The Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona was a pair of 150-mile qualifying races to determine the starting line-up for positions 3-40 for Sunday's Daytona 500.
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Those races saw plenty of hot action with two very similar situations playing out.
The first Duel saw Chevrolet have the most cars in the 21-car field, with only four Fords and a handful of Toyotas.
Everything was calm for the majority of the race with plenty of drivers trying to show their strength while also protecting their cars for Sunday. Jimmie Johnson was in a very tough situation as he had to race his way into the Daytona 500 for the first time in his career.
That was a tough situation for the newly minted NASCAR Hall of Famer.
Following some crazy pitstops, things got dicey as the split-up packs found each other, and a four-car crash at the back of the field nearly sent Johnson home. The wreck took out Daniel Hemric's No. 31 Chevrolet, so he'll be going to a backup car for Sunday's race.
A stack-up sends multiple cars spinning!
This could have huge #DAYTONA500 implications for @JimmieJohnson! pic.twitter.com/BoILvHyZW4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2024
As for Johnson, he had plenty of unnecessary stress, as they went back to green with less than eight laps remaining.
Johnson and J.J. Yeley, who had to beat Johnson to make "The Great American Race," fought a very exciting battle to the finish line. With less than a mile to go, Johnson was behind Yeley and was beginning to imagine the disappointment of having to watch the Daytona 500 instead of driving in it.
"I'm like, 'I'm not going to make it,'" Johnson said about his thoughts on that last lap. "'I'm not going to make the Daytona 500. I'm going to have to call all our partners. I'm going to have to stand in the suite and shake hands during the 500 and not drive a car.'
Johnson had the push late from Martin Truex Jr., which helped him edge Yeley at the line, cementing Johnson as the first active Hall of Famer with a chance to win a Cup Series race. Johnson later admitted to his nervousness until the checkered flag flew.
"That was way more pressure than I ever wanted," Johnson said. "Good job guys. Thank you."
Duel No. 1 goes to @TylerReddick, but look at this battle between @JimmieJohnson and @jjyeley1 for a berth in the #DAYTONA500! pic.twitter.com/SVHWCZF3af
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2024
Toyota had plenty more to celebrate as 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick in the No. 45 edged out Hendrick Motorsports' No. 9 Chase Elliott to win the first Daytona Duel.
While Duel One was exciting, Duel Two flipped things on its head.
What started as a tame race, quickly changed to craziness after the pit stops. Unlike the first duel, the Fords had an advantage over Chevrolet and Toyota.
A bunch of wrong moves and blocks took out some of the top picks to win Sunday's 500. A big wreck took out defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney in a hard-to-watch impact into the outside wall, leaving the front of his car on fire. Kyle Busch's No. 8 Chevy was also taken out in the wild wreck.
Trouble in the tri-oval! @Blaney climbs from the vehicle safely after this crash in Duel No. 2! pic.twitter.com/oKffQcU4Zp
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2024
After the clean-up, an exciting battle between Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske ensued for the race win. It looked like Denny Hamlin was heading for yet another victory at Daytona, but his teammate Christopher Bell made a race-winning move coming to the checkered flag to clear Hamlin and Austin Cindric's No. 2 Ford.
The 2️⃣0️⃣ with the right moves to win! 🏆
The 3️⃣6️⃣ with just enough to make the show! 👏 pic.twitter.com/mJPbUBN2IR
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2024
Like the first duel's battle between Johnson and Yeley, B.J. McLeod and Kaz Grala stole the show in the closing laps as they fought for the final spot in Sunday's race.
Similar to Yeley's disappointment, McLeod's unsponsored No. 78 will also be heading home. Grala was able to get his Front Row Motorsports No. 36 in the right spot at the right time and used his momentum to beat McLeod to the line.
With two frantic qualifying races already finished, it looks like Sunday's Daytona 500 is going to be a classic and thrilling race.
