Ryan Preece Earns P13 Finish in Duel 1; Chris Buescher Finishes P3, Brad Keselowski P20 in Duel 2
Daytona, FL (Feb 13, 2025) – Chris Buescher led three times for 13 laps in Thursday’s second Daytona Duel, boosting confidence for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) heading into Sunday’s 67th running of the Daytona 500. During the twin 150-mile races that set the field for The Great American Race, RFK’s three-car team of Brad Keselowski, Buescher, and Ryan Preece each showed moments of strength while gaining knowledge that could propel them to strong finishes on Sunday.
6 Recap Seeking his second career Daytona Duel victory (2022), Brad Keselowski rolled off 8th in Thursday night’s second race. During an intense first half of the 60-lap race, Keselowski navigated what was sometimes 2- and 3-wide lanes of traffic. Using a calculated strategy, he patiently waited to make a move until misfortune ended his night early on lap 48. Keselowski was collected in a crash when Daniel Suarez ricocheted off the wall and collected the No. 6 Cottonelle Ford. Keselowski could not escape the incident and finished 20th. Prior to the incident, the No. 6 team had received a pit road penalty for exiting their pit stall with equipment when the gas can was not completely removed when Keselowski left pit road.
While still assessing damage—mainly to the right front—Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins and the No. 6 team are aiming to repair the primary car for Sunday’s Daytona 500, where Keselowski is slated to start 34th.
Keselowski is encouraged by how well the car raced prior to the incident, showing good balance and a strong ability to work the draft. Although an abbreviated race, the 2012 champ took valuable lessons about the draft and fuel mileage into Sunday.
17 Recap Chris Buescher restarted on the front row with eight laps remaining, but a late surge on the bottom lane proved to be too much as the No. 17 team settled for a third-place finish in Duel 2. After starting ninth, Buescher quickly dropped to the back of the pack and began saving fuel during the long green-flag run. He brought the Fastenal Ford to pit road for a gas-only stop on lap 48 and cycled to the lead before a three-car crash on the backstretch reset the field.
“We had a really strong night and implemented a lot of strategy there in the beginning that ended up helping us out at the end,” Buescher said. “Glad to race up front with a bunch of (Ford) Mustangs, and I’m feeling really good about our chances this Sunday.”
With the No. 01 car behind him, Buescher jockeyed for the lead with Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano anchoring the bottom lane. He held on to P3 and will start 6th in the Daytona 500, marking his second-best starting position at Daytona.
60 Recap Ryan Preece overcame a mechanical issue early in the race, drove to the front, and led three laps en route to a 13th-place finish in Duel 1. Problems with the No. 60 car forced Preece to pit and restart at the back just 14 laps into the race. However, Preece was able to regain the lost ground and drove up to ninth before debris brought out a caution just shy of the halfway point.
“We had a good car and overcame some adversity there in the beginning, but got it all sorted out,” Preece said. “I think we have a fast Ford Mustang, and I’m excited about the opportunity we have this Sunday.”
The BuildSubmarines Ford continued to work and led three laps before being shuffled out of line and filing in towards the back. He maintained position in the middle of three-wide racing, finishing 13th, earning him the 27th starting spot in the Daytona 500.
Up Next The starting lineup is set for Sunday’s 67th running of the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Buescher will be 6th on the starting grid for Sunday, with Preece 27th and Keselowski 34th.
About RFK Racing RFK Racing, in its 38th season in 2025, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, with NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988, and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass 300 wins and capture eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content, and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
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.
Austin Cindric emerged as the winner of the second of two Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 13, amid a photo finish with Erik Jones that was initially awarded to the latter, but then awarded to the former who was out in front at the moment of caution on the final lap amid a multi-car wreck.
The 2022 Daytona 500 champion from Mooresville, North Carolina, led six of 60 scheduled laps after starting on the pole. He led the first lap before he spent the remainder of the second Duel event mingling towards the front with his fellow competitors. Being granted the opportunity to contend for a Duel win instead of preserving his car for Sunday’s Great American Race, Cindric restarted on the front row during the final restart period with seven laps remaining
The Action
After swapping the lead with Chris Buescher throughout the final restart period, Cindric muscled ahead from the field with drafting help from teammate Joey Logano prior to the final lap. Starting at the backstretch on the final lap, he then dueled with Erik Jones approaching the finish line as a six-car multi-car wreck ensued. With Jones having initially beaten Cindric to the line, the latter was ruled the official winner due to being ahead of Jones when NASCAR opted to display the caution for the carnage.
Before the event, Austin Cindric, who achieved a front-row starting spot for the 2025 Daytona 500, started in pole position and he shared the front row with teammate Joey Logano, the latter of whom posted the fourth-fastest qualifying lap during Wednesday’s single-car qualifying session.
Green Flag
Christopher Bell, the reigning Duel 2 winner, dropped to the rear of the field prior to the event due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry.
When the green flag waved and the second Duel event commenced, Cindric launched his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse ahead from the outside lane before he quickly darted to the inside and in front of teammate Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry through the frontstretch.
Through the first two turns and the backstretch, Cindric kept Logano drafting him as both transitioned from the inside to the outside lane. This, however, allowed Denny Hamlin to gain a run from the inside lane as he challenged Cindric for the lead through Turns 3 and 4. Despite Hamlin’s strong run from the inside lane, Cindric barely led the first lap through the frontstretch.
Over the next four laps, Hamlin and Cindric dueled against one another in front of two-stacked lanes, with Hamlin having drafting help from Kyle Larson on the inside lane while Cindric continued to receive assistance from teammate Logano on the outside lane.
