See the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on the Daytona 500 Starting Lineup Page.(2-19-2015)

Coverage of the Qualifying races the Budweiser Duel to make the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:00pm/et.
TV: FoxSports1 - 7:00pm/et
Green Flag approx 7:15pm/et [2nd Duel around 8:30pm/et]
Radio: Motor Racing Network [also online] and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio
Budweiser Duel Re-Airs:
Friday, February 20 at 3:00am/et on FoxSports1
Friday, February 20 at 7:00am/et on FoxSports2

Johnson wins Budweiser Duel 2: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the second Budweiser Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway for his 2nd career Duel win. #18-Busch finished 2nd followed by #19-Edwards, #16-Biffle, #78-Truex Jr., #21-Blaney, #44-Soresnon, #66-Wallace #51-Allgaier and #10-Patrick.
There was a late race accident when #11-Hamlin tapped #10-Patrick, causing the #10 to spin collecting #32-Labonte and #62-Scott. Patrick was able to get back on track and race her way into the Daytona 500, but Scott failed to make the race and Labonte had to use a past champions provisional.
Four drivers deep in 2013 owners points or low qualifying speed, raced into the Daytona 500: #21-Blaney (6th), #44-Sorenson(7th), #51-Allgaier(8th), #66-Wallace(9th), #10-Patrick(10th), #38-Gilliland(13th) and #34-Ragan(14th). #32-Bobby Labonte used the past champions provisional to make the race.
Missing the Daytona 500: #7-Bowman, #26-Jeb Burton, #29-Marks, #30-Hornaday, #62-Scott & #98-Wise.
There were 3 cautions for 12 yellow flag laps. There were 7 lead changes among 5 drivers. The average speed was 144.724mph.
See race results on the Budwesier Duel 1 Race Results page (pdf).(2-19-2015)

Earnhardt Jr. wins Budweiser Duel 1: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the first Budweiser Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. It was Earnhardt Jr.'s 4th Budweiser Duel race win. Daytona 500 pole winner, #24-Gordon finished 2nd, followed by #14-Stewart, #15-Bowyer, #4-Harvick, #5-Kahne, #1-McMurray, #40-Cassill and #35-Whitt. Six drivers deep in 2014 owners points or low qualifying speed raced into the Daytona 500: #40-Cassill (9th), #35-Whitt(10th), #95-McDowell(12th), #23-Yeley (13th), #46-Annett(14th) and #33-Ty Dillon (16th). Daytona 500 pole winner #24-Gordon ran up front all race and finished 2nd, leading 6 laps. Four drivers who didn't race into the Daytona 500 will make the race via speed or 2014 owners points (provisional spot): #20-Kenseth, #2-Keselowski, #43-Almirola and #6-Bayne. #47-Allmendinger, #13-Mears and #83-Sauter could still make the race depending on the finish of the 2nd Duel.
#30-Hornaday and #29-Marks will not race in the Daytona 500.
There were 3 cautions for 13 yellow flag laps. There were 9 lead changes among 5 drivers. The average speed was 144.462mph.
See race results on the Budwesier Duel 1 Race Results page (pdf)(2-19-2015)

Setting The Daytona 500 Grid:
* The two fastest qualifiers set starting positions one and two. Those were decided on Sunday, with #24-Jeff Gordon winning the Coors Light Pole and #48-Jimmie Johnson earning starting position No. 2.
* The highest 15 finishers in each Duel race - excluding the already locked-in front row - will earn spots in the Daytona 500, filling positions 3-32.
* Based on their finishing position in the first Duel race, the top 15 line up on the inside row (odd-number starting positions).
* Based on their finishing position in the second Duel race, the top 15 will line up on the outside row (even-number starting positions).
* Positions 33-36 go to the four fastest cars from qualifying that have not already earned a spot.
* Positions 37-42 are provisional positions and go to the highest six cars in the previous season owner points that have not already qualified via the Duel or Coors Light Pole qualifying.
* The 43rd starting position will be assigned to any car owner who has the most recent eligible past Sprint Cup champion who did not make the field by any other method, providing the driver competed in the 2013 Sprint Cup season. If the 43rd spot remains unused it will be assigned to the next highest car in previous season owner points not already locked into the field.

