Following Wednesday night’s qualifying time trials, Daytona Speedweek continued tonight with the annual Duels at Daytona. For those who don’t know, last night’s qualifying was meant to set the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 as well as the starting order for tonight’s duel races. The drivers who qualified in an odd-numbered position were the stars of duel number 1, while the even-number qualifiers put on a show in the second. The first duel decided the starting order for the inside row for the Daytona 500 as the second determined the outside starters. Historically, one of the duel races (typically the first) is an absolute wreck fest while the other one is tamer in nature. Did that tradition continue here tonight? Let’s talk about it! Here’s everything that happened in the 2025 Duels at Daytona!
Starting on the pole for the first duel of the night was the driver of the number 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota for JGR and 2025 Daytona 500 pole winner Chase Briscoe. The opening laps of the race were neck-and-neck for the race lead with the likes of Briscoe and teammate Ty Gibbs duking it out. Gibbs just barely edged out Briscoe at the time of the first caution as Zane Smith had a tire go down and gently got into the wall. The caution was a big break for Trackhouse driver Ross Chastain who started the race over a lap behind the field after coming down pit road with throttle issues. Under caution, the pack came down pit road to make some much-needed adjustments and to get some fresh Goodyears.
The field went racing as they took the green flag once more. Chase Elliott and Josh Berry wasted little time getting out front and fending off the rest of the pack. The first major incident happened on Lap 14 and it unfortunately involved a couple of our open drivers. The accident was sparked as Chandler Smith cut across the nose of Justin Haley. Haley didn’t check up and he slammed into the back end of Smith which sent Smith head-first into the outside wall. This retired him from the race, meaning that he did not qualify for the Daytona 500.
J. J. Yeley and Helio Castroneves were also involved in the incident. Yeley received minor damage in the incident while Castroneves plowed into the outside wall, ending his night. This meant that he would not race his way in. Instead, he will have to use his OEP provisional, securing him a 41st spot to Sunday’s Daytona 500. As a result, he will not be eligible for prize money or points.
The race went green for a few more laps with Chase Elliott and Josh Berry duking it out for the lead. However, the caution came out once more just a couple of laps later. The cause of the yellow was debris which flew off of Ty Gibbs’ car. Once back green, the field was able to run several laps under green. That was until yet another caution came out for debris within 20 laps to go.
Largely, the second half of the race was relatively uneventful. In the closing laps, the drivers in contention for the win were Ty Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Ross Chastain. But all eyes were on the open cars. All three in Yeley, Truex, and Allgaier were running under a blanket, the highest finisher earning a spot in the 67th Daytona 500. Ultimately, it was Justin Allgaier in the number 40 JR Motorsports Chevy that raced his way in. Truex was able to fall back on his time trial from last night.
The 23XI cars were strong tonight with Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick running in the top-5 for much of the evening. In the end, it was Bubba Wallace who crossed the line first, holding the pack at bay. With this win, he will start the Daytona 500 in the 3rd position. Also, he is awarded 10 points that count towards the regular-season point standings. Congratulations to Bubba and that entire 23XI team!
As predicted, there was a night and day difference between the two duel races. While the first half of the first duel was caution-riddled, the first half of duel number 2 was tame. There were no cautions in the first three-fourths of this duel race, meaning that the field had to pit under green. Green flag pit stops kicked off on Lap-45 with the Chevys and Toyotas pitting. Most of the fords the next lap. The following lap, the rest of the Fords came in. Penalties during pit stop include Kyle Larson, John Hunter Nemechek, and Denny Hamlin, both for speeding on pit road.
Drivers who were fast during the opening stages of the race were the usual suspects: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Erik Jones. Also showing flashes of speed was 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson. He ran solidly in the top-5 until making a pit stop, believing that he was low on fuel. He subsequently went a lap down.
Benefitting from the pit stops were the Team Penske Fords. While Christ Buescher and Brad Keselowski cycled into the lead, they were separated from the rest of the pack. But as the pack came back together, chaos ensued.