Both Hamlin and Cindric would continue to duel for the lead during the next three laps until Hamlin muscled his No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE entry ahead from the inside lane. As Hamlin led the event, where he would proceed to lead the Lap 10 mark, Larson challenged Cindric for the runner-up spot while Logano, Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, rookie Riley Herbst and Brad Keselowski were battling inside the top 10 ahead of rookie Shane van Gisbergen, Ryan Blaney, Corey LaJoie, Daniel Suarez, Cody Ware, Jimmie Johnson, John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell and Erik Jones.
Through the first 15 scheduled laps, Hamlin maintained the lead ahead of the 22-car field, with Cindric, Logano, Larson and Bowman trailing in the top five. Then as the field fanned out to three lanes, Erik Jones rocketed his No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE entry into the lead.
As Jones led the Lap 16 mark, he was followed by his team owner, Jimmie Johnson. With more shuffling ensuing in the pack, Ryan Blaney challenged Jones for the lead on Lap 17 with drafting help from Daniel Suarez and Bell. The field would continue to fan out to three lanes as Jones rocketed back ahead and maintained the lead over Johnson and Blaney by Lap 20.
The Halfway Mark
At the halfway mark on Lap 30, Jones, who had maintained the lead over the last 10 laps, dueled with Suarez. Both drivers were ahead of two-stacked lanes that included Johnson, Hamlin, Blaney, Larson, Bell, Bowman, Gilliland and John Hunter Nemechek, eacing in the top 10.
Meanwhile, Johnson was the highest non-chartered competitor on the track while Corey LaJoie and Anthony Alfredo, both of whom were battling Johnson for transfer spots into the Daytona 500, were mired in 11th and 14th, respectively.
Towards the Lap 35 mark, Johnson, who was racing towards the front, pitted his No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE entry. By then, his driver Erik Jones was shuffled back towards the top-10 mark while both Suarez and Blaney dueled for the lead in front of Cindric, Hamlin and the rest of the field. In addition, Johnson’s move to pit allowed Alfredo to move up into a transfer spot over LaJoie.
The Final Laps
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Suarez was the lead competitor on the inside lane. He was followed by Hamlin, Larson, Blaney, Alfredo, Cindric, Bowman, Logano, Jones and Gragson. By then, Johnson was lapped by the field. Over the next three laps, Blaney had his two Team Penske teammates, Cindric and Logano, drafting him from the outside lane. They were pursued by Ford teammate Gragson while Suarez kept Hamlin, Larson and Alfredo drafting him to the lead from the inside lane.
Then with 16 laps remaining, a late cycle of green flag pit stops occurred. Suarez led all the Toyota and Chevrolet competitors racing on the inside lane to pit road for fuel. During the pit stops, Hamlin, along with Kyle Larson and John Hunter Nemechek, was penalized for speeding on pit road.
Half of the Ford competitors, led by Blaney, pitted for fuel a lap later. The remaining half of the Ford drivers, led by Keselowski, Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Cole Custer and Cody Ware, pit under green with 14 laps remaining.
Following the pit stops, Buescher exited pit road with the lead as he was followed by Keselowski and Custer. Custer, however, would be overtaken by a bevy of competitors that pitted earlier and that was led by Cindric through the backstretch with 14 laps remaining. Cindric would then zip by Keselowski during the following lap before he got stalled by Buescher entering the backstretch.
Then as Buescher made a sharp left-hand turn to block Cindric from overtaking him amid the draft, an ensuing stack-up resulted with Bowman, Suarez and Keselowski bumping, colliding and wrecking into one another in the backstretch as the caution flew. Before the incident, Keselowski was penalized for removing equipment out of his pit box.
Down to the final seven laps of the second Duel event, the field restarted under green. At the start, Buescher and Cindric dueled for the lead entering the first two turns until Cindric muscled ahead from the inside lane with drafting help from teammate Logano. Buescher, however, would fight back from the outside lane as he had drafting help from LaJoie and Blaney through the backstretch before Cindric muscled back ahead entering Turns 3 and 4 as he would lead the next lap through the frontstretch.
With five laps remaining, Cindric and Buescher continued to duel for the lead in front of two-stacked lanes as Logano and LaJoie followed suit in the second row. By then, Gragson and Blaney also followed suit as Logano kept drafting teammate Cindric to the front from the inside lane. In addition, LaJoie was in prime position of claiming a transfer spot to the Daytona 500 over Anthony Alfredo, the latter of whom was mired within the top-10 mark.
The Winner
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Cindric remained in the lead. over teammate Logano and Erik Jones as the field started to fan out to three lanes. Through the first two turns, Cindric remained ahead of Logano as Jones ignited a run from the outside lane with drafting help from Buescher. This allowed Jones to draw even with Cindric exiting the backstretch as both continued to battle dead even through Turns 3 and 4.
Then entering the frontstretch, a multi-car wreck that involved Larson, Shane van Gisbergen, Riley Herbst, Alfredo, Cole Custer and Cody Ware ensued. Amid the carnage, Jones and Cindric remained dueled for the win until Jones managed to edge Cindric at the finish line to initially claim the victory. Upon a review of the footage and the battle for the win, however, NASCAR determined that the caution was displayed before the field crossed the finish line to complete the event. At the moment of caution, Cindric barely scored ahead of Jones and was ruled the official winner.
The Conclusion
With the victory, Cindric, who finished in second place in a Duel event over the last three seasons, notched his first Daytona Duel career victory, the eighth overall for Team Penske and 10 championship points. Having qualified on the front row for this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500, Cindric became the first front-row starter for the Great American Race to win a Duel event since Chase Elliott won the first Duel event in 2017 days after he won the pole position for the main event.
As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season marks Austin Cindric’s fourth consecutive overall as a full-time competitor in the series, it will also mark a season where the North Carolinian will attempt to become the 13th competitor overall to win the Great American Race multiple times this upcoming weekend.
