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As the precursor to theMonster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500, the Can-Am Duel at Daytona takes place Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway with television coverage starting on FOX Sports 1 at 7 pm ET. The first duel will green flag waves at 7:20 pm ET with the second duel starting afterward. Radio coverage is available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Pit Stall Selections for the Can-Am 150 Qualifying races have been made with Duel 1 pole sitter, Alex Bowman choosing pit stall 4, which is now the first stall with the first three stalls closed. Outside pole sitter, Jimmie Johnson took pit stall 6. William Byron starts third with the eight pit stall. The 42nd and last pit stall was taken by David Gilliland, as he starts 19th in Duel 1.
For the second Duel, pole-sitter Denny Hamlin chose pit stall 5, the first one available. Outside pole-sitter Kyle Busch took pit stall 7. Erik Jones starting third took the 9th pit stall.
A quick look at the stats tells you all you need to know about the importance of Thursday night’s two Can-Am Duel at Daytona races, which will set the starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Five of the last six Daytona 500s were won from a starting position in the top-ten, including last year’s race, when Kurt Busch started eighth.
In all, 43 of the 59 editions of the Daytona 500 have been won by a driver who started in the top-ten.
Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin know their starting positions – 1 and 2. The rest of the field will be set on Thursday night. The finishing order of the first Duel will determine the inside row for the Daytona 500, with the finishing order of the second Duel determining the outside row.
And last year, with the introduction of the stage format, points are now awarded in each Duel. The top-ten finishers in each Duel were awarded points, with ten points to the winner, 9 to second, and so on.
The Daytona 500 is on Sunday, February 18th with the green flag will waving around 2:49 pm ET and television pre-race coverage beginning on FOX at 1 pm ET.