CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott earned a fifth-place finish in the second Duel race and led all Hendrick Motorsports drivers during the qualifying 150-mile twin races Thursday night.
Kyle Larson placed seventh in the first Duel race in his first NASCAR Cup Series run in nearly a year. Alex Bowman maintained the DAYTONA 500 pole but placed 20th in the first Duel race after he experienced engine issues.
William Byron was running up front for the majority of the second Duel event after he started from the pole. However, he was shuffled back in the last few laps of the race and caught up in an accident. The former Duel winner finished 19th and will have to move to a backup car due to the incident. He will forfeit his outside pole spot for Sunday's race.
A lengthy rain delay between the Duel events pushed the second Duel back nearly three hours, and the race didn't end until close to 12:30 a.m. ET.
Aric Almirola won the first Duel race and Austin Dillon won the second Duel event.
Take a look below to see how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers performed in the Duel races.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 NATIONSGUARD CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 1
FINISHED: 7th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Larson started eighth for the first Duel. He moved into seventh two laps into the race but was shuffled back to 13th five laps into the race.
- In superspeedway style, Larson worked his way back in the top 10 and was in ninth. He was in 18th by Lap 22 and edged to 16th a couple of laps later.
- Larson jumped to ninth on Lap 34 after several cars pitted and was in fifth when he headed to pit road. Larson was in 10th when he returned to the track.
- The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet moved to the inside lane to try and make a run but he fell to the rear of the pack in 14th place.
- With eight laps left, Larson edged to ninth but fell to 12th three laps later. The 28-year-old driver was in 10th during the final lap and gunned hard in the final turns, finishing seventh.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 2
FINISHED: 5th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott rolled off the grid fifth in the second Duel. He edged to fourth by the third lap but lost that position nine laps later, falling to 10th.
- The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE worked his way back to seventh by Lap 17. Elliott worked his way into the top three four laps later. However, he pulled out of line and fell back to 12th a couple lap later.
- Elliott moved into eighth place by the halfway mark of the Duel race. He was riding in ninth when the first accident caution dropped. He pitted for four tires and fuel and returned to the track in in the same position.
- Elliott weaved in and out of the top 10 for several laps before the fresh tires started to pay off. He was sixth by the 47th lap and jumped to fourth one lap later. He was shuffled back five laps later and settled into ninth.
- When the second caution dropped and forced overtime, Elliott was placed seventh. He restarted in that spot and edged to fifth in the final lap.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 2
FINISHED: 19th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron had the second-fastest car in qualifying, putting him on the pole in the second Duel. He slipped to second by the second lap but thundered back to reclaim the lead a short time later.
- Byron dropped to fifth by Lap 14 and was in a battle for third place three laps later. He shot out front on Lap 18 and teetered in and out of the lead while leading the inside lane.
- The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet dropped back to fourth with 26 laps to go. He was in third when the first caution fell on Lap 36. He pitted and took two tires, had an air pressure adjustment and a splash of fuel under yellow.
- Once the field was green, Byron was riding in fourth place. He surged ahead to first with 19 laps to go and battled for the top spot for a couple of laps. On Lap 45 Byron moved ahead to remain in the top position.
- Byron fell back to 13th when he was caught up in an accident with four laps to go. The move forced him to move to a backup car, which pushes Byron off the front row. He placed 19th in the race.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DUEL: No. 1
FINISHED: 20th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After he secured the pole for the DAYTONA 500, Bowman led the field in the first Duel. He dropped to second by the second lap and battled for the lead a lap later.
- Bowman was shuffled to 13th six laps into the race and dropped further to 19th one lap later to save his car.
- He pitted over engine issues on Lap 31. Bowman returned to the track but was several laps down. Rather than risk wear and tear to his car, he paced himself and finished in 20th place.