Quotes
“Cool, I feel bad for Erik [by] having to go all the way over [the frontstretch],” Cindric said on pit road on FS1. “Obviously, they made a great move on the last lap there. Joey [Logano] and I were sitting ducks with the middle lane fading there. We had [a] really fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Super proud of my team and everyone to go out here and execute. Thank you to [crew chief] Brian [Wilson] for letting me race.
“It was very difficult to maybe persuade that, but it was his birthday, so this is a good birthday present for him. It’s cool, but still a lot to go for the [Daytona 500].”
Erik Jones led a race-high 16 laps. He initially drove to the frontstretch to celebrate but was awarded second place,. Jones will start in fourth place for this year’s Daytona 500. Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano finished in the top five in the second Duel event while Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland, Ran Blaney, John Hunter Nemechek and Christopher Bell completed the top 10 in the final running order.
Corey LaJoie secures Daytona 500 berth
Meanwhile, Corey LaJoie was also victorious as the highest non-chartered competitor in the second Duel event As a result, he muscled his No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry into the Daytona 500 LaJoie, a third-generation racer from Charlotte, North Carolina, will make his ninth consecutive start in the Great American Race this upcoming weekend.
Securing a 2025 Daytona 500 berth was a redemptive moment for LaJoie, who was unable to secure a full-time Cup Series ride for this season after he was traded to Rick Ware Racing from Spire Motorsports midway into the 2024 season.
Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“You forget how special this race is,” LaJoie, who was relieved, said. “When you have to race for it, you have to earn it. Because when you’re racing full-time, it’s just the first [race] of 36, but when it’s the one that you think about for months, it means that much more. It means so much for that Rick Ware group. I’m pumped up, man. I wasn’t that stressed going in, but I am super relieved right now. We got 500 miles on Sunday to see if we can get a little closer to the front.”
With LaJoie securing his spot for this year’s Daytona 500 based on his on-track result from the second Duel event, Jimmie Johnson, who ended up in 19th place, fell back on his qualifying trials from Wednesday night to make the main event.
Meanwhile, Anthony Alfredo and BJ McLeod were the two “non-chartered” competitors that did not qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500.
There were 16 lead changes for seven different leaders. The event featured two caution for six laps. In addition, 19 of 22 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results:
1. Austin Cindric, five laps led
2. Erik Jones, 16 laps led
3. Chris Buescher, nine laps led
4. Denny Hamlin, 14 laps led
5. Joey Logano
6. Corey LaJoie
7. Todd Gilliland
8. Ryan Blaney, five laps led
9. John Hunter Nemechek
10. Christopher Bell
11. Kyle Larson
12. Riley Herbst
13. Anthony Alfredo
14. Shane van Gisbergen
15. Cody Ware
16. Cole Custer
17. BJ McLeod
18. Noah Gragson
19. Jimmie Johnson
20. Brad Keselowski – OUT, Accident, two laps led
21. Daniel Suarez – OUT, Accident, nine laps led
22. Alex Bowman – OUT, Accident
With the starting lineup for this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500 officially set, the main event is set to commence on Sunday, February 16, which will also mark the official start of NASCAR’s 77th season of premier series competition. The coverage for this year’s Great American Race is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2025) – On Thursday evening, the NASCAR Cup Series participated in the Duels at Daytona to set the starting grid for the 67th running of the DAYTONA 500. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries of Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, and Jimmie Johnson lined up together in the second Duel race of the night. In a race known for high stakes, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB led laps and had a strong showing. Most importantly, the CLUB finished the race unscathed and proud of the performance.
Below is a look at how the LEGACY MC entries fared during the Duel qualifying race:
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE DUEL RECAP: During the second Duel at Daytona qualifying race that sets the lineup for Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek started deep in the field in the 19th position. The 22-car field took a conservative approach on the 60-lap race, with the field logging laps. Nemechek was content feeling out his Toyota Camry XSE early on but that would eventually change as he picked his way forward. Just shy of the halfway mark of the race, the North Carolina native cracked the top 10. On Lap 44, the field ducked down pit road for green-flag pit stops. While Nemechek was exiting pit road, he was over the 55-mph speed limit, resulting in a pass-through penalty. As the No. 42 team served the penalty, a yellow flag slowed the field. The No. 42 Dollar Tree team took the opportunity to come back down pit road to bolt on four Goodyear tires and make an air-pressure adjustment to help with the tight on exit. With seven laps to go, Nemechek lined up 16th for the restart and once again made his way towards the front of the field. Spotter Hayden Reeves helped Nemechek avoid a big crash on the front stretch on the final lap and bring the No. 42 Dollar Tree team home with a clean race car in ninth place.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE (ON DUEL RACE):
“Wish we would have finished a little bit better. We have a little bit of work to do. It’s a new group this year, so there are some things I need different, things that they need different. Tonight was a good test. Overall, I guess it’s a solid night. I would have liked to have finished a little bit better, but we have to start somewhere. A great night for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, showing some speed. Looking forward to Sunday.”
ERIK JONES NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE DUEL RECAP: The No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE started Duel 2 in the 18th position after yesterday’s qualifying efforts. Jones decided early on to race hard and created a third lane on Lap 15. This decision came with great reward as the No. 43 pushed forward to lead the pack. The AdventHealth branded Toyota led 15 laps before the halfway mark. After a pit stop for fuel, the No. 43 battled back up to stay within the top 10. Getting antsy on the last lap, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry pushed hard and made a move to the outside lane to take the lead. The AdventHealth Toyota was battling back and forth with the No. 2 for the first position on the last lap. With a wild finish, a caution flag was thrown before the top 2 made it to the start finish line. The No. 43 was initially deemed the winner of Duel 2, but after a review from NASCAR officials, the caution flag was thrown as the No. 2 was in the lead, resulting in a second-place finish for Jones. He will start fourth in The Great American Race.
