 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is vying to become the only driver to win the Shootout, a Duel and Daytona 500 in the same week. AP |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After a busy Thursday down in Daytona, the 43-car field for the 500 is set following the two 150-mile qualifying Duels. With 53 cars battling for 43 spots within a complicated set of rules, it wasn't always easy to sort out the madness; so, SI picked apart all the happiness and devastation for you, following another wild Thursday at the Beach:
Winners
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Rick Hendrick's newest edition is proving worthy of his "cover boy" status on the magazine this week with his best Speedweeks performance in years. Making a late-race pass on Ryan Newman, Junior won his Duel to take the third starting spot in Sunday's race behind pole winner Jimmie Johnson. While Thursday's performance wasn't as dominating as his Bud Shootout victory five days earlier, it was all the more impressive considering Junior started shotgun on the field after he changed an engine during yesterday's practice.
"The team worked hard to get that motor changed, to really get us the package that was durable and also competitive -- and it was good enough to win the race," said Junior afterwards. "Can't thank those guys enough."
Now 2-for-2 since joining Hendrick Motorsports, the No. 88 team is easily the favorite to win on Sunday; and if they do, Junior will make history as the first driver to win the Shootout, a Duel, and the 500 since the Shootout was established in 1979.
Denny Hamlin
After being dropped to third on the totem pole in the offseason with the addition of Kyle Busch, Hamlin was in need of a boost over at Joe Gibbs Racing -- and he got one. A last-lap push by teammate Tony Stewart put the No. 11 up front when it counted, and Hamlin took the second Duel to hand the Toyota Camry its first-ever win in Sprint Cup competition. What's most impressive for Hamlin was his teammate choosing teamwork over individual glory; Stewart chose to work with him after he left him out to dry in a green/white/checkered finish, snagging the lead with help while leaving Stewart out of the draft.
Toyota
It's not just Hamlin that had TRD smiling; from top to bottom, Camry teams maintained their momentum from a strong January test. For the second straight year, Michael Waltrip Racing put all three cars in the field, with Michael Waltrip starting on the outside pole to establish himself as a darkhorse for Sunday's event. But perhaps the most impressive run came from Brian Vickers, who fought from behind to make the field in his Red Bull Toyota after spinning out in the first five laps of his Duel. In all, eight of 10 Camrys made the cut, much better than the 4-for-8 ratio they had a year ago.
Fans who root for the underdog
Of the four drivers who "raced" their way in via the Gatorade Duels, two were the definition of longshots. In the first race, Kenny Wallace -- driving for a team based out of Denver, Colo. -- finished eighth in the No. 87 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet to make his first 500 since 2005. Wallace's run was all the more impressive considering he was driving for the team that fired him in early September; but after switching to Hendrick engines with new driver Joe Nemechek, the team discovered horsepower was the problem -- not driver error. Happy with Nemechek, team manager Joe Garone still wanted to offer Wallace a chance at redemption; so, they called Wallace in January and offered him a ride in the 500.
He took full advantage.
"I was just so focused on my driving," said Wallace. "My car was handling great."
John Andretti's push to make the cut was another surprise occurrence from the second Duel. Racing for Front Row Motorsports, Andretti drove his black No. 34 -- with no primary sponsor -- up through the pack and to 10th place during a frantic two-lap dash to the finish. Driving for an organization that made only four races in 29 attempts in 2007, Andretti seemed shocked at his post-race press conference.
"I wish I would have put money on me in Vegas," he said with a smile. "I didn't expect to be here."
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