NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DUELS AT DAYTONA – #1
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 13, 2025
Byron Leads Chevrolet with Runner-Up Finish in Duel One; Allgaier Secures Spot in DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 FINISHERS (Duel #1)
POS. DRIVER
2nd – William Byron
3rd – Ty Dillon
4th – Ross Chastain
6th – AJ Allmendinger
7th – Austin Dillon
8th – Chase Elliott
9th – Justin Allgaier
10th – Kyle Busch
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet:
Finished: 2nd
“I felt like our No. 24 Axalta Chevy was pretty fast. We were just kind of struggling with handling a little bit. I felt like I could be more comfortable than I was. We just needed to get the back of the car a little bit more stable. But overall, I was able to work with Ty (Dillon) really well. Ross (Chastain) and I were kind of connected for awhile, and then we just kind of got spread apart, disconnected and that’s what ultimately got the bottom line back. Wish we could have been closer at the end, but still a good result.”
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet:
Finished: 3rd
“The raw speed of our Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevy has been quite obvious all weekend already, so that’s a great thing and a great start for our team. Our goal is to let everyone know we are here early in the season and we’re happy about that finish. I think if we had been running in the back, we probably would have made a couple different moves to be a little bit smoother at the end. This is the first time working with the team here at Kaulig Racing and I’m really proud of what we accomplished tonight. We’ll go back, get in the notebook and get a little bit better. You can’t ask for a better start to the season. Our team is determined and focused, and in the second race of the year to get a top three is nice. We’ll go to the 500 and have some fun. The biggest thing on Sunday is to make it to the end and get our year started on the right track.”
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet:
Finished: 4th
“The No. 1 Busch Light Chevy was really good in the draft, but we had some throttle issues with it sticking under caution. We pitted early before the race started trying to see what was wrong. It fixed itself, and then it came back. Then it fixed itself, and then it came back. The car drafted great; handled better than most I saw around me and handle the bumps better. It’s definitely a strong start there knowing this is probably the worst it’s going to drive from qualifying to now. We will get the throttle fixed, and I can push and get pushed with the best of them.”
Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 9th; Locks into the DAYTONA 500
“This just means so much to Dale (Earnhardt Jr.), Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) and L.W. (Miller) and everyone at JR Motorsports. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to come make this happen, and it seems like no matter what we’ve done, it hasn’t went the way we wanted it to go. We said anything worth having is worth working for and it’s going to be hard. We’ve proven it time and time again, whether it be last fall at Phoenix (Raceway) or here this weekend. Greg (Ives, crew chief) was pretty hard himself last night after qualifying, but this No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevy team rallied. This whole group is special. I can’t think everyone at Traveller Whiskey enough for coming onboard; everyone at Chevrolet, the Hendrick Engine Shop and all of our partners.
Dale told me before the race – if it’s meant to be, it will happen, and it did. Just really proud. This might seem like not that big of a deal to a lot of people, but when I think about our small team at JR Motorsports –- as big as it is, it really is a small family team. To see this happen tonight, it takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.”
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 21st
What exactly did you see out there?
“I’ve never ridden a horse before, but I feel like I got bucked off one. I hit pretty hard. But yeah, I just tried to lift when Chandler (Smith) came across my nose there. He (Chandler) said in the infield care center that none of his digital mirrors worked and his spotter cleared him. But yeah, I tried to lift. It’s unfortunate. We’re going to have to go to Chili’s and have a margarita or two; sleep this one off and get ready for the DAYTONA 500.”
Helio Castroneves, No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 22nd
You avoided the ‘big wreck’, but what happened?
“In one of the wrecks, I got hit and ended up hitting the wall in turn two pretty hard and broke a toe link. I should have actually just brought it in slower. We went really fast trying to fix the car, and then obviously when I hit the banking, the car just snapped to the right. It’s disappointing because the No. 91 Wendy’s Chevy was really good. The boys on the PROJECT91 team did an amazing job. They have a little bit of work to do, unfortunately. It wasn’t the night that we wanted, but we’ll take the provisional. So many people have been talking about it, but we will take it and we will learn more for the race.”
Before that, you sounded happy. It sounded like things we were going well. What did you learn?
“There are so many little things that people don’t realize behind the TV and even the grandstands. There’s so much going on. It’s actually incredible. The way the package is, it’s impressive. There was a lot to learn.. no question about it. There was a lot of movement in the car; a lot of air flow and a lot of brake-checking that you need to be aware of. But as long as you hold steady, it’s pretty good. I wish we could have kept it going.”
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