ERIK JONES QUOTABLE (ON DUEL RACE):
“The race was good. We kind of went on a different strategy just to get up front and put ourselves in a good spot after the pit stop. After the restart, I was just trying to get to the top, and it finally kind of opened up there on the final lap – I felt like I put myself in a good spot and set myself to try to beat him to the line and did, but unfortunately, the yellow came out before. I haven’t seen it. It is a bummer – you think you win the race, and I’ve never had that happen, so I feel for all of the others in that spot – it’s not fun. Either way, we will go make it up on Sunday.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON NO. 84 CARVANA TOYOTA CAMRY XSE DUEL RECAP: It didn’t take long for Jimmie Johnson to move to the front in the Duel qualifier event at Daytona. After starting 14th, he soon found teammate Erik Jones and they pushed to the lead. Johnson ran second at the front of the field with Jones through the first half of the event.
On Lap 25 Johnson felt as though the No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE was running out of fuel and he pitted for a full tank of gas on Lap 26. With 22 laps to go the field passed Johnson by, since he lost momentum and the draft.
Johnson stayed on the track while the rest of the field pitted on Lap 45 – getting his lap back as the race wore down. A late race caution showed Johnson to pit road again with eight to go, for four tires and fuel.
After the pit stop, Crew chief Chad Johnston told Johnson ‘be careful, as this is when things will start to happen,’ and Johnson was ready for action behind the wheel. A last lap melee happened in front of Johnson and he avoided involvement coming to the checkered flag, eventually finishing 19th. Johnson will unofficially start 40th in the 67th running of The Great American Race on Sunday.
JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTABLE Can you talk about your feelings in this moment? “Definitely a good performance for us. Unfortunately, we had some kind of fuel pump issue or a fueling issue and cost us a chance to really race for it, but Erik (Jones) did a phenomenal job. I’m a little bummed for him to not have that AdventHealth Camry in victory lane, but we saw the video and it is clear – the caution came out, he is about six inches behind the 2 (Austin Cindric) car. Roller coaster thinking of it being our first win as an organization and then let down that came behind that. But good things ahead for us.”
What are you looking forward to for Sunday? “Just running more laps – getting a good feel for the Carvana Camry. A strong performance. We are eager to get off to a quick start and we know for our full-time cars that a good finish in these first four or five weeks really sets you up for a strong season and a nice look at the Playoffs. So of course, we want to win the Daytona 500, but we are also very focused on the long game this year.”
NO. 42 JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA: 18TH NO. 43 ERIK JONES ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA: 4TH NO. 84 JIMMIE JOHNSON CARVANA TOYOTA: 40TH
UP NEXT: Daytona Speedweek continues on Friday at 5:35 p.m. for a 50-minute practice session for the NASCAR Cup Series. The practice will be broadcast on FOX SPORTS 1, MRN Radio, and SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio, CH. 90.
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.
Photo - Daytona Duel by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
After missing the 2024 Playoffs despite achieving his best season statistical-wise to date, Bubba Wallace struck first. He claimed a dominant victory in the first of two Duels at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 13.
The 31-year-old Wallace from Mobile, Alabama, led five times for a race-high 21 of 60-scheduled laps in the first Duel event. Wallace started in 15th place and navigated his way to the front for the first time on Lap 31,
He then overtook William Byron entering the frontstretch. With drafting help primarily from his 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick, Wallace remained towards the front for the remainder of the Duel’s second half, including the final restart period with 14 laps remaining.
Despite briefly losing his momentum after nearly getting sideways with nearly five laps remaining, Wallace fought back and muscled ahead of Ty Dillon, William Byron, and the rest of the field prior to the final lap. Once out in front during the final lap, Wallace fended off the field that had fanned out to three-packed lanes to win a Daytona Duel event for the first time in his career.
Chase Briscoe, the 2025 Daytona 500 pole winner, started on the pole. He shared the front row with Ryan Preece, who posted the third-fastest qualifying lap during Wednesday’s single-car qualifying session.
During the pace laps, Chase Elliott, Preece and Ross Chastain pitted to address mechanical issues with their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the first Duel event commenced, Briscoe and Preece dueled against one another for the lead in front of two-stacked lanes. As the field cycled around Daytona International Speedway for a full lap, Preece used the draft from the outside lane to muscle ahead and lead the first lap over Briscoe.
Just past the second lap, the event’s first caution flew when Zane Smith, who was the third competitor in line from the outside lane behind Preece and Austin Dillon, blew a right-front tire and hit the outside wall entering the first two turns, though he managed to limp his No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry back to his pit stall. At the moment of caution, Briscoe, who led the previous lap, was scored the leader over Preece.
During the first Duel’s first caution period, a bevy of competitors led by Briscoe pitted their respective entries, primarily for fuel, while Justin Allgaier, who was initially pitting for only fuel, instead pitted for four fresh tires due to sliding his No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet entry into his pit box. Amid the pit stops, Josh Berry cycled into the lead and he shared the front row with Briscoe prior to the first Duel’s first restart period on the seventh lap.
