Matt Kenseth would hold off an impressive move on the last lap by Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne to win the first of the two Budweiser Duels at Daytona International Speedway.
After starting on pole, Denny Hamlin would lead the most laps and worked his way to the front at the end of the Sprint Unlimited to pick up the win. It marks the second time that Hamlin has won the event as he won it in his rookie year in 2006.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars have hit the track for the first set of practices of the 2014 race season as teams prepare for the Sprint Unlimited. With practice complete, familiar faces rise to the top.
Denny Hamlin would hold off Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps to win the Ford EcoBoost 400. Jimmie Johnson would finish ninth and be crowned 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion.
In the battle for the championship, give round one to Matt Kenseth as he scored his third pole of the season on Friday afternoon at Ford EcoBoost 400. The 41-year-old lapped the Homestead-Miami Speedway track in 30.394 seconds to take the top spot.
Jimmie Johnson has been tested throughout his NASCAR career, but the five-time champion survived one of his toughest test yet today at the Advocare 500.
In 31 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (DIS), Spire Motorsports has one win, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
The four-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion from Semora, North Carolina, will pilot Peterson Racing's No. 87 entry at Las Vegas and Martinsville in October before campaigning on a full-time O'Reilly Auto Parts Series basis in 2027.
Ford Racing comes into this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway on a hot streak after Ryan Blaney won on Sunday in New Hampshire.
