crossed the line in the 17th position. For the second Duel, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson competed for Hendrick Motorsports. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion ended the race third, while Larson finished sixth. Both Bowman and Larson will start on the front row by virtue of their qualifying runs.
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DUEL 2 RESULTS
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: Third
DAYTONA 500 starting spot: Eighth
Race Notes
Elliott began the second Duel in the seventh position and settled into the pack as the race began. The event’s first caution came out on Lap 7 for debris on the back straightaway with the No. 9 entry still holding the seventh spot. Under the yellow, crew chief Alan Gustafson called his driver into the pits for fuel only and he rejoined the race in the seventh position. He settled into the eighth spot before another caution came out on Lap 41. During the caution, Elliott pitted for fuel only but came back to the pits for four fresh tires. The extra stop set him to line up in the 13th position for the restart. With the four fresh tires, Elliott drove up into the top three when the checkered flag flew. In addition to earning eight points for the season, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native will start in the eighth spot on Sunday afternoon.
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Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: Sixth
DAYTONA 500 starting spot: Second
Race Notes
Larson rolled off the grid from the first position after earning a front row starting spot in Wednesday night’s qualifying. After cycling between first and second, Larson pitted under the caution flag that came out on Lap 7. After his service, he restarted the race in the second position. Back under the green flag, the No. 5 entry continued to fight for the top spot amongst the competition. After pitting for fuel from a caution on Lap 41, Larson regained the top spot. With two laps to go, Larson occupied the second spot in the bottom lane and shoved the leader Todd Gilliland into turn one. Larson avoided a near accident and crossed the line in the sixth position, earning five points on the night. Due to his front row qualifying performance from Wednesday night, Larson will take the green in second position.
DUEL 1 RESULTS
William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: 10th
DAYTONA 500 starting spot: 21st
Race notes
Byron rolled off the grid in the second position and briefly took the lead of the race before falling back in the pack. On Lap 23, the group of Chevrolet drivers made their way to pit road for service with the driver of the No. 24 entry giving up the third spot on track. Crew chief Rudy Fugle called for right-side tires and sent his driver back out to the racing surface. Upon rejoining the race, he led the group of Chevrolet competitors. The field cycled through pit stops under green flag, but the lead pack of cars was able to maintain the lead. Although Byron headed the second pack, the group was unable to run down the lead cars during the closing laps. The driver of the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 crossed the line in the 10th position, earning a point for the result. He will start 21st for the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500.
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: 17th
DAYTONA 500 starting spot: First
Race notes
The first of the two Duel races kicked off with Bowman leading the field. On the opening lap, Bowman was forced out of the lead and chose to drop to the back of the field to preserve his race car. Because of his efforts on Wednesday night, the No. 48 Ally Racing Team will start from pole position for "The Great American Race" on Sunday. Despite losing the draft, Bowman was able to catch the Chevrolet drivers after they pitted as a group on Lap 23. Crew chief Blake Harris brought the driver of No. 48 entry into the pits on Lap 48 for right-side tires and fuel. After rejoining the event, Bowman crossed the line in 17th. He will start from the front row for the sixth straight time in the DAYTONA 500 and for the third time from the pole in that event.
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The Cup Series will be back on track tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 17 as well as Saturday, Feb. 18 with 50-minute practice sessions. Friday's session will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Saturday's action will start at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS2. and shift to FS1 beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
Catch the 2023 DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).