The start of the ensuing restart featured Berry and Briscoe dueling for the lead in front of the field through the first two turns until Berry gained a strong draft form Austin Dillon and Elliott to muscle ahead of Briscoe through the backstretch. Berry would then fend off Dillon entering the frontstretch to retain the lead on the eighth lap before he stalled a run by Elliott as Michael McDowell muscled his way into the top-three mark.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Elliott navigated his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet entry into the lead. He was followed by McDowell, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Dillon while Berry fell back to fifth place. Meanwhile, Briscoe, Justin Haley, Kyle Busch, Chandler Smith and Ty Gibbs were jostling inside the top 10 while Ty Dillon, Helio Castroneves, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Reddick, Preece, Ross Chastain, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and JJ Yeley were scored in the top 20.
Three laps later, the first Duel’s second caution flew when Chandler Smith, who was scored in third place, made contact with Justin Haley while trying to move in front of him entering the first two turns. The contact sent Smith’s No. 66 Quick Tie Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry head-on into the outside wall as Ty Gibbs, who was trying to dodge Smith, was hit by Castroneves as he clipped and sent Haley head-on into the wall. In the process, Castroneves also hit the wall on the right side of his No. 91 Wendy’s Chevrolet entry and he would eventually hit the outside wall again due to hitting the apron as he tried to nurse his damaged car back to pit road. Bubba Wallace, JJ Yeley, Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch would all sustain damage to their respective entries while trying to avoid the carnage.
The damage to their respective entries was enough to knock both Chandler Smith and Helio Castroneves out of contention to finish the first Duel event. While Smith’s hopes of making the 67th running of the Daytona 500 with Garage 66 evaporated, Castroneves was guaranteed a starting spot for the event through NASCAR’s “Open Provisional Exemption.”
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
During the caution period, a bevy of competitors led by Elliott pitted for enough fuel to complete the first Duel’s scheduled distance while the rest led by McDowell remained on the track. Shortly after, McDowell along with Truex, Briscoe and Carson Hocevar pitted their entries, which allowed Elliott to cycle back into the lead.
When the first Duel restarted under green on Lap 19, Elliott and Berry dueled for the lead in front of Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain through the first two turns. As the rest of the field regained the momentum through the backstretch, Berry rocketed ahead from the outside lane as both he and Chastain had extra drafting help from William Byron, Bubba Wallace, McDowell and Truex. Amid the battles on the track, McDowell was assessed a drive-through penalty for improper lineup prior to the restart. Earlier, Ty Dillon was also penalized for speeding while exiting his pit stall.
Three laps later, Elliott received a draft from Austin Dillon from the inside lane to muscle ahead of Berry and reassume the lead through the frontstretch. Berry would then get shoved out of the draft entering the first two turns as he drifted to the rear of the field. With Berry falling back, Elliott was left to block Chastain for the lead as Austin Dillon, Byron, Allmendinger, Wallace, Reddick, Truex, Preece, Ty Gibbs, Allgaier, Kyle Busch, Stenhouse, Yeley and Ty Dillon were all mingling in a draft towards the front.
On Lap 24, the first Duel’s third caution flew due to debris reported in Turn 4. During the caution period, Briscoe steered his Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE entry into the garage and voluntarily retired to preserve his pole-winning car for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
As the first Duel restarted under green on Lap 28, Elliott dueled with Chastain for the lead through the first two turns until Chastain received a strong push from Byron to muscle his No. 1 Busch Light Chevrolet entry ahead through the backstretch. Chastain and Byron would then transition from both the inside and outside lane to defend runs from both Elliott and Wallace during the following lap before Byron steered his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet entry to the outside lane to challenge Chastain for the lead. With drafting help from Wallace on the outside lane, Byron would lead the first Duel’s halfway mark on Lap 30 over Chastain.
Not long after, Wallace steered his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE entry to the outside of Byron entering the frontstretch to assume the lead. By then, he had teammate Reddick and Preece drafting him while Byron transitioned back to the inside lane and in front of Chevrolet teammates Chastain, Elliott and Austin Dillon. With Preece trying to navigate his way back to the front, Wallace was left to duel against Byron in front of two stacked lanes for the lead.
With 25 laps remaining, Byron and Wallace, both of whom were dueling against one another for the lead through every corner and straightaway, continued to battle dead even for the lead. By then, Wallace, who was leading the outside lane, had drafting help from Preece and Reddick while Byron, who led the inside lane, remained in front of Chastain. A lap later, however, Preece transitioned to the inside lane and used drafts from Byron to challenge Wallace for the lead. Both Preece and Wallace would proceed to battle against one another for the lead over the next three laps.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Wallace was shoved to a narrow lead by teammate Reddick over Byron as Chastain, Ty Dillon, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Allgaier and Allmendinger were scored in the top 10. By then, Preece, who was racing at the front, had drifted back to within the top-15 mark after he got split by the front-runners and had no drafting help through the first two turns. As Preece fell back, Wallace went into defensive mode as he transitioned between the outside and inside lane to keep Byron drafting him.
A few laps later, the caution returned due to debris reported on the backstretch. During the caution period, select names that included Truex, Berry and Hocevar pitted while the rest led by Wallace remained on the track.
The start of the ensuing restart with 14 laps remaining featured Wallace dueling with Byron for the lead through the first two turns. With the field stacked up entering the backstretch, Wallace had teammate Reddick drafting him from the outside lane while Byron received a push from Chastain that enabled him to continue to duel with Wallace for the lead. Wallace and Byron would remain dead even through the frontstretch during the following lap until Wallace received another strong draft from Reddick through the backstretch to clear Byron and have both lanes to his control.
Down to the final 12 laps of the event, the field slowly started to fan out to three lanes as Wallace retained a steady lead over teammate Reddick. With the field scattering and trying to regain formation amid the pack, Ty Dillon muscled his way to the front along with Elliott while Byron, who briefly fell back, was trying to regain his momentum from fifth place. As Ty Dillon started to gain momentum as the lead competitor from the inside lane, Wallace continued to lead with 10 laps remaining.
