Bubba Wallace & Austin Cindric Win Daytona Duels

The Duels at Daytona International Speedway were Thursday night, finalizing the starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric prevailed in each race respectively, each one fighting off furious charges from their competition. Not only do the Duels set each column of cars as they come to the green flag in the Daytona 500, they also award the first points of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Wallace and Cindric are now tied for the points lead with ten apiece, as each of the top ten Duel finishers received points for their finish. The two runner-ups, Erik Jones and William Byron, each received nine points. A Fateful Duel #1 Though he reflected on often finding himself mired in traffic in the closing laps of Daytona races, Bubba Wallace managed to place himself at the front as Duel 1 winded down on Thursday. His primary competition was William Byron, A.J. Allmendinger, and – perhaps surprisingly – Ty Dillon. After a year off from full-time Cup competition, Dillon was a late frontrunner in his #10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. He saw his car peer out ahead of Wallace more than once, and had a fighting chance until the final lap. When Allmendinger, Dillon’s teammate, received a massive push from Justin Allgaier’s #40 Chevy, he had the momentum to pass both Dillon and Wallace for the win. Dillon’s risky block on the backstretch caused Allmendinger to nudge him into the wall, but Dillon was able to hang on and preserve a third place finish. “[Ty] made a late block, a bad block,” Allmendinger said after exiting his #16 Chevrolet. “He was still coming up when we were about six miles an hour quicker than the field.” Though he was frustrated by the early end to his race-winning run, Allmendinger showed optimism about the speed Kaulig Racing’s cars showed in the duel. Also of note in Duel 1 was the clinching of a Daytona 500 spot by Justin Allgaier, heading up the maiden Cup Series voyage for JR Motorsports. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was visibly emotional seeing Allgaier make the race, having said before the green flag that merely making the Daytona 500 as an un-chartered team would make the weekend a success for him. Allgaier prevailed over the other open cars of JJ Yeley, and Chander Smith who was eliminated by an early crash. IndyCar icon Helio Castroneves also advanced with a provisional Daytona 500 entry from NASCAR. Wallace had the distinction of experiencing victory lane for the first time after several close calls in the past. He finished second in the Daytona 500 in 2018 and 2022, and has three top fives in fifteen regular season Daytona starts. His #23 Toyota for 23XI Racing showed consistent speed and helpful chemistry with teammate Tyler Reddick. “All in all a good night for our team,” he said. “I thought it was pretty cool just seeing how well the 23 and the 45 worked together and moving to that top lane forward together the whole night. That was really, really special.” Wallace also had the distinction of having his four-month-old son Becks join him for a win for the very first time. Duel #2: A Tale of Two Winners It’s not every day the driver who takes the checkered flag and does the victory burnout doesn’t get to take home the trophy, but that’s exactly what happened to Erik Jones in Duel #2 Thursday. As the field wrecked behind the leaders coming to the checkered flag, Jones beat Austin Cindric to the finish line by a fender, and scoring showed him as the winner for several minutes. It was only when NASCAR’s scoring decision came down that he realized it was actually Cindric, who was the leader at the moment of caution on the final lap, who would be awarded the victory. “You expect to race to the line so you kind of set everything up to be ahead there,” Jones said after the news. “We did that, so we did everything we could to win. In regulation we would’ve. But it just didn’t work out.” In his characteristically humble demeanor, Jones still readily conceded that the ruling taking the win from him was legitimate. “It wasn’t exactly expected,” Cindric said in the media center afterward. The Team Penske driver was caught so off-guard, he even struggled to track down the checkered flag on the frontstretch. “It’s weird. I guess from a due diligence standpoint, it’s better to have it right than not right, and the light was clearly on, and we were clearly ahead. I more just feel bad for Erik that he had to do the victory lap and all of that.” The late race crash caused damage to several race cars ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500. Contact between Christopher Bell and Shane van Gisbergen turned the latter driver left in front of traffic, collecting Cody Ware, Cole Custer, Kyle Larson, Riley Herbst, and Anthony Alfredo. NASCAR activated the caution lights as the leaders zoomed toward the checkered flag, giving safety crews a head start on responding to the wreck’s multiple victims. Transferring out of Duel #2 to the Daytona 500 with a strong run Thursday was Corey LaJoie, working his #01 Ford for Rick Ware Racing to a sixth place finish. LaJoie admitted he bet on himself by spending his kids’ college savings on arranging the ride, and was repaid for his leap of faith when Take 5 Oil Change and DuraMax came on to sponsor the car. Not making the race in Duel #2 was Anthony Alfredo, who was quick this weekend but not able to get around LaJoie on the final lap, and BJ McLeod, who was forced to pull up when the last lap carnage unfolded in front of him. Below are the results of each of Thursday night’s Duel races, and the official starting lineup for the 67th annual Daytona 500. DUEL #1 RESULTS: Bubba Wallace – #23 McDonald’s Toyota (23XI Racing) William Byron – #24 Axalta Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) Ty Dillon – #10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet (Kaulig Racing) Ross Chastain – #1 Busch