In a thrilling display of teamwork and determination, Bubba Wallace, with a push from teammate Tyler Reddick, surged ahead of 2024 Daytona 500 winner William Byron to win Thursday night’s first Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying race. The victory earned Wallace the third starting position for Sunday’s 67th running of the “Great American Race” (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Driving the No. 23XI Racing Toyota, Wallace edged Byron by a mere 0.082 seconds, while intense drama unfolded behind the two frontrunners. Justin Allgaier, with a determined charge over the final two laps, finished highest among the unchartered cars in the first Duel, ensuring that a JR Motorsports Chevrolet would compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race for the first time in company history.
“Thanks to Tyler (Reddick),” Wallace said after the first Duel. “That was awesome to see two team cars work together that well and learn a lot for Sunday. Did a great job pushing me. Our McDonald’s Toyota Camry was really fast. Two different balances from being in the pack to being out front. Have some work to do there. I’ve wanted one of these Duel wins for so long. All my buddies got one. Tyler got one last year. I was pissed off. I got one now. I’m good.”
In the second Duel, polesitter Austin Cindric narrowly edged Erik Jones for the victory. Though Jones was first to the finish line, Cindric held a lead by inches when the caution lights illuminated as the cars approached the stripe. Corey LaJoie, driving the unchartered No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford, raced his way into the Daytona 500 with a sixth-place finish.
Allgaier’s impressive performance in the first Duel earned him the 17th starting position in Sunday’s race. “This means a lot to our team, this little team of JR Motorsports,” Allgaier said. “Dale Jr. is an amazing race car driver. He’s an amazing dad, car owner. You can tell how much he wanted this and our whole shop wanted this.”
Team co-owner and two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t hide his elation at making the race for the first time as a car owner. “This was rough emotionally, but damn it, it worked out,” he said.
A wild multicar wreck on Lap 14 eliminated the unchartered cars of Chandler Smith and Helio Castroneves in the first Duel. Castroneves, who will start Sunday’s race on an open exemption provisional, expressed his disappointment but remained optimistic. “It’s disappointing because the No. 91 Wendy’s Chevrolet was really good. The boys on the Project 91 team did an amazing job. They have a little bit of work to do, unfortunately. It wasn’t the night that we wanted, but we’ll take the provisional. So many people have been talking about it, but we will take it, and we will learn more for the race.”
Cindric had to wait until NASCAR reviewed the finish and confirmed him as the winner of the second Duel. “I honestly thought I got him, but I wasn’t going to sit there and argue about anything,” Cindric said. “But, yeah, it’s awesome. Glad to put on a great show for the fans here.”
LaJoie, without a full-time ride in 2025, underscored the significance of the “Great American Race.” “You forget how special this race is, right, (until) you have to race for it, when you have to earn it, because when you’re racing full-time, it’s just the first one of 36. But when it’s the one that you think about for months, it means that much more.”
The open cars of Anthony Alfredo and BJ McLeod failed to make the Daytona 500 field. Post-race inspection was completed without issue, confirming Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric as the Duel winners, as well as Justin Allgaier and Corey LaJoie locking into the Daytona 500.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will race in the Daytona 500 as a special 41st driver under a new rule that allows for a “world-class driver” to receive a provisional spot. The Brazilian had hoped to race his way into the field but was involved in an early eight-car accident that took him out of contention.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to take the provisional,” Castroneves said. “That’s not what we wanted, but we will. And, in the end, we have more to learn.”
The provisional has been controversial, as seven-time NASCAR champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson and 2017 NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. didn’t understand why they weren’t considered as the designated “world-class driver.” The rule was written into the new charter agreements that teams signed in September, and neither Johnson nor Truex were aware it existed until after it was formally announced, by which time the 90-day advance notice to request the provisional had passed.
Despite the controversy, the stage is set for an exciting Daytona 500, with Wallace and Cindric leading the field to green and Castroneves making history as the 41st entry, the largest field since 2015.
