Daytona 500 starting lineup set following Thursday night Duel races
- Though Thursday night’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel races were run in order to set the field for the Daytona 500, the front row had already been determined on Sunday during single-car quliafying, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (pole-sitter) and Alex Bowman taking up the front row
- The Duel races would determine the lineup for the rest of the 40-car field, with Duel 1 setting the lineup for the inside row and Duel 2 setting the lineup of the outside row
- There were also seven non-chartered drivers (meaning they were not already guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s race) competing for only four remaining positions
- Joey Logano won Duel 1, while William Byron earned the victory in Duel 2, meaning they will start the race in third and fourth, respectively
- Aric Almirola will round out the top five on Sunday following his second-place run in Duel #1
- Starting 6th through 10th in order will be Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick
- Daniel Suarez, Chad Finchum, and JJ Yeley failed to qualify
- Non-chartered drivers Justin Haley and Brendan Gaughan were able to lock themselves into the 500 during single-car qualifying
- Reed Sorenson and Timmy Hill earned their spots during their respective Duel races
- Here is the full starting lineup:
Starting Position Driver Team 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing 2. Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 3. Joey Logano Team Penske 4. William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 5. Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 6. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 7. Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing 8. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 9. Brad Keselowski Team Penske 10. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 11. Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports 12. Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing 13 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 14. Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 15. Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 16. Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing 17. Christopher Bell Leavine Family Racing 18. Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 19. Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing 20. Ross Chastain Spire Motorsports 21. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 22. Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing 23. John Hunter Nemechek Front Row Motorsports 24. Ty Dillon Germain Racing 25. Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 26. Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports 27. Ryan Blaney Team Penske 28. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 29. Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 30. David Ragan Rick Ware Racing 31. Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing 32. Timmy Hill* MBM Motorsports* 33. Justin Haley* Kaulig Racing* 34. Brennan Poole Premium Motorsports 35. Quin Houff StarCom Racing 36. Corey LaJoie GO FAS Racing 37. Joey Gase Petty Ware Racing 38. BJ McLeod Rick Ware Racing 39. Brendan Gaughan* Beard Motorsports* 40. Reed Sorenson* Premium Motorsports*
William Byron wins Duel No. 2! pic.twitter.com/8f0vhXmVbZ
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 14, 2020
More info: Story from kickinthetires.net/'s Tim Packman … Story from KTT’s Jerry Jordan … Story from KTT’s Seth Eggert
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William Byron paces Friday Cup Series practice session
- After winning Duel No. 2 on Thursday night, thus earning a starting spot in the second row for Sunday’s Daytona 500, 22-year-old William Byron followed it up by running the fastest lap in a lone practice session for the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway on Friday
- Byron’s lap time was 43.991 seconds at 204.587 mph
- Second through fourth (in order) were Ryan Preece, Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, and Tyler Reddick
- The series will have one final practice session on Saturday, February 15th from 12:30PM ET to 1:20PM ET (FS1)
- The 62nd running of the Daytona 500 will run the next day at 2:30PM ET (FOX)
The third #DAYTONA500 practice is complete! All four teammates finished in the top-10.
1st: @williambyron
3rd: @chaseelliott
6th: @jimmiejohnson
7th: @alexbowman88 pic.twitter.com/4QNIARgnsv— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 14, 2020
More info: Full results … Report from RacingNews.co’s Shane Walters … TV schedule
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NASCAR, RTA extend Charter agreement
- On Friday, NASCAR announced that they would be extending their Charter agreement — a program that provides guaranteed starting spots to 36 Cup Series teams — through 2024
- The agreement was reached in collaboration with the Race Team Alliance and NASCAR Cup Series team owners
- The Charter system was initially implemented in 2016 with a five-year term
- The rules surrounding the agreement allow for a Charter to be leased or sold to another team for a maximum of one year, and for the team to potentially lose their Charter if they finish in the bottom three of the owner standings for three consecutive years
https://twitter.com/aaronbearden93/status/1228379943723307009
More info: Details about the charter system … Report from Racer.com’s Kelly Crandall … About the Race Team Alliance
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More motorsports news …
- Penske Unveils Plan To Enhance IMS, Indy 500
Record purse for 62nd annual Daytona 500
Noah Gragson, Caesar Bacarella Lead NASCAR Xfinity Daytona Practices
2020 Daytona 500 pit stall assignments
LS TRACTOR TO SPONSOR MARCH 7 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACE AT PHOENIX RACEWAY
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