Budweiser Duel - To the Back: #31-Newman (engine); #15-Bowyer (backup); #44-Sorenson (backup); #32-Labonte (backup); #23-Yeley (backup); #26-Burton (backup); #46-Annett (backup); #10-Patrick (backup)

The Daytona 500 qualifying is a different with the Qualifying Races, see the rules below click here.

Track Specs:
Track/Race Length: 2.5 mile oval, 60 laps (each race), 150 miles
Tri-oval with 31-degree banking in the turns
18-degree banking in the tri-oval and 6-degree banking on the straightaways
Date track opened: 1959
Banking in turns 1-4: 31 degrees
Banking in tri-oval: 18 degrees
Banking on backstretch: 3 degrees
Banking on the straightaway: 6 degrees
Length of frontstretch: 3,800 feet
Length of backstretch: 3,400 feet
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pace Car Speed: 70 mph
Pit Road Length: 1,600 feet
Pit Road Width: 50 feet

Race Festivities/Officials:
Duel 1 Grand Marshal: 7-11's Pete Wise
Duel 1 Command to start engines: Pete Wise
Duel 2 Grand Marshal: Budweiser's Jorge Torres
Duel 2 Command to start engines: Jorge Torres
Invocation: Sonny Gallman, Central Baptist Church, Daytona Beach
National Anthem: Local Florida singer Melisa TenBroeck
Flyover: none...dark

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Budweiser Duel 150 Sprint Cup Series qualifying races for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway have been made. To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(2-15-2015)

Thursday practice: for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway is over, after 85 scheduled minutes, the fastest:
#42-Larson 192.699, 18 laps run
#35-Whitt 190.710, 7
#46-Annett 190.098, 6
#23-Yeley 189.478, 6
#26-Burton 187.964, 2
only 5 of 49 cars made runs, just doing single car runs.
See fastest speeds, laps run on the Daytona 500 Practice 5 Speeds page (pdf).(2-19-2015)

2nd Wednesday practice: for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway is over, after 40 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#7-Bowman 200.495
#5-Kahne 200.459
#6-Bayne 200.387
#27-Menard 200.374
#62-Scott 200.285
slowest: #34-Ragan 189.661 and #98-Wise 189.785
only 29 of 49 cars made runs.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 consecutive lap average on the Daytona 500 Practice 4 Speeds page (pdf).(2-18-2015)

1st Wednesday practice: for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway is over, after 45 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#18-Busch 200.776
#48-Johnson 200.530
#6-Bayne 200.053
#5-Kahne 199.858
#31-Newman 199.645
slowest: #30-Hornaday 188.913 and #17-Stenhouse Jr. 191.290
43 of 49 cars have been on the track.
Notes: a few minutes into practice #10-Patrick and #11-Hamlin made contact, sending the #10 sliding down and into #46-Annett, also collecting #26-Burton. The #10 team will go to a backup car, The #46 team is getting the #51 backup out to get ready for the Budweiser Duels.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 consecutive lap average on the Daytona 500 Practice Speeds page (pdf).(2-18-2015)

