DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – What should have been an adjustment for the Daytona 500 may have cost Hendrick Motorsports the front row for the spectacular opening of the NASCAR season.
Alex Bowman and William Byron were scheduled to lead the Daytona 500 field to the green flag on Sunday, but that is in trouble 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 pole.
Byron was hit in an accident in the second race that ruined his Chevrolet. He needs to change 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 late Friday morning, Austin Dillon crossed Bubba Wallace to beat Wallace with the checkered flag.
Almirola, in a Ford, is scheduled to start behind Byron, but will slip to the front row when Byron falls backwards. Dillon, in a Chevrolet, will wait to see if Hendrick changes Bowman’s engine this weekend.
Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala won their first places in the Daytona 500 by claiming the two transfer positions available in the duels. Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Garrett Smithley and Noah Gragson failed to advance.
Smithley and Gragson were competing with each other for the transfer place in the second race, when Smithley tried to dodge Gragson. Brad Keselowski on the outside did not expect Smithley to fill the gap and the two collided, starting a shipwreck that eliminated Smithley and Gragson.
Byron was also caught in that accident.