Wallace and Cindric Clinch Daytona Duels Victories; Allgaier Makes History for JR Motorsports
Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric emerged victorious in Thursday night's Daytona Duels qualifying races, setting the stage for Sunday's 67th Daytona 500. Justin Allgaier secured a historic spot for JR Motorsports' first-ever NASCAR Cup Series appearance.
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In Duel 1, Wallace, driving the No. 23XI Racing Toyota, edged William Byron by 0.082 seconds with crucial help from teammate Tyler Reddick. Allgaier made a bold three-wide move in the closing laps to earn JR Motorsports' first Cup Series start.
The second Duel ended dramatically as Cindric narrowly defeated Erik Jones under caution following a massive wreck. Corey LaJoie secured his Daytona 500 spot with a sixth-place finish in his unchartered Rick Ware Racing Ford.
Notable incidents included a lap 14 crash in Duel 1 that eliminated Chandler Smith and damaged Helio Castroneves' car, though Castroneves will still race Sunday on a provisional.
Final Results - Duel 1:
- Winner: Bubba Wallace
- Top Finishers: William Byron, Ty Dillon, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick
Final Results - Duel 2:
- Winner: Austin Cindric
- Top Finishers: Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano
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NASCAR Daytona 500 results
Anthony Alfredo and BJ McLeod failed to qualify for Sunday's Daytona 500, which begins at 2:30 PM ET on FOX.