Drivers Locked into the Daytona 500: Thirteen drivers are locked into the Daytona 500: #24-Gordon (pole), #48-Johnson (outside pole), #43-Almirola (speed, any round 202.340), #17-Stenhouse Jr. (speed), #19-Edwards (speed), #1-McMurray (speed), #4-Harvick (2014 owners points, 1st), #31-Newman (points, 2nd), #11-Hamlin (points, 3rd), #22-Logano (points, 4th), #2-Keselowski (points, 5th), #20-Kenseth (points 7th) and #14-Stewart (past champion provisional).
Next ten fastest after the four locked in by speed are: #55-Waltrip, #18-Busch, #3-Dillon, #5-Kahne, #33-Ty Dillon, #20-Kenseth, #78-Truex Jr., #83-Sauter, #23-Yeley and #9-Hornish Jr.
Next ten highest owners points positions (not locked in by speed) after the six locked in by 2014 points are: #6-Bayne (using #99 owners points from 2014), #88-Earnhardt Jr., #18-Busch, #47-Allmendinger, #16-Biffle, #41-Busch, #5-Kahne, #42-Larson, #15-Bowyer, #3-Dillon and #27-Menard
Other drivers besides Stewart who could use the champions provisional NOT already locked into the race would be: #41-Busch and #32-Labonte. All other past champs are locked in.
Six drivers have to race into the field or fall back on speed as their team is not high enough in 2014 owners points to use a provisional: #21-Blaney, #46-Annett, #44-Sorenson, #29-Marks, #34-Ragan (team swapped owners points with #35 team) and #30-Hornaday.
Four drivers will not be able to use speed to get into the race: #66-Wallace, #30-Hornaday, #11-Hamlin (speed disallowed in qualifying) and #88-Earnhardt Jr. (speed disallowed in qualifying).
See round-by-round qualifying speeds and best overall speeds (any round) on the Daytona 500 Qualifying page.
See Budweiser Duel 150 starting lineups on the 2015 Budweiser Duel 150's News and Info page.

Jeff Gordon wins Daytona 500 pole: #24-Jeff Gordon won the Coors Light pole for the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway with speed of 201.293mph for his 1st pole of 2015 and 78th of his career. Gordon has won 20 races from the pole out of 77 previous poles.
#48-Jimmie Johnson will start 2nd on the outside pole. The rest of the top 12: #11-Hamlin (speed disallowed), #20-Kenseth, #18-Busch, #5-Kahne, #19-Edwards, #33-Ty Dillon, #3-Austin Dillon, #88-Earnhardt Jr.(speed disallowed), #1-McMurray and #78-Truex Jr.
#11-Hamlin was fastest in round 1, group A at 199.840; #43-Almirola was fastest in round 1, group B at 202.370mph. #48-Johnson was fastest in round 2 at 201.925mph.
During round 1, group A there was a wreck when #15-Bowyer tried to pass #44-Sorenson, came back up and turned the #44, sending both cars into the wall. #32-Labonte rear-ended the #15 and had heavy damage. Other cars damaged were #11-Hamlin and #23-Yeley. Labonte and Yeley advanced to round 2, but cars were too damaged to run.
Both #11-Hamlin and #88-Earnhardt Jr. failed post-qualifying inspection and will start at the rear of the field in their respective duels as they had their times disallowed.
Speeds counted from any of the three qualifying rounds which locked #43-Aric Almirola, #17-Stenhouse Jr., #19-Edwards and #1-Jamie McMurray.(NASCAR Newswire)
CORRECTION: Thirteen drivers are locked into the Daytona 500: #24-Gordon (pole), #48-Johnson (outside pole), #43-Almirola (speed, any round 202.340), #17-Stenhouse Jr. (speed), #19-Edwards (speed), #1-McMurray (speed), #4-Harvick (2014 owners points, 1st), #31-Newman (points, 2nd), #11-Hamlin (points, 3rd), #22-Logano (points, 4th), #2-Keselowski (points, 5th), #20-Kenseth (points 7th) and #14-Stewart (champions provisional).
See round-by-round qualifying speeds on the Daytona 500 Qualifying page.(2-15-2015)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Daytona:
#24-Jeff Gordon won the Coors Light Pole Award for the The 57th Annual Daytona 500 with a lap of 44.711 seconds, 201.293 mph.
This is his 78th pole in 762 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2015.
This is his fourth pole in 45 races at Daytona International Speedway.
#48-Jimmie Johnson (second) posted his first top-10 start of 2015 and his 19th in 27 races at Daytona International Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports has swept the front row of the Daytona 500 four times: 2015, 2011, 2010 and 1989.
Jeff Gordon's pole speed is the first official pole above 200 mph at Daytona since 1987 (Bill Elliott, 210.364 mph)
(NASCAR Statistics)(2-15-2015)

