RICK WARE RACING
Duel at Daytona
Date: Feb. 13, 2025
Event: Duel at Daytona
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Duel No. 1 Winner: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Duel No. 2 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
RWR Finish:
● Corey LaJoie (Started 17th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
● Cody Ware (Started 22nd, Finished 15th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
Notes:
● Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Wednesday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.
● Only the top-10 finishers in each Duel were awarded regular-season points.
● This was LaJoie’s ninth appearance in the Duel. His best finish remains fifth, earned in 2023.
● This was Ware’s fifth appearance in the Duel. His 15th-place result bettered his previous best finish in the Duel – 16th, earned in 2022.
● LaJoie will start 12th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is fourth, earned in 2024.
● Ware will start 28th in the Daytona 500. His best Daytona 500 finish is 14th, earned in 2023.
Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 01 DuraMAX/Take 5 Oil Change® Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
“You forget how special this race is, right? When you have to race for it, you have to earn it because when you race fulltime, it’s just the first one of 36. But when it’s the one that you think about for months, it means that much more and it means so much for the Rick Ware group, those guys work so hard. And for DuraMAX and Take 5 to be in their first Daytona 500 means a lot. I’m pumped up, man. I wasn’t that stressed going in, but I am super relieved right now. We’ve got 500 miles on Sunday to see if we can get a little closer to the front.”
Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Jacob Construction/Parts Plus/Pronto Auto Service Center Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
“I’m not sure (what happened), I’ll have to go back and look at a replay. I just know that we were hanging out all race and next thing I know, I’m turned sideways and into the wall. So it’s a really frustrating way to end Thursday after some mechanical hiccups in qualifying, and then to wreck out in the Duels, it’s been a trying week so far, to say the least. Just from looking at the front end, it looks like it’s pretty severe mechanical damage, but I’ve got faith that my team is going to do the best that they can to get us on track for Sunday, and we will try to do our best like we always do here at Daytona.”
Next Up:
The 67th running of the Daytona 500 takes place at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