The first caution of Duel number 2 came when Daniel Suarez aggressively blocked Alex Bowman. This led to Bowman checking up and getting turned. He slid to the inside, collecting Bad Brad, and made hard contact with the inside SAFER barrier. All three drivers retired from the race. Check it out:
The race restarted inside 10 to go with Fords leading the way. Austin Cindric, Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, and Corey LaJoie were the drivers in contention to win as the laps wound down. LaJoie was an open car chasing a starting spot in the Daytona 500. Despite being a rather boring race, it did have a thrilling photo-finish. On the backstretch, the race looked decided. It looked like Cindric had this race well in hand. However, Erik Jones put together a charge coming to the line. With a wreck behind them, officially, the race ended under caution. While Jones was the leader at the finish line and even started to celebrate post-race, the leader at the point of caution decided the winner, and that driver was Austin Cindric.
Racing his way into the race was Corey LaJoie. LaJoie showed some serious speed in the closing laps of the race, putting himself in contention to win.
The front row for the 67th running of the Daytona 500 was decided last night during single-car time trials. Winning the pole was Chase Briscoe for his new number 19 JGR team. It was the team’s third pole win in a row. Starting on the outside pole is Team Penske’s Austin Cindric.
Falling back on speed was 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr. He will race on Sunday, rolling off the grid in the 31st position. Driving for Tricon Garage, the car was prepared by Joe Gibbs Racing personnel. Look for him to be a threat this Sunday. Jimmie Johnson also fell back on his qualifying speed.
Only two drivers had the opportunity to race their way into the Daytona 500 tonight; one in Duel 1 and one in Duel 2. Racing his way into the race in the first duel was Justin Allgaier, driving the number 40 Traveler’s Whiskey Chevy for JR Motorsports. It didn’t come easy with Allgaier falling out of the transfer spots several times in the closing lap. However, in the final two laps he was able to channel his inner Dale Jr. and scratch and claw his way through the field. He finished the race in 9th, meaning that he will start the 500 in the 17th position. JRM will make their debut in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. FOX Sports’ Jamie Little caught up with an elated Allgaier and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. post-race.
Capturing the final duel transfer spot was Corey LaJoie in his Rick Ware Racing/Stacking Pennies 01 collaboration. Congratulations to him! He will get to race in Sunday’s Daytona 500!
During an incident on Lap-14, 4-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves was involved in an incident that saw him plow hard into the outside wall. This broke the right front of his car, ultimately leading to him retiring from the race. He did not race his way into the show. Fortunately for him and his Project 91 Trackhouse team, he will race Sunday. This comes from the new OEP provision which guarantees him an additional 41st place starting spot for the Daytona 500.
On the side of heartbreak were the drivers who were unable to advance into the Daytona 500, be it on speed or in the duels. The first driver who got outright knocked out was Chandler Smith, who was involved in the wreck on Lap-14. Helio Castroneves was also involved in this incident, meaning that he would have to rely on the OEP provisional.
Justin Heley was also heading home from Duel 1. Heley drove his NY Racing #44 hard in the closing laps of the race and even found himself in position to transfer a number of times. Unfortunately, a hard-chagrin Justin Allgaier passed him in the final two laps, leaving him on the outside looking in.
Anthony Alfredo failed to race his way in during the second duel race. The #62 had decent speed and even found himself in the transfer spot a number of times. Alas, it just wasn’t enough. He was caught up in a last-lap crash coming to the line. He ended the race broken-hearted and on a rollback.
Unfortunately for the Live Fast crew, B. J. McCleod never really was in contention. He ran in the back for much of the race and had several issues on pit road. This is the second year in a row B. J. failed to qualify for the Daytona 500.
The full starting lineup for the 67th Daytona 500 is as follows.
That does it for our coverage of the Daytona duels, NASCAR fans. The field for the 67th Daytona 500 has officially been set! Drivers raced their way in or were forced to go home. What did you think of these two races? Let us know what you’re thinking! And be sure to keep tuning in back here at DailyDownforce.com all weekend long! We’ll have all the news buzzing around the garage as well as race coverage for the Truck, ARCA, Xfinity, and Cup Races at the World Center of Racing.