With five laps remaining, Ty Dillon, who had dueled against Wallace for the lead over the previous four laps, was leading and had both lanes under his control after Wallace briefly got loose exiting the backstretch, which allowed Byron to battle him for second as Chastain, Reddick and Austin Dillon were in the mix within the top-six mark. By then, Yeley, who was trying to race into the top-10 mark, was also trying to fend off Allgaier and Truex to claim a transfer berth into the Daytona 500 in a non-chartered entry.
Despite nearly getting sideways exiting the backstretch, Wallace managed to regain his momentum from the outside lane and re-challenge Ty Dillon for the lead in front of the field. By then, Wallace continued to have drafting help from Reddick while Byron settled behind Dillon on the inside lane. Despite Dillon’s attempt to muscle ahead through the turns, Wallace used the straightaways from the outside lane to fight back and duel with Dillon for the lead.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Wallace, who had muscled ahead of the field entering the frontstretch, was leading ahead of Ty Dillon, Reddick and Allmendinger as the field fanned out to three lanes. Through the first two turns and the early portions of the backstretch, Wallace fended off Dillon to maintain the top spot.
Then as Allmendinger started to surge towards the front with a draft near the outside wall, teammate Dillon tried to move up to pick up the momentum. Allmendinger gave Dillon a hard bump in the rear end that resulted in Dillon hitting the wall. Despite the impact, Dillon kept his No. 10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet entry racing straight. Both Byron and Reddick went three-wide on him entering Turns 3 and 4. As the rest of the field fanned out to three lanes entering the frontstretch, Wallace motored away to claim the checkered flag and win the first Duel event.
With the victory, Wallace, whose previous best result in the Duels was second in 2021, notched his first Daytona Duel victory of his career, his first trip to a Cup Series’ Victory Lane center since he won at Kansas Speedway in September 2022 and a second consecutive Daytona Duel victory for 23XI Racing after his teammate Tyler Reddick won the first Duel event a year ago. Wallace was also awarded 10 championship points and the third-place starting spot for this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Wallace’s eighth as a full-time competitor in the series as he will also make his eighth bid for his first Daytona 500 victory this upcoming weekend.
“Man, what a night,” Wallace said on the frontstretch on FS1. “Man, thanks to Tyler [Reddick]. That was awesome to see two team cars work together that well and learn a lot for Sunday. [Reddick] Did a great job pushing me. Man, I’ve wanted one of these Duel wins for so long. All my buddies got them, Tyler got one last year and I’m pissed off. [I] Got me one now. I’m good. It’s definitely a makeup for last night and the speed that we had, but we always know like Toyotas will race really well in [the main event], so all in all, good night.”
Byron, who radioed motor concerns in the closing laps, muscled his way to a second-place finish as Ty Dillon settled in a strong third place. Chastain and Reddick finished in the top five while Allmendinger, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Justin Allgaier and Kyle Busch completed the top 10 on the track.
Meanwhile and amid Wallace’s Duel victory, Allgaier was also left victorious on pit road after he emerged as the highest non-chartered competitor in the final results by finishing in ninth place. The result allowed the reigning Xfinity Series champion from Riverton, Illinois, to claim a starting berth into the Daytona 500 for the third time in his career and his first since 2015. Above all, Allgaier awarded JR Motorsports, the reigning four-time Xfinity Series championship-winning team, its first-ever entrance to a Cup Series race, where they will contend in the Great American Race.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“The emotions right now are really just because of how much everybody [at JR Motorsports] has wanted it,” Allgaier, who was emotional on pit road, said. “[Dale Jr.’s] lip was quivering and his hands were shaking before the race. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that out of Dale Jr. He told me before the race, he said, ‘Man, I’m nervous. I don’t want to make you nervous, but I’m really nervous.
It’s the truth. This means a lot to our team, this little team at JR Motorsports. You could tell how much [Dale Jr.] wanted this and our whole shop wanted this. There were so many faces on this car that have worked to make this car happen that this is their first-ever real experience in the Cup Series. We get to go race the Daytona 500. It’s pretty special. This one means more than I can ever imagine. It’s gonna be really fun.”
Like Allgaier, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was left both emotional and jubilant as he will witness his newly formed Cup Series entry from JR Motorsports participate in NASCAR’s premier series for the first time to commence the 2025 racing season.
“I’m so proud of Justin,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He put the whole team on his back those last couple of laps. I’m gonna tell you, man, this sport’s amazing, everything about it. I’ve seen it through so many different lenses. I love the challenges. I wouldn’t want it any other way. This was hard emotionally, but I can’t believe that we get to race on Sunday. I just can’t believe it!”
With Allgaier transferring into this year’s Daytona 500 based on being the highest non-chartered competitor in the final running order, Martin Truex Jr., who finished 15th, will fall back on his qualifying trials from Wednesday night to make the main event. As previously mentioned, Helio Castroneves, who ended up in 22nd place with a wrecked race car, will also qualify for the Daytona 500 through NASCAR’s “Open Provisional Exemption.”
Meanwhile, JJ Yeley and Chandler Smith were the two competitors from the first Duel event that did not qualify for this year’s Daytona 500.
There were 20 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The event featured four cautions for 15 laps. In addition, 18 of 23 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results:
1. Bubba Wallace, 21 laps led
2. William Byron, four laps led
3. Ty Dillon, four laps led
4. Ross Chastain, one lap led
5. Tyler Reddick
6. AJ Allmendinger
7. Austin Dillon
8. Chase Elliott, 15 laps led
9. Justin Allgaier
10. Kyle Busch
11. Ty Gibbs, one lap led
12. Michael McDowell, two laps led
13. Ryan Preece, three laps led
14. Josh Berry, six laps led
15. Martin Truex Jr.
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. JJ Yeley
18. Carson Hocevar
19. Chase Briscoe – OUT, Radiator, three laps led
20. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident
21. Justin Haley – OUT, Accident
22. Helio Castroneves – OUT, Accident
23. Zane Smith – OUT, Suspension
The second Duel event at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to follow suit as the event is also being aired on FS1.
