Twin Qualifying Races to Determine Daytona 500 Field
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2013) – The starting lineups for Thursday’s Budweiser Duel at Daytona International Speedway are set following Sunday’s Daytona 500 qualifying session. The twin, 150-mile qualifying races will help determine the starting order for the 55th running of “The Great American Race,” on Sunday, February 24.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) rookie Danica Patrick made history on Sunday when she posted the fastest lap in Daytona 500 qualifying and became the first female driver to earn a pole award in NSCS history. By virtue of her qualifying effort, Patrick will lead the odd-numbered qualifiers (positions 3, 5, 7, etc.) to the green flag in the first Budweiser Duel. Four-time NSCS champion Jeff Gordon qualified second for the Daytona 500 and will pace the even-numbered qualifiers in the second Budweiser Duel. Both Patrick and Gordon are locked into the top two positions for the Daytona 500.
Thursday’s twin qualifying races will help set the majority of the 43-car field for the 55th running of “The Great American Race” – the Daytona 500 as follows:
• The top-15 finishers in each Budweiser Duel, minus the two already locked into the event, earn a spot in the Daytona 500 and comprise positions 3 – 32. Drivers competing in the first Budweiser Duel race will line up on the inside row and those racing in the second race will fill the outside row.
• Positions 33 – 36 go to the four fastest cars from time trials that haven’t already earned a spot in the race.
• Positions 37 – 42 will serve as provisional spots and go to the top-six cars in 2012 owner points that haven’t already made the field via the Budweiser Duel races or qualifying.
• The final position will be given to a past champion or seventh provisional starter, per the NASCAR rulebook.
For the first time in eight years, the top-35 cars in owner points aren’t automatically locked into the race. That modification to the qualifying format for 2013 puts greater emphasis on the Budweiser Duel races as the events not only determine the starting spots for the first 32 cars, but also who actually makes the race.
SPEED will air live coverage of the Budweiser Duel at Daytona races starting at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday.