Bubba Wallace is set to start in third place in the upcoming Daytona 500
Wallace emerged victorious in the first Duel qualifying race, finishing ahead of William Byron and Ty Dillon. He showcased impressive speed throughout the race and managed to maintain the lead in the final laps.
“I’ve been aiming for one of these Duel wins for a long time, all my friends have already achieved them,” Wallace expressed after his triumph.
Justin Allgaier secured the ninth spot to qualify for the race driving for car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. This marks the first instance of a car from Junior’s JR Motorsports team competing in a NASCAR Cup Series race. The team has been a prominent presence in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.
Wallace is currently the 11th favorite at BetMGM (+2500) to clinch victory in the Daytona 500. He has achieved five top-five finishes in 15 starts at Daytona and has finished in the top five of the Daytona 500 in two of the last three seasons. Wallace finished second in 2022 and secured fifth place in 2024.
Chase Briscoe secured the pole position for Sunday’s race during the front row qualifying session on Wednesday. Despite starting at the back of the pack, Briscoe retired the car as a precaution due to a potential debris strike. A backup car would be required if Briscoe’s team had to make a switch, resulting in relinquishing his No. 1 starting position.
Helio Castroneves will be the 41st car in the Daytona 500 due to a new NASCAR provisional rule granting him an automatic berth into the race. The four-time Indianapolis 500 champion was involved in a wreck when Chandler Smith, also contending for a spot in the Daytona 500, attempted to cut in front of Justin Haley in the top five. Smith’s maneuver left no room and resulted in taking out Haley, Castroneves, and others.
Castroneves continued down the backstretch after the initial wreck, leading to another crash when he clipped the apron.
With NASCAR’s charter rules, 36 full-time teams are automatically included in the race. This left nine cars vying for the four remaining spots in the field aside from Castroneves’ provisional spot. Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson secured two of those four spots on Wednesday night based on their qualifying speeds, leaving one spot available in each Duel race.
Austin Cindric Emerges Victorious in Duel 2
Austin Cindric claimed victory in the second Duel race as he edged out Erik Jones on the final lap before a caution was raised for a crash in the midst of the pack.
Cindric and Jones were neck and neck for the win, with Jones crossing the finish line first. However, the caution was issued before the cars reached the finish line.
Following the race, Jones parked his car on the frontstretch hoping to be declared the winner. Nonetheless, Cindric’s car was visibly ahead when the caution was called.
Cindric was already slated to start in second place in the 500 due to his qualifying speed on Wednesday, while Jones will commence from the fourth spot.
Corey LaJoie emerged as the top-performing open driver and secured the final spot in the 500. He outpaced Anthony Alfredo and BJ McLeod to secure his spot in the race.
Daytona 500 Starting Lineup
1. Chase Briscoe
2. Austin Cindric
3. Bubba Wallace
4. Erik Jones
5. William Byron
6. Chris Buescher
7. Ty Dillon
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Ross Chastain
10. Joey Logano
11. Tyler Reddick
12. Corey LaJoie
13. AJ Allmendinger
14. Todd Gilliland
15. Austin Dillon
16. Ryan Blaney
17. Chase Elliott
18. John Hunter Nemechek
19. Justin Allgaier
20. Christopher Bell
21. Kyle Busch
22. Kyle Larson
23. Ty Gibbs
24. Riley Herbst
25. Michael McDowell
26. Shane van Gisbergen
27. Ryan Preece
28. Cody Ware
29. Josh Berry
30. Cole Custer
31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
32. Noah Gragson
33. Carson Hocevar
34. Brad Keselowski
35. Justin Haley
36. Daniel Suarez
37. Zane Smith
38. Alex Bowman
39. Martin Truex Jr.
40. Jimmie Johnson
41. Helio Castroneves