Light Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Tyler Reddick – #45 Nasty Beast Toyota (23XI Racing) AJ Allmendinger – #16 Celsius Chevrolet (Kaulig Racing) Austin Dillon – #3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing) Chase Elliott – #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) Justin Allgaier – #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet (JR Motorsports) Kyle Busch – #8 Zone Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing) Ty Gibbs – #54 Monster Energy Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Michael McDowell – #71 Go Bowling Chevrolet (Spire Motorsports) Ryan Preece – #60 BuildSubmarines.com Ford (RFK Racing) Josh Berry – #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford (Wood Brothers Racing) Martin Truex Jr. – #56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota (TRICON Garage) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #47 SunnyD Chevrolet (Hyak Motorsports) JJ Yeley – #44 Green River Whiskey Chevrolet (NY Racing) Carson Hocevar – #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet (Spire Motorsports) Chase Briscoe – #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Chandler Smith – #66 Quick Tie Chevrolet (Garage 66) Justin Haley – #7 Chili’s Chevrolet (Spire Motorsports) Helio Castroneves – #91 Wendy’s Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Zane Smith – #38 Speedy Cash Ford (Front Row Motorsports) DUEL #2 RESULTS: Austin Cindric – #2 Discount Tire Ford (Team Penske) Erik Jones – #43 AdventHealth Toyota (Legacy Motor Club) Chris Buescher – #17 Fastenal Ford (RFK Racing) Denny Hamlin – #11 National Debt Relief Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Joey Logano – #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford (Team Penske) Corey LaJoie – #01 Take 5 Oil Change/DuraMax Ford (Rick Ware Racing) Todd Gilliland – #34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford (Front Row Motorsports) Ryan Blaney – #12 Menards/Peak Ford (Team Penske) John Hunter Nemechek – #42 Dollar Tree Toyota (Legacy Motor Club) Christopher Bell – #20 DeWalt/Interstate Batteries Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Kyle Larson – #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) Riley Herbst – #25 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota (23XI Racing) Anthony Alfredo – #62 Fortify Building Solutions Chevrolet (Beard Motorsports) Shane van Gisbergen – #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Cody Ware – #51 Parts Plus/Jacob Construction Ford (Rick Ware Racing) Cole Custer – #41 HaasTooling.com Ford (Haas Factory Team) BJ McLeod – #78 HitchGo Chevrolet (LiveFast Motorsports) Noah Gragson – #10 Rush Truck Centers Ford (Front Row Motorsports) Jimmie Johnson – #84 Carvana Toyota (Legacy Motor Club) Brad Keselowski – #6 Kroger/Cottonelle Ford (RFK Racing) Daniel Suárez – #99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Alex Bowman – #48 Ally Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) DAYTONA 500 STARTING LINEUP: Chase Briscoe – #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Austin Cindric – #2 Discount Tire Ford (Team Penske) Bubba Wallace – #23 McDonald’s Toyota (23XI Racing) Erik Jones – #43 AdventHealth Toyota (Legacy Motor Club) William Byron – #24 Axalta Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) Chris Buescher – #17 Fastenal Ford (RFK Racing) Ty Dillon – #10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet (Kaulig Racing) Denny Hamlin – #11 National Debt Relief Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Ross Chastain – #1 Busch Light Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Joey Logano – #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford (Team Penske) Tyler Reddick – #45 Nasty Beast Toyota (23XI Racing) Corey LaJoie – #01 Take 5 Oil Change/DuraMax Ford (Rick Ware Racing) AJ Allmendinger – #16 Celsius Chevrolet (Kaulig Racing) Todd Gilliland – #34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford (Front Row Motorsports) Austin Dillon – #3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing) Ryan Blaney – #12 Menards/Peak Ford (Team Penske) Chase Elliott – #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) John Hunter Nemechek – #42 Dollar Tree Toyota (Legacy Motor Club) Justin Allgaier – #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet (JR Motorsports) Christopher Bell – #20 DeWalt/Interstate Batteries Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Kyle Busch – #8 Zone Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing) Kyle Larson – #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) Ty Gibbs – #54 Monster Energy Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing) Riley Herbst – #25 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota (23XI Racing) Michael McDowell – #71 Go Bowling Chevrolet (Spire Motorsports) Shane van Gisbergen – #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Ryan Preece – #60 BuildSubmarines.com Ford (RFK Racing) Cody Ware – #51 Parts Plus/Jacob Construction Ford (Rick Ware Racing) Josh Berry – #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford (Wood Brothers Racing) Cole Custer – #41 HaasTooling.com Ford (Haas Factory Team) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #47 SunnyD Chevrolet (Hyak Motorsports) Noah Gragson – #10 Rush Truck Centers Ford (Front Row Motorsports) Carson Hocevar – #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet (Spire Motorsports) Brad Keselowski – #6 Kroger/Cottonelle Ford (RFK Racing) Justin Haley – #7 Chili’s Chevrolet (Spire Motorsports) Daniel Suárez – #99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing) Zane Smith – #38 Speedy Cash Ford (Front Row Motorsports) Alex Bowman – #48 Ally Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports) Martin Truex Jr. – #56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota (TRICON Garage) Jimmie Johnson – #84 Carvana Toyota (Legacy Motor Club) Helio Castroneves – #91 Wendy’s Chevrolet (Trackhouse Racing)