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The starting order for these races was set by Wednesday’s qualifying sessions. The front row for the Daytona 500 has already been locked in, with Alex Bowman starting from the pole ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
They will both take part in the Duel races, however, and will bring each of the 21-car fields to the green flag for the 60-lap, 150-mile races – but where they finish will be irrelevant to their 500 starting spots on the front row.
What are the Daytona 500 Duels?
Apart from the front row, the rest of the 40-car field will be set by Thursday night’s races, meaning that two cars will go home if they don’t race their way in. Duel 1 is made up of odd-numbered qualifiers (first, third, fifth, etc), while Duel 2 consists of the even-numbered participants (second, fourth, sixth, etc).
By posting the top two speeds among the six open (aka: non-chartered) cars, Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana both locked themselves into the field for Sunday’s 500. But Zane Smith, Austin Hill, Chandler Smith and IndyCar star Conor Daly will battle out the remaining two spots between them.
Chandler Smith was the slowest of the drivers that made a qualifying attempt after suffering electrical trouble on track. Daly did not even get to try, as an electrical issue while warming his car’s oil system caused a line to split apart and a replacement system could not be found in time.
What are the permutations for open cars to qualify?
Zane Smith will make the Daytona 500 starting grid if he’s the top open car in his Duel, or if Johnson or Pastrana are the top open cars in their Duels.
Hill is in if he’s the top open car in his Duel, or if Johnson or Zane Smith are the top open cars in their Duels and Pastrana is first in his Duel.
Chandler Smith and Daly must be the first open cars to finish in their Duels to qualify.
How can I watch the Daytona Duels on TV?
Both qualifying races are shown live on FOX Sports 1 on Thursday evening, starting at 7pm ET. Coverage of Duel 2 will begin at 8:45pm ET.
The green flag time for Duel 1 is 7:21pm ET.
Starting Lineup for Duel 1 at Daytona
Starting Lineup for Duel 2 at Daytona
*Open, non-chartered entry