DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – What should have been a setting for the Daytona 500 could have cost Hendrick Motorsports the first row for the spectacular opening of the NASCAR season.
Alex Bowman and William Byron are set to lead the Daytona 500 field at the green flag on Sunday, but this is in difficulty after Thursday night’s qualifying races. Bowman had an engine problem in the first 150-mile race and if his engine needs to be changed, he will lose the pole.
Byron was caught in an accident in the second race that destroyed his Chevrolet. He has to move to a spare car for 500 and the change sends him to the bottom of the field.
Aric Almirola won the first race and, after a rain delay, pushed the second duel to a final on Friday morning, Austin Dillon used a cross move on Bubba Wallace to defeat Wallace on the checkered flag.
The Almirola, in a Ford, is about to start behind Byron, but will slide until the first row when Byron falls behind. Dillon, in a Chevrolet, will wait to see if Hendrick changes Bowman’s engine this weekend.
Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala won their first berths in the Daytona 500, claiming the two transfer positions available in duels. Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Garrett Smithley and Noah Gragson failed to advance.
Smithley and Gragson competed for the transfer spot in the second race, when Smithley tried to spin around Gragson. Brad Keselowski from the outside did not expect Smithley to fill the gap and the two collided, starting a wreck that eliminated both Smithley and Gragson.
Byron was also caught in that accident.