DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2021) – Thursday night’s twin Duels at Daytona provided plenty of action in both events, with Ryan Newman powering to a third-place run in the opening race and Chris Buescher navigating two different incidents to finish 10th in the second contest.
Newman started 12th in his 60-lap qualifying event and patiently maneuvered his way through the field, advancing up to third just 15 laps in. The only pit stop of the race would come at lap 34, when he and the field hit pit road under green for fuel only. The 22-car field eventually cycled back through and grouped back up for the closing laps.
The 2008 Daytona 500 Champion shifted his way through traffic in the final lap, ultimately driving to a third-place run. With the finish, he will start seventh in his 20th Daytona 500 on Sunday. It marks his second-straight 500 to start seventh, and third overall, with four career starts inside the top-10 for ‘The Great American Race.’
After a lengthy rain delay in between races, Buescher began his 60-lap Duel from the 15th position, and had to avoid two separate incidents that sent several competitors to backup cars. Halfway through the race a multi-car incident occurred on the back straightaway just before teams were getting set to pit under green, ultimately bringing the field down under yellow for service.
With no further issues, Buescher restarted 12th with 20 laps go to. The race remained green until four laps remaining, when another incident sent the race into NASCAR Overtime, where he crossed the line 10th.
The Prosper, Texas native will make his sixth start in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, and roll off the grid 22nd.
The only on-track activity standing between teams and the Daytona 500 are a pair of practice sessions, which are slated for Saturday morning. Sunday’s big race is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.
