The field for the Daytona 500 is set following the Can-Am Duels at Daytona. The first duel was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while Kyle Busch won the second duel after a massive wreck ended the race.

Dale Jr. Makes Late Pass To Win Duel 1

In the first duel, rookie Chase Elliott led the field to green, but quickly yielded the lead to Earnhardt Jr. He would than proceed to lead the next 37 laps, until the only caution of the race came out on Lap 42 when Cole Whitt spun out.

Whitt was one of the cars that had to have a good finish in order to qualify for the race on Sunday, and the spin effectively prevented him from advancing. He would end up finishing in 22nd place.

When the field went back to green, Denny Hamlin was the leader, which he held until there was just five laps left. That’s when Earnhardt Jr. made his move and passed Hamlin for the lead.

The final laps featured Joey Logano trying to make a run at the leader, but it was to no avail, as Earnhardt Jr. cruised to his fifth career duel victory, and second in the last two years.

Ryan Blaney finished in third place, which was good enough to lock him into the 500. Michael McDowell got the final transfer spot from the first duel based on his speed he posted in qualifying on Sunday afternoon. Elliott was able to salvage a 6th place finish. He will start on the pole for the race on Sunday.

Kyle Busch Cruises To Victory In Duel 2

In the second duel, Matt Kenseth led the field to green, and proceeded to hold the lead until Lap 23, when Busch took the lead. He didn’t give the lead up until Lap 38 when he made a pit stop. Kenseth than took the lead back, and held it until Lap 40 when Busch retook the lead.

Busch was still in the lead when he took the white flag. Before the field could reach turn one, however, there was a massive wreck behind him, with Jimmie Johnson and Kenseth both involved.  That ended the race immediately, and gave Busch his third career duel win.

Kenseth now will have to go to a backup car, which will force him to forfeit his front row starting position. He will drop to the back of the field on Sunday.

Matt DiBendetto finished in 9th place, which was good for a transfer spot into the 500. That allowed teammate Robert Richardson Jr. to also make the 500 field, based on the speed he put up on Sunday during qualifying.


The next race for the Sprint Cup Series is the Daytona 500. VAVEL USA will have full coverage of the race on the @NASCARonVAVEL Twitter account. 

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About the author
Stevie Larson
NASCAR Editor, Minnesota sports fan. Contact: [email protected]