Daytona Duels

Speed Week 101

So the Daytona 500 qualifying set-up is unique in NASCAR. The first session is run to set the pole and second place starter- the front line, but if you are not one of the top two, the duels set where you start for the NASCAR superbowl...

And they made this so complicated... I am sure I missed some "raining on a Tuesday" weird rule, but more or less the duels set the field as follows:

Each of the duels is a 150-mile race and  both are held today.

We already know Austin Dillon is the pole sitter, and that Martin Truex will sit in the 2nd spot in the first row. We also know Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick will be in the back of the pack because of blown engine replacements made earlier this week.

More than that, we don't yet know- the rest of the starting grid will be sorted out by the finishing order of the two duels. The entire field will take part in one of the two races, even Dillon and Truex which is weird because they already have starting positions...

The first duel includes the drivers who qualified in the odd positions starting with Dillon. The top 15 in the race will set the order of the inside lane will start during the Daytona 500, as they don't change an engine. The second duel includes the drivers who qualified in the even positions starting with Truex and the top 15 will set the order of the outside starting lane.

When the duels have set the top 32 starters, the four fastest cars not in the top 32 and the six teams with the highest number of teams points in 2013 not already in the 500 are added to finish out the the starting grid for Sunday's big day.

Here's hoping Jimmie has a good day- a repeat of last year, for example...

Drivers, start your engines!