2015 Budweiser Duels
 | This article documents a current NASCAR race. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports, scores, or statistics may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |
|---|---|
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Distance | Race 1: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) Race 2: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) |
| Weather | Clear skies with a temperature of 41 °F (5 °C); wind out of the WNW at 8 mph (13 km/h) |
| Race 1 | |
| Pole position | Jeff Gordon |
| Most laps led | Matt Kenseth (32) |
| Winner | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |
| Race 2 | |
| Pole position | Jimmie Johnson |
| Most laps led | Jimmie Johnson |
| Winner | Jimmie Johnson |
| Television | |
| Network | Fox Sports 1 & MRN |
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television) Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth) Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio) |
The 2015 Budweiser Duels were a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races that were held on February 19, 2015, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both contested over 60 laps, they were the qualifying races for the 2015 Daytona 500. Hendrick Motorsports swept both races, with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. winning the first Duel and Jimmie Johnson winning the second Duel.
Report
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.[10] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[11] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[11]
Practice
First practice (February 14)
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 44.413 and a speed of 202.643 mph (326.122 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 44.413 | 202.643 |
| 2 | 9 | Sam Hornish, Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 44.512 | 202.193 |
| 3 | 6 | Trevor Bayne (W) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 44.512 | 202.193 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Second practice (February 14)
Michael McDowell was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 45.153 and a speed of 199.322 mph (320.778 km/h).[13] Ryan Newman was forced to change engines after blowing one half an hour into the session.[14] He will have to start from the rear in one of the Duel races.[14] Martin Truex, Jr. also dealt with engine gremlins due to a crack in his car's oil pan, but did not change engines.[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 45.153 | 199.322 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.155 | 199.314 |
| 3 | 33 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 45.158 | 199.300 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Pole qualifying
"I wasn't behind the 44 [Sorenson]. He came flying around, come up on the apron, jumps in front of me, then runs over the 51 [Allgaier], stacks us all up and then I run into him. It's idiotic to be out here doing this anyway. There's no sense in being able to try to put on some cute show for whatever the hell this is. Then you have a guy out there doing this in desperation. There's no reason to be out here. These guys have spent six months working on these cars, busting their butts on these cars. But it ain't his fault. It's NASCAR's fault for putting us out in the middle of this crap for nothing. We used to come down here and worry about who would set on the front pole in the biggest race of the year. Now all we do is come down here and worry about how a start‑and‑park like this out of desperation is going to knock us out of the Daytona 500. We've been in meetings for 45 minutes just trying to figure out what in the hell everybody is going to do just so we can make the race. It's stupid. There's no sense in doing this."
The pole qualifying took place at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, Feburary 15, a week prior to the Daytona 500 race itself. For the first time in the history of the Daytona 500, NASCAR eliminated the traditional single car qualifying format for the pole qualifying and introduced the Formula One-style knockout qualifying format, first introduced in the 2014 season. Unlike the other tracks however, the pole qualifying consists of three sessions of five minutes each, first introduced in the fall Talladega race:
- NASCAR randomly split the field into two groups for session 1 (one group had 25 cars, the other had 24). Each group had its own five minutes of track time. The fastest 24 cars overall from either group will advance to session 2.
- After a ten-minute break, these 24 cars would get five minutes of track time for session 2. The qualifying times from session 1 would reset prior to the start of session 2. The fastest 12 cars in session 2 will advance to session 3.
- Following a seven-minute break, these 12 cars would then compete for the top two guaranteed spots in the final five-minute session. Again, the qualifying times from session 2 would reset prior to the start of session 3.
The top two times in the final qualifying session will be locked in the front row of the Daytona 500 starting grid, while the other 41 starting spots would be determined by the two Budweiser Duels the following Thursday.
In what will be his final Daytona 500 start, Jeff Gordon won the pole with a time of 44.711 and a speed of 201.293 mph (323.950 km/h).[16] Gordon felt that in the new qualifying format, "the driver finally gets to play a role". He also stated that he had "a fast race car" and that the pole position was "one of the most gratifying poles I've had, not just because it's my final Daytona".[16] His teammate Jimmie Johnson will start right alongside in 2nd. In the first round of qualifying, Clint Bowyer tried to go under Reed Sorenson when he got hit in the rear by Carl Edwards and turned right into Sorenson. Both cars slammed the wall and collected Bobby Labonte and J. J. Yeley. Denny Hamlin may have taken some damage. The session was red flagged with a minute and 22 seconds left. After the red flag was lifted, no one was able to make it back to the line before time expired. Upon exiting his car, Bowyer vented his frustations at the Daytona qualifying procedure.[15]
The cars of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Denny Hamlin failed post-qualifying inspection and will start from the rear of the field in their respective Duel races.[17] Earnhardt's car was found to be too low on the left front,[17] while the track bar on Hamlin's car was found to be 3–3.75 inches (76–95 mm) beyond the maximum allowed.[17] Both drivers expressed thoughts on Twitter post-penalties, with both looking forward to moving up the order in the Duels.[17]
Qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Third practice (February 18)
Kyle Busch was the fastest in the third practice session with a time of 44.826 and a speed of 200.776 mph (323.118 km/h).[18] During this session, there was a four car wreck on the backstretch that involved Michael Annett, Jeb Burton, Denny Hamlin and Danica Patrick.[19] It started when Hamlin pulled out of line and Patrick tried to follow him, but made contact with the right-front corner of Hamlin's car when she over-corrected and hit the wall. Michael Annett tried to go high around Patrick on the outside when he got turned by Jeb Burton. Patrick, Annett and Burton all switched to backup cars.[19] After the incident, Patrick stated that her car "sort of just started turning toward the right, the back end was coming around and it swapped ends" and that Hamlin was trying to "make a third lane in the middle and it felt like it must have caught my bumper".[19] Hamlin felt that Patrick had intended to block his path, stating that a driver has "to give a little bit of extra room in practice" and that if he "had to guess, she probably saw in her mirror that I was going down there and tried to stay in front of me".[19]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 44.826 | 200.776 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.881 | 200.530 |
| 3 | 6 | Trevor Bayne (W) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 44.988 | 200.053 |
| Official third practice results | ||||||
Fourth practice (February 18)
Alex Bowman was the fastest in the fourth practice session with a time of 44.889 and a speed of 200.495 mph (322.665 km/h).[20]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 44.889 | 200.495 |
| 2 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.897 | 200.459 |
| 3 | 6 | Trevor Bayne (W) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 44.913 | 200.387 |
| Official fourth practice results | ||||||
Final practice (February 19)
Kyle Larson was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 46.705 and a speed of 192.699 mph (310.119 km/h).[21] This session had only five drivers take part in it doing single car runs.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 46.705 | 192.699 |
| 2 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 47.192 | 190.710 |
| 3 | 46 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.344 | 190.098 |
| Official fifth practice results | ||||||
Races
Race 1
The first race started at 7:19 p.m. Eastern time when Jeff Gordon led the field to the green. Matt Kenseth took the lead with the bottom lane to lead lap one.
The first caution of the race flew on lap 17 after Casey Mears blew an engine in turn 1. Kenseth and Gordon swapped the lead on pit road. Jeff exited the leader. Michael Annett was forced to drop to the end of the longest line because his crew was over the wall too soon.
The race restarted on lap 24.
Matt Kenseth used the bottom line and jumped in front of Jeff Gordon to take back the lead on lap 26.
The second caution of the race flew on lap 27 when Johnny Sauter crashed in the tri-oval.[22] from contact with A.J. Allmendinger. Aric Almirola also suffered damage.[22] "Just riding along, trying to mind my business and the 47 (Allmendinger) just got us there in the left rear quarter panel," said Sauter. "That's a bummer for these guys. We were on that catch 22 deal, do you stand on your speed and ride around the back, or do you try to race and get in the top 14. There was a lot of deliberating back and forth between us and all the guys at BK Racing. Just a bummer deal."[22] "Just got stuck in the middle there and I probably moved up just a little bit and got the 83 (Sauter) or what happened, if I did it's my apologies. It was just stuck trying to get out of the middle," said Allmendinger. "The car was fast. It just sucks. I hate this racing. I really do. "Hopefully we'll get into the (Daytona) 500," he said. "If we do, we'll have a backup car. The guys will work hard. I was trying to do the right thing. I was trying to stay out of trouble and got put in the middle and I was trying to bail out of the middle. I didn't want to be there. It's too early for that."[22] Michael McDowell dropped to the end of the longest line after his crew was over the wall too soon.
The race restarted on lap 33.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. used a slight push from the bottom line to take the lead on lap 35. Kenseth took the lead back from Earnhardt on the bottom to take back the lead on lap 39. On lap 43, Earnhardt used a slingshot move to overtake Kenseth for good.
The third caution of the race flew on lap 51 when Trevor Bayne got loose, came down on Kyle Larson and hit the wall in turn 1. During this period, Ty Dillon broke his shifter.
The race restarted with five laps to go and Earnhardt, Jr. held off Jeff Gordon to win race one.[23] “TJ Majors deserves a ton of credit,” Earnhardt said as he gave credit to hit spotter during the Victory Lane celebration. “Gave me the information I needed to make the moves I needed. We have such a strong car and that showed tonight for sure. Just always great to win at Daytona and looking forward to getting to Sunday and trying to get another Daytona 500 win.”[23] "It means so much," said Dillon, who battled a broken shifter in the closing laps of the race. "It's hard to explain. I've been coming here since I was a kid watching my grandfather's cars race."[23] Ron Hornaday, Jr. and Justin Marks failed to make the race.[24]
Results
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 |
| 2 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 |
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| 16 | 5 | 33 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 |
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| 23 | 13 | 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 27 |
| 24 | 6 | 83 | Johnny Sauter | BK Racing | Toyota | 27 |
| 25 | 16 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 17 |
Race 2
Before the start, Josh Wise stalled at the entrance of pit road and took his car to the garage. This effectively eliminated him from racing in the Daytona 500.
The second race started 18 minutes late at 9:19 p.m. with Jimmie Johnson leading the field to the green flag. Kyle Busch took the lead on lap one.
The first caution of the race flew on lap 19 for a single car spin exiting turn 4. David Ragan came down across the nose of Justin Allgaier and got turned down onto the apron making contact with the inside wall. Kyle Busch was first off pit road, but he was busted for speeding on pit road and forced to drop to the end of the line. Allgaier was busted for crew over the wall too soon.
The race restarted on lap 25 with Jimmie Johnson leading the way.
The second caution of the race flew on lap 37 for a multi-car wreck in the tri-oval. It started exiting turn 4 when Jeb Burton turned down into Sam Hornish, Jr. who turned into Alex Bowman and started the wreck. Austin Dillon destroyed his splitter driving through the grass trying to avoid the wreck. The race was red flagged for five minutes.
The race restarted with 20 laps to go.
With 14 laps to go, Kurt Busch was given a drive-through penalty for passing below the double yellow line.
The third caution of the race flew with three laps to go for a four car wreck in turn 3. Denny Hamlin gave Danica Patrick a push which turned her around and collected Brian Scott and Bobby Labonte.
The race restarted with two laps to go and Jimmie Johnson held off a last lap charge by Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards to win the race. Danica Patrick confronted Denny Hamlin on pit road after the race.
Results
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 |
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Media
Television
| Fox Sports 1 | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Larry McReynolds Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip |
Matt Yocum Jamie Little Chris Neville |
Radio
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey |
Winston Kelley Steve Post Alex Hayden |
Notes
- ^ a b The qualifying times for Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were disallowed post-qualifying, for technical infractions. They will start from the rear of the field in their respective Duel races.[17]
References
- ^ "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ "Starting Lineup (Duel Race 1)". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Starting Lineup (Duel Race 2)". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Third Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Fourth Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Daytona International Speedway Track Facts". Daytona International Speedway. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (February 14, 2015). "Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fastest in first Daytona 500 practice". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (February 14, 2015). "Start time, TV info and lineup for NASCAR Sprint Unlimited at Daytona". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ a b c Estrada, Chris (February 14, 2015). "Ryan Newman loses motor, Martin Truex Jr. suffers oil leak in second Daytona 500 practice (UPDATED)". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ a b Utter, Jim (February 15, 2015). "Clint Bowyer goes off on NASCAR about Daytona group qualifying". ThatsRacin.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Pistone, Pete (February 15, 2015). "Daytona 500 Pole to Gordon". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Pistone, Pete (February 15, 2015). "Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin Fail Inspection". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (February 18, 2015). "Kyle Busch tops first of today's two Daytona 500 practice sessions". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Gluck, Jeff (February 18, 2015). "Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin in Daytona practice crash". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (February 18, 2015). "Alex Bowman leads fourth Daytona 500 practice; Danica 19th-fastest in backup car". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Long, Dustin (February 19, 2015). "Kyle Larson leads Thursday practice session". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Pennell, Jay (February 19, 2015). "Sauter, Allmendinger, Bayne wreck in first Budweiser Duel". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c Pistone, Pete (February 19, 2015). "Earnhardt Jr. Takes First Duel". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Bowles, Tom (February 19, 2015). "Dale Earnhardt, Jr. takes first Budweiser Duel; Gordon 2nd". Frontstretch.com. Frontstretch. Retrieved February 19, 2015.