Duel wins doesn't equal 500 win: Only nine times has the winner of a 125 / 150-mile race gone on to win the Daytona 500:
Fireball Roberts was the first to do so, in 1962
Cale Yarborough did it twice, in 1977 and 1984
others:
Bill Elliott (1985)
Bobby Allison (1988)
Sterling Marlin (1995)
Dale Earnhardt (1998)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004)
Matt Kenseth (2012)

Daytona 500 Race Info Page

Daytona 500 Entry List

Qualifying sets only Daytona 500 front row: Sunday's Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole qualifying is unique in that only the top two positions will be guaranteed. Remaining qualifiers are seeded by qualifying speed into Thursday's Budweiser Duel, two 150-mile races from which the majority of the final starting grid for the Daytona 500 is set. The front-row qualifiers and the highest 15 finishers in each Duel - excluding the front row from qualifying - will earn a spot in the Daytona 500. The next four fastest Coors Light Pole qualifiers will make up positions 33-36. Six provisional starting positions (37 through 42) will be awarded to the highest eligible car owners in final previous owners points standings not otherwise qualified for the race. The 43rd position will be filled by the most recent past champion participating in an event during the previous season. Should no past champion be eligible or need to use the provisional, the final position goes to the next highest owner in the previous season owners points. The most recent Daytona 500 pole winner to win the race was Dale Jarrett in 2000, one of two drivers (Bill Elliott is the other) to sweep The Sprint Unlimited, pole and race in the same season.(NASCAR)

Group qualifying for the Daytona 500: Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is unlike any other auto racing qualifying procedure. Drivers have multiple opportunities to qualify for the season-opening race, as opposed to the usual format of one qualifying session per event. The first chance comes via Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Qualifying, which will be held Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1:00pm/et on FOX. For the first time, group qualifying will be used to set the Daytona 500 field, and the new process will change the way positions 33-36 make the show. The other chance is the Budweiser Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races held on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7:00pm/et on FOX Sports 1.

1) Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Qualifying
* Qualifying will consist of three rounds with the first round divided into two groups based on a random draw. Vehicles drawing an odd number will be in the first group with even numbers in the second group. The first round is five minutes, and the 24 fastest cars advance to the second round. Following a 10-minute break, the second round will be five minutes with the fastest 12 advancing to the third and final round. A seven-minute break will precede the third round, which will last five minutes. The top two cars will make up the front row for the Daytona 500.
* The Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races, will determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 beyond the front row. The fastest qualifier in Coors Light Pole Qualifying will be on the pole for the first Duel at Daytona, and the second-fastest qualifier will be on the pole for the second Duel at Daytona. In the event of cancellation, the field will be set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

Duel at Daytona
* Those cars earning odd-numbered positions from qualifying will be assigned to the first Duel race.
* Those cars earning even-numbered positions from qualifying will compete in the second race.
* The starting positions for each Duel race will also be based on qualifying times.

Daytona 500 lineup
* The two fastest qualifiers during Coors Light Pole Qualifying earn starting positions one and two.
* The highest 15 finishers in each Duel race -- excluding the already locked-in front row -- will earn a spot in the Daytona 500, and fill positions 3-32.
* Based on their finishing position in the first Duel race, the top 15 will line up on the inside row (odd-number starting positions).
* Based on their finishing position in the second Duel race, the top 15 will line up on the outside row (even-number starting positions).
* Positions 33-36 will go to the four fastest cars from any round of Coors Light Pole Qualifying that have not already earned a spot.
* Positions 37-42 will be provisional positions, and go to the highest six cars in 2014 owner points that are present, have entered by the entry deadline and have not already qualified via the Duel or Coors Light Pole Qualifying.
* The 43rd starting position will be assigned to any car owner who has the most recent eligible past NASCAR Sprint Cup champion who did not make the field by any other method, providing the driver had competed in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. If the 43rd position remains unused, it will be assigned to the next highest car in 2014 owner points not already locked into the field.