Duel Races at DAYTONA – Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Fla. – February 13, 2025
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG
START: 1ST FINISH: 1ST
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, the 2022 DAYTONA 500 champion, emerged victorious Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway, winning Duel 2 in the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang as the anticipation builds for Sunday’s 67th running of the Great American Race. Cindric started from the pole position after a stout qualifying effort Wednesday night that saw him secure a front-row starting spot. The 60-lap event unfolded calmly for the most part, until the first caution flew on Lap 49. Cindric maintained his stance among the frontrunners over the final sprint, ultimately finding himself in victory lane as a chaotic final lap played out.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Obviously a great race for us and a fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang, but I would say a bit of a surprise there. I thought it was super close. Sitting from my perspective, I thought I got it, but I think [Erik Jones] beat me to the line, but the caution light came out a little earlier, so obviously it was a great result and glad my guys let me race this one tonight to see what we had. Now we can tune on this thing for the 500.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/PEAK FORD MUSTANG
START: 10TH FINISH: 8TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney came away with an eighth-place finish in the second duel race Thursday night, leading five laps in the 150-mile event. With 28 laps to go, Blaney powered the No. 12 Menards/Peak Ford Mustang to the top lane and brought his Team Penske teammates along with him to the front of the field before hitting pit road for fuel only with 16 laps remaining. Following a caution on the backstretch with 13 to go, Blaney took the green flag from the outside of row three and held his line in the top lane to the checkered flag as a multi-car incident unraveled behind him.
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 2ND FINISH: 5TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano returned behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Sunday night in the inaugural Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, turning in a fourth-place effort in the 200-lap exhibition race. After taking the green flag from seventh, Logano suffered contact to the right front in the opening laps that resulted in a tight-handling condition for the duration of the first run. Logano managed to hold his standing in the top-10 before the scheduled caution on lap 100 when the No. 22 team addressed an issue with the right front toe link prior to the final run of the night. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford responded by working its way into the top-five with 44 laps to go before Logano battled the No. 23 for several laps, eventually taking over the fourth spot with 19 laps remaining where eventually took the checkered flag from.
The NASCAR Cup Series hits the track Friday afternoon for the second of three practice sessions this week at Daytona International Speedway. Coverage of the 50-minute session begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DUELS AT DAYTONA – #2 TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 13, 2025
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS (Duel #2)
POS. DRIVER 11th – Kyle Larson 13th – Anthony Alfredo 14th – Shane van Gisbergen 17th – BJ McLeod 21st – Daniel Suarez 22nd – Alex Bowman
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Sidelined by damage sustained on the last-lap caution.
Finished: 14th
“I’m not really sure what happened. We were all getting a bit tight off of turn four. I was just kind of riding and got spun into the fence. I’m not sure if that was my fault with the car placement, but I felt like I was doing it right. I was learning a lot; saved a lot of fuel and jumped up a lot of spots at the start. I’m not sure what happened at the end. It’s not fun when we’re crashing at the end, that’s for sure.”
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 48.
Finished: 21st
“I thought the No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy team was doing a good job. Our Chevy felt very good. We actually did too good of a job on pit road in comparison to the people we pitted with. I felt like we were in a good position there. They were about to wreck in front of me and everyone checked up. It was kind of like a chain reaction. The No. 48 (Alex Bowman) pushed me, but the No. 48 was getting pushed by the No. 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) and I think someone else was pushing the No. 88. It was just a bad situation. I hate it for my guys. They’re going to have to work some extra hours, but I’m sure we’re going to be able to build another fast car for Sunday.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 48.
Finished: 22nd
“I think I was just on the wrong side of an accordion, really. The No. 48 Ally Chevy team executed our race pretty well. We had an OK pit cycle. We didn’t make any mistakes on the pit cycle, which in the group of cars that we pitted with, there were a bunch of mistakes. We avoided that, but looking at what happened afterwards, I wish we would have sped or something because we would have been in a better spot with track position. The front of the field checked up – it was just an accordion and got spun. Once it locked up, I kept trying to get the wheels to unlock to get it to spin the other way to not hit the inside wall. Unfortunately they never did and hit the inside wall.”
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JONES NEAR INCHES FROM FIRST WIN FOR LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Multi-time Daytona winner Erik Jones starts fourth in the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 13, 2025) – Erik Jones made it three Toyota Camry XSE’s in the first two rows in Sunday’s Daytona 500 as he came within mere inches of his first win for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in the second duel race at Daytona on Thursday evening. When the caution fell, Jones was in second, which gives the Michigan-native the fourth starting spot in Sunday’s Great American Race.
Denny Hamlin (fourth), John Hunter Nemechek (ninth) and Christopher Bell (10th) gave Toyota four Camrys in the top-10.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Daytona International Speedway Duel 2 – 150 miles, 60 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Cindric*
2nd, ERIK JONES
3rd, Chris Buescher*
4th, DENNY HAMLIN
5th, Joey Logano*
9th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
10th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
12th, RILEY HERBST
19th, JIMMIE JOHNSON
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ERIK JONES, No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 2nd
Can you describe your race tonight?
