Thursday's Gatorade Duels to set the field for Daytona 500
Driver Tony Stewart poses with the trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 and the 2011 Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 21, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Photographer: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Copyright Getty Images
Posted: 02/21/2012
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - After an exciting Bud Shootout Saturday night which found defending Champion Tony Stewart losing to Kyle Busch by 1/100 of a second, the Gatorade Duels are forming up to be a mini version of the Daytona 500.
The Duels split the field so that there are 25 racers in race one and 24 drivers in race two. Out of the 49 racers, only 43 make the Daytona 500. A lot can be gained in each race. Also, a lot can be lost.
Each race is 150 miles long. Race one will set the inside or odd number positions and race two will set the outside or even number positions.
Notable drivers in race one include Carl Edwards (he also holds the pole position for the Daytona 500), Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and rookie Danica Patrick.
Drivers to watch in race two include Greg Biffle (front row #2 position), Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Bush.
Once these races are done, the starting field for the Daytona 500 will be set.
The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PRINT
Top Sports Headlines
-
USF two wins away from World Series
If USF is going to end its own streak of never making it to a College World Series, it's going to have to break another streak that no other team has been able to solve in more than two months.
-
Fla's favorite BB team: The Yankees?
-
Rays 5, Blue Jays 4 in 11 innings
-
Rays 8, Blue Jays 5
-
Dallas Clark arrives at One Buc
-
Blue Jays 6 Rays 2
