DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joey Logano won the fourth America 250 Florida Duel of his career on Thursday night to secure a third-place starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
In a second Duel that ran caution-free, Chase Elliott took control of the race on Lap 53 of 60 and held off Carson Hocevar by 0.065 seconds to win his third 150-mile qualifying race and earn the fourth starting position for the Daytona 500.
With an earnest push from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, Logano was at the front of the field when NASCAR called the third caution of the first Duel on Lap 63, three laps into overtime.
Both Logano and Blaney are among the favorites to win Sunday’s 68th edition of the “Great American Race.” Blaney ran second and will start fifth in NASCAR’s biggest race.
“Just a lot of teamwork all the way through,” Logano said of the win. “I think about the 22 team in particular. Nick Hensley, our gas man, did a fantastic job getting us in position out of pit road. (Spotter) Coleman Pressley up on the roof giving us great information. My teammate Ryan Blaney being committed and working together.
“It’s nice when everything works out the way it’s supposed to.”
Logano has finished ninth or better in 12 straight Daytona Duels.
Former Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon ran third, followed by Brad Keselowski — recovering from a broken right femur — and John Hunter Nemechek. Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Suarez, Casey Mears, Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman completed the top 10.
WATCH: Logano on winning Duel 1 | Elliott reacts to Duel 2 victory
Mears came from a lap down to earn the one Open position in the Daytona 500 available from the first Duel. Mears advanced when fellow Open competitor Corey LaJoie — running in the top five at the time — turned into the outside wall in a chain-reaction collision on the final lap of overtime
Anthony Alfredo had a relatively stress-free run to claim the Daytona 500 spot available to Open cars in the second Duel, or so he thought. Though Alfredo finished 18th, 23 seconds ahead of BJ McLeod — the next-best Open driver — his finish was disallowed after post-race inspection, and McLeod will compete in the “Great American Race” on Sunday.
According to NASCAR Cup Series director Brad Moran, a transmission cooling hose on Alfredo’s No. 62 Chevrolet was not fastened properly, and another hose was disconnected, affecting both cooling and airflow.
The complexion of the first race changed dramatically after Mears slid into the Ford of Noah Gragson coming to pit road on Lap 46. Preece had led 38 laps to that point but needed more fuel on his stop and fell back after the subsequent restart on Lap 50.
Mears lost a lap because of his spin into the infield grass, but regained it as the beneficiary under caution under the second caution for a five-car accident on Lap 56 that eliminated the No. 24 Chevrolet of William Byron, the two-time defending winner of the Daytona 500.
Byron will start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field in a backup car.
In the final wreck on Lap 63, Mears’ No. 66 Ford nosed into the Chevrolet of Daniel Suárez after passing LaJoie’s spinning Ford for the critical position. Mears had the leading Open car when NASCAR called the caution that froze the field.
“I hit somebody square,” Mears said, unsure whether his Carl Long-owned car could be repaired or if a backup would be required. “And I knew when I hit him flat, it didn’t tear up the car too much, and I was going to be able to get back (to the checkered flag).
“But I didn’t know who was in front of me, still, whether or not we made it. All the guys started going nuts on the radio.”
Sensing danger as the first Duel barreled toward a frenetic conclusion, Daytona 500 pole winner Kyle Busch dropped to the rear of the field after the Lap 50 restart to preserve his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for Sunday’s race. He finished 18th in the 23-car field.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, already locked into the 500 on an Open Exemption Provisional, ran a conservative race and finished 15th.
In the second Duel, Elliott led twice for nine laps and became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to win three or more Duels. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the organization with five.
“A great way to get the blood pumping for sure on a Thursday night,” said Elliott, who is seeking his first Daytona 500 win. “There was a lot going on those last handful (of laps). Really, ever since we came off of pit road after the cycle, we were getting after it. It was a lot of fun.
“Had some great support there. Carson did a great job helping me control those lanes, helping get Team Chevy for Victory Lane tonight. Certainly, owe him an appreciation for just kind of sticking with it, also pushing me well. It’s real easy to get people out of control. Appreciate that.”
Reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson ran third, followed by former Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell. Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Todd Gilliland, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin claimed positions six through 10, respectively.
Chase Briscoe, who locked into the second starting position during Wednesday night’s time trials, led a race-high 38 laps but fell victim to a lengthy green-flag pit stop on Lap 45, lost the draft and finished 20th.