“It was good. We kind of went on a different strategy just to get up front and put ourselves in a good spot after the pit stop. After the restart, I was just trying to get to the top, and it finally kind of opened up there on the final lap – I felt like I put myself in a good spot and set myself to try to beat him to the line and did, but unfortunately, the yellow came out before. I haven’t seen it. It is a bummer – you think you win the race, and I’ve never had that happen so I feel for all of the others in that spot – it’s not fun. Either way, we will go make it up on Sunday.”
What is your outlook for Sunday after having such a strong race tonight?
“It was good. I thought our speed was good. We obviously kind of leap-frogged the back there when they were saving, but I thought we were able to maintain when the pace picked up. The handling was good, and the speed was good. We led and pushed and did kind of all the different stuff so the Advent Camry’s got some speed and hopefully we can just use it all on Sunday.”
What are your emotions right now?
“A wide range of emotions. It’s a bummer. It’s the rule. If the yellow is out, the race is over and it’s unfortunate but either way I feel like the Advent Camry was really fast. It was fun running upfront, fun leading some laps, fun contending for the win. I did everything I could. It just didn’t work out and hopefully we can be in that same spot again on Sunday.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
How did your Camry work in the draft tonight?
“I thought our Camry was really good. No complaints really from me. I had everything to compete and once we clean it up on Sunday we’ll be in good shape.”
What does it mean for Bubba Wallace to earn that first Duel win tonight?
“It’s awesome. Tyler (Reddick) was able to get a Duel last year and then Bubba (Wallace) this year. The 23 and 45 really controlled that race quite a bit so it was great to see. Even though they didn’t qualify (last night) where we expected, I think obviously the true speed of their Camrys really showed up tonight.”
“Definitely a good performance for us. Unfortunately, we had some kind of fuel pump issue or a fueling issue, and cost us a chance to really race for it, but Erik (Jones) did a phenomenal job. I’m a little bummed for him to not have that AdventHealth Camry in victory lane, but we saw the video and it is clear – the caution came out, he is about six inches behind the 2 (Austin Cindric) car. Roller coaster thinking of it being our first win as an organization, and then let down that came behind that. But good things ahead for us.”
What are you looking forward to for Sunday?
“Just running more laps – getting a good feel for the Carvana Camry. A strong performance. We are eager to get off to a quick start and we know for our full-time cars that a good finish in these first four or five weeks really sets you up for a strong season and a nice look at the Playoffs. So of course, we want to win the Daytona 500, but we are also very focused on the long game this year.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Duel Qualifying Race 2 | Wednesday, February 12, 2025
AUSTIN CINDRIC WINS SECOND DUEL RACE
Team Penske’s Austin Cindric won the second Duel Qualifying race tonight.
Ford has now won at least one Duel race in seven of the last eight years.
Corey LaJoie raced his way into the Daytona 500 as an Open car.
FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st – Austin Cindric
3rd – Chris Buescher
5th – Joey Logano
6th – Corey LaJoie
7th – Todd Gilliland
8th – Ryan Blaney
15th – Cody Ware
16th – Cole Custer
18th – Noah Gragson
20th – Brad Keselowski
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW: YOU JUST HAD A LONG WALK LOOKING FOR THE CHECKERED FLAG. HOW DOES THAT FEEL? “It’s great to get the points and obviously have a fast car and get to practice a good bit of execution – a good teammate and good teamwork with most of the Fords, so I’m proud of that effort. The guys did a really great job and I’m happy I was able to race tonight.”
FRONT ROW IN QUALIFYING AND YOU WIN THE DUEL. THIS HAS GONE ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT CAN SO FAR. “It’s a long week ahead. There’s still a lot to go.”
YOU”RE THE WINNER. HOW WAS THE RACE? “Obviously a great race for us and a fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang, but I would say a bit of a surprise there. I thought it was super close. Sitting from my perspective, I thought I got it, but I think the 43 beat me to the line, but the caution light came out a little earlier, so obviously it was a great result and glad my guys let me race this one tonight to see what we had. Now we can tune on this thing for the 500.”
YOU HAVE A FAST CAR FOR ONE LAP AND A FAST CAR FOR 60 LAPS. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FOR SUNDAY? “I think I learned quite a bit. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can apply. Maybe we can work on it a little bit in these two practice sessions we have coming up. It’s still a long week ahead. We pretty much have to do three more of those Duels with a lot more cars and some really competitive cars and some tough competition and a lot of room for error. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
COREY LAJOIE, No. 01 Take 5 Oil Change/DuraMax Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Driving through this you have one eye out the windshield and one on the mirror to make sure whoever you are racing, you want to keep behind. I knew we blended well. Our pit road sequence there [on the pit stop], we had a good cadence. We came in with the Penske cars, we were able to have some good track position there for the last restart. I felt good about our chances there. I wanted to make sure I didn’t push the [number] 17 there in a bad way, get him in a bad spot. Once you know you are in a good spot you are just trying to get it home. I can’t say enough about the RWR guys and Take 5 and DuraMax for coming on last minute. I fronted the money to Rick Ware in January to make sure nobody else got this car because I believe that much in him and this group. Luckily for me, DuraMax and Take 5 came in and took me off the financial hook. When you have to race your way in, you appreciate the event. You appreciate how hard it is. You appreciate the attention it gets. To earn one of those four open spots is really special. You take it for granted when you show up and you know you are racing. It is a different feeling for me driving my motorhome down here with eight hours of windshield time wondering when I am going to be driving the motorhome back, Friday morning or Monday morning? I was never planning for it to be Friday.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “This Fastenal Mustang is really good. I’m really happy with that. The pit cycle got a little messier than we wanted. It seems to happen here and there at the end I had some really good help from Corey from behind us. We were able to make some really good momentum from our lane and ultimately the bottom just tightened up a little bit better there and I need to work a little harder to keep lanes better, but I’m pretty happy with this hot rod.”
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.”
“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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