BLUEGREEN VACATIONS DUEL RACES
Daytona Beach, Florida – February 15, 2024
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY – NASCAR 101
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG
START: 2ND FINISH: 2ND DAYTONA 500 STARTING POSITION: 6TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, charged to a strong runner-up finish in the second Duel Thursday evening at Daytona International Speedway, narrowly missing out on the race victory. The 25-year-old Team Penske driver rolled off the grid from the front row and maneuvered throughout the pack over the course of the 150 miles, ultimately finding himself in contention to win on the final lap. The second-place finish in the 60-lap sprint earned him a sixth-place starting position for Sunday’s prestigious DAYTONA 500.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It was a really strong effort by everyone on the Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Obviously we had good pace in qualifying and had a really strong car and great execution in the race. I wish things would have played out differently in the last five laps. We were able to get back up to the front and had some good runs and we got a couple Fords up there in the top-five. Overall, I am just poised to get to the 500 and see what we’ve got for the long race.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/PEAK FORD MUSTANG
START: 9TH FINISH: 18TH DAYTONA 500 STARTING POSITION: 32ND
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney’s run in Thursday night’s second Daytona Duel was cut short with 11 laps to go as the No. 12 Menards/Peak Ford Mustang was collected in a multi-car incident in the tri-oval to halt a late charge to the front of the field. Due to the damage sustained in the wreck, the No. 12 team will go to backup car for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Blaney began the 60-lap event from the ninth position before dropping to the back half of the field during the opening run as the reigning Cup Series champion was feeling out which line had the greater momentum in the early going. As green flag pit stops began on lap 42, Blaney cycled to second in the running order before hitting pit road on lap 44 for fuel only. Blaney assumed the lead coming off of pit road before settling into sixth with under 15 laps to go. As the field made its way through the tri-oval coming to 11 to go, Blaney was turned into the outside wall head-on, setting off a multi-car wreck in the process and ending the night for the No. 12 team.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I’m OK. By the replay it just looks like awful pushes in terrible spots. That’s usually how these wrecks happen. Three times in a row here I’ve been right-reared by someone else’s awful push, so I’m getting pretty sick of it. I don’t get it, so just a shame we have to be the one with a tore up race car when it’s someone else’s issue.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 1ST FINISH: 7TH DAYTONA 500 STARTING POSITION: 1ST
RACE RUNDOWN: After securing the pole for the 66th Daytona 500 Wednesday night, Joey Logano wheeled the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang to a seventh-place finish in the first 60-lap Duel race. After starting from the inside of row one, Logano gave way to the top lane with a better run before dropping back in the field after experiencing a loose-handling condition. As green flag pit stops began to cycle, Logano cycled to second in the running order before pitting with a group of Fords on lap 44 for fuel only. Logano led the group off of pit road to assume the lead with 15 laps to go, but gave way to four Chevrolets in the draft before settling at the tail end of the pack in fifth. Following a caution on lap 49, Logano lined up from the inside of row three for the restart and ultimately crossed the line seventh.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “I was a little further back than I wanted to be. We did a good job with our cycle and got ourselves out there, but there weren’t a lot of Fords with me. I was on my own there and the Chevy gang came and got by us and the Toyotas were coming and there’s no defending it. We just didn’t have enough numbers in this race and that was just by luck. That kind of cycled us a little bit too far back and I thought I could maybe push the bottom row and get going, but just kind of ran a little bit short.”
The NASCAR Cup Series will have practice for the 66th DAYTONA 500 Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET on FS1.
