Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins first of two duels, will start third in Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It used to be said that Dale Earnhardt Sr. could see the air at Daytona International Speedway.

If that’s true, his son showed again Thursday he’s inherited the gift.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the first of two Daytona 500 qualifier races Thursday night at the same track where his father was killed in a crash 15 years ago to the day on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

“I was daydreaming a little bit about winning this race tonight because of the day," Earnhardt Jr. said. "That was very special to me. I was glad nothing bad happened, because that would have been embarrassing on a day like this."

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For Earnhardt, Thursday was only good. He not only won the race, using a bold move with five laps to go in order to get around leader Denny Hamlin, but he preserved the beloved car he calls "Amelia" (which now has four restrictor-plate wins and two more top-three finishes).

"(Hamlin) had a great car, but this car is something special," he said. "I was so nervous today about tearing the car up."

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After stumbling on a restart with 13 laps to go, Earnhardt used his drafting expertise to pass Hamlin, then held off defending Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano on the last lap.

The victory means Earnhardt will start third in his attempt to win his third 500 on Sunday.

"When he’s coming at such a fast pace from behind, you have to anticipate and it’s almost like a free kick in soccer," Hamlin said. "It’s like, ‘OK, I committed to the right side and (he) kicked to the left.'"

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Logano was second and rookie Ryan Blaney finished third, which meant he raced his way into the 500. That opened a spot for Michael McDowell to fall back on his qualifying session speed, meaning he was also locked into the 500.

“It’s so intense,” McDowell said. “I can’t tell you what it means to make the Daytona 500. We’re racing Sunday, and I can’t wait to get going.”

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There were two accidents during the race.

While racing for a transfer spot, McDowell blocked a big run from fellow Open driver Cole Whitt. When Whitt tried to juke and pull around McDowell, he spun himself out and had to restart at the back of the field.

And on the final lap, Brian Scott spun out and hit nose-first on the inside wall near pit road. He was uninjured, but the damage was severe enough to require a backup car for the Daytona 500.

NASCAR’s new Charter system — which essentially gives franchises to 36 teams — meant there were only two spots up for grabs heading into Thursday night.

Two other positions had already been earned based on Sunday’s qualifying session — Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto snatched those. But Blaney ultimately raced his way in, meaning a spot on speed was available for someone else.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

Can-Am Duel 1 at Daytona

Thursday's results from the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway (Starting position in parentheses):

1. (2) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 60 laps, 0 points.

2. (7) Joey Logano, Ford, 60, 0.

3. (4) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 60, 0.

4. (22) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

5. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 60, 0.

6. (1) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

7. (8) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

8. (11) Greg Biffle, Ford, 60, 0.

9. (15) Chris Buescher, Ford, 60, 0.

10. (3) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 60, 0.

11. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

12. (17) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 60, 0.

13. (10) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 60, 0.

14. (13) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

15. (14) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

16. (20) David Ragan, Toyota, 60, 0.

17. (21) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

18. (18) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 60, 0.

19. (16) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 60, 0.

20. (12) Brian Scott, Ford, accident, 59, 0.

21. (9) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, accident, 58, 0.

22. (19) Cole Whitt, Toyota, accident, 47, 0.

———

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 172.899 mph.

Time of Race: 0 hours, 52 minutes, 6 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.183 seconds.

Caution Flags: 1 for 4 laps.

Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C.Elliott 1-2; D.Earnhardt Jr. 3-39; K.Kahne 40-41; D.Hamlin 42-54; D.Earnhardt Jr. 55-60.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): D.Earnhardt Jr., 2 times for 43 laps; D.Hamlin, 1 time for 13 laps; C.Elliott, 1 time for 2 laps; K.Kahne, 1 time for 2 laps.

DAYTONA 500 LINEUP

1. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 196.314 mph.

2. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 196.036.

3. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 195.682.

4. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 195.207.

5. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 194.46.

6. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 193.399.

7. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 194.746.

8. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 194.51.

9. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet.

10. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 194.662.

11. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 194.523.

12. (95) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 193.936.

13. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 194.104.

14. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 192.938.

15. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 193.665.

16. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 192.291.

17. (34) Chris Buescher, Ford, 192.365.

18. (14) Brian Vickers, Chevrolet.

19. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 195.118.

20. (93) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 192.686.

21. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 194.675.

22. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 191.302.

23. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 191.436.

24. (38) Landon Cassill, Ford, 191.192.

25. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 193.878.

26. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 194.839.

27. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 192.542.

28. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota.

29. (23) David Ragan, Toyota, 189.068.

30. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 191.583.

31. (15) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 191.249.

32. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 194.25.

33. (32) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 191.808.

34. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 193.753.

35. (44) Brian Scott, Ford, 193.332.

36. (83) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 192.406.

37. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 193.936.

38. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 194.099.

39. (59) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 192.604.

40. (26) Robert Richardson Jr., Toyota, 190.496.

Failed to Qualify

41. (35) David Gilliland, Ford, 189.35.

42. (30) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 187.282.

43. (40) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 181.163.

44. (98) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 190.375.