Events at Daytona International Speedway are in full force leading up to the iconic Daytona 500. Tuesday’s cup series duels 1 and 2 were no exception, with NASCAR contenders like 23XL Racing’s Bubba Wallace and William Byron fighting for the win. This kept fans on the edge of their seats in Duel 1.
Wallace ran past Byron to take the checkered flag in 0.082 seconds. All eyes were on both drivers as they vied to make Daytona history. However, there was no prediction of the literal push to the front of the line from teammate Tyler Reddick that aligned him for victory.
Daytona 500 Duel 1 Takeaways
With two unchartered teams already promised spots as entries, JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier stirred the field. Two of these spots have already been guaranteed to 7-time champ Jimmie Johnson and 34-time Martin Truex Jr. The fight was on once the No. 41 driver knew it was down to the wire, and he had to make owner Dale Jr. proud of achieving team history.
By ranking the highest among all drivers, he is now guaranteed to enter the race on Feb. 16.It didn’t fare as well for Trackhouse newcomer Helio Castroneves and No. 38 Chandler Smith, who found themselves in the clutches of other wrecked cars. The track was littered with debris. Helio Castroneves recalls the moment he was thrust into the outside wall.
“I got hit and ended up hitting the wall with turn two pretty hard and broke a toe link,” he shared, disappointed. He added that he was very proud of his team’s efforts and credited the swiftness of his Chevrolet and its handling. Fortunately, Castroneves will compete on Sunday as a provisional. “It wasn’t the night we wanted, but we’ll take the provisional,” Castroneves proudly explained.
Duel 2 Takeaways
Duel 2 was a little more crucial, with several on-track incidents threatening Alex Bowman’s entrance into the Daytona 500. The incidents involved multiple cars, leaving the drivers dodging debris. Still, Legacy Motorclub No. 43 Erik Jones and polesitter Austin Cindric were able to blow past to duke it out for the lead.
It was a heated exchanged between the two drivers on the track and fans were baffled. Jones inched to the finish line just ahead of Cindric making it to the finish line or so he thought. Until it sank in that Cindric pushed past him in just under a second. Even so bother drivers were unsure of the winner as it was handed over to NASCAR officials for review.
“I honestly thought I got him, but I wasn’t going to sit there and argue about anything,” Cindric explained. Upon learning NASCAR confirmed him the winner he remained humble saying he was happy to be in the Daytona 500 second starting postion. The moment was felt by fans who were conflicted.
Nonetheless it was a defining moment in history for him and Team Penske. Jones will start in fourth for Sunday’s Daytona 500. No. 1 Unchartered entry Corey LaJoie was also out to make history with Rick Ware Racing. He finished in sixth.
The moment was huge for LaJoie who went in with uncertainty that he would be unable to make it into the Daytona 500. He’s not currently locked in full-time as he has planned an outside engagement with Prime Video as an analyst. Yet, he hopes the historic move will push him into larger scale races.
Final Thoughts
Duels 1 and 2 for the Daytona 500 were nothing short of impressive with unchartered teams unexpectedly making the field for Sunday. Bubba Wallace had an impressive win in Dual 1 with a little help from 23XL teammate Tyler Reddick blowing past William Byron for victory.
Part-time Rick Ware driver Corey LaJoie was not expecting to lock into the Daytona 500. Lajoie is stoked for the opportunity.Sunday’s race is set to be action-packed and full of surprises and many twists and turns. Make sure to tune in on Feb. 16 at 1:30 pm EST with Fox Sports, MRN, SiriusXM and NASCAR for live coverage.
