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| · 2013 Daytona: NASCAR Nationwide Qualifying Results - Bayne, Ford On Pole! (Feb 22, 2013)
· 2013 Daytona 500: NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice Six Results - Stewart, Chevrolet Fastest! (Feb 22, 2013)
· 2013 Daytona 500: NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice Five Results - Almirola, Ford Fastest! (Feb 22, 2013)
· 2013 Daytona: NASCAR Truck Qualifying Results - Newberry, Chevrolet on Pole! (Feb 22, 2013)
· 2013 Barcelona: Formula One F1 Friday Results - Hamilton, Mercedes Fastest! (Feb 22, 2013)
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No 'Big One's' in NASCAR Duel Races: Harvick and Busch Win Sprint Events
By Brad Gerhart
Danica led the field around for the pace laps.
Trevor Bayne led the field for the first 32 laps.
However Sprint Unlimited winner, Kevin Harvick, once again led the field to the checkered flag for the victory in his No.29 Budweiser Chevrolet.
The only pit stop of the race for the leaders came with 20 to go as Harvick led Bayne onto pit row. Bayne claimed that Harvick "crowded" him at the line as the No.21 car narrowly missed the back of the No.29 car and put his left side into the grass. Bayne avoided a big crash there, but he sure did not later on.
With eight to go Hamlin got loose and ran into the back of Carl Edwards and sent the No.99 car into the outside fence. Unfortunately for Bayne he had no where to go but into the side of the No.99 and destroyed the No.21 Woods Brothers car with their retro 1963 paint scheme. “He (Hamlin) just got really sideways and he clipped Carl and spun him in front of us and we had nowhere to go,” Bayne said. “It is unfortunate because we had a fast race car and you don’t want to tear that stuff up.”
Seven laps into the 60 lap shootout Danica Patrick fell outside of the top-10 and then all the way back to second last (22nd) only ahead of the extremely slow Brian Keselowski by lap 13. "once I dropped back I just hung there," Patrick said. Patrick ended up being the third last car running on the lead lap (17th). “The top line was the way to go," Patrick said, although she continued to maintain her low line throughout the majority of the race.
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 | Initially Michael Waltrip qualified for the 15th and final spot for the Daytona 500, however, Martin Truex Jr. got penalized for a side window being down, so he fell back to 19th and Scott Speed would be the final car from the first Duel race to transfer in.
Joe Nemechek, Bobby Labonte also earned their way into The Great American Race, whereas Trevor Bayne got in on time.
Like Bayne, Jeff Gordon ran up front nearly the entire way before the only pit stop in the second Budweiser Duel.
And like Bayne Gordon too got messed up on pit lane. Bayne may have gotten a little help from Harvick for his close encounter, but Gordon was truly his own worst enemy as he got busted for speeding on pit lane by NASCAR race officials. Gordon and Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne were way ahead of the 22 car field after the pit stop, only to hear about the drive thru penalty for the No.24 car over the team's radio. Gordon lost the lead and Kahne lost his best drafting partner.
After Gordon went into the pits, Toyota took over the top-three spots with Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin the top-three with just over 10 laps left.
Kyle Busch last won a Duel race four years ago and last year, although he failed to qualify for the Chase he ran better than anyone other driver during the final 10 races of the year. He once again showcased his aggressive driving skill and earned himself another Duel victory as he held off Kahne for the victory and a sixth spot on the starting grid for the 500.
Rookie Austin Dillon said he “just stayed in it all day, ran that top line.” Which ultimately worked for himself and the majority of the 48 cars in the two events. Dillon placed third and the 22 year-old rookie for Richard Childress Racing will start on the fourth row. “This is an awesome feeling and I will always remember the first one,” Dillon said.
Josh Wise, with help from the Front Row Furniture team also made into the 500, the 30 year-old California native made it in as a transfer driver and starts 32nd.. “We did what we had to do and it feels pretty cool,” he said.
Travis Kvapil starts on the final row come Sunday, by himself and Kevin Harvick will do his best to do what no other driver has ever been able to accomplish at Daytona in 35 years: win the Unlimited race, a Duel race and of course, “The Great American Race.”
“We just got to keep a level head on our shoulders, not get too high over what we've done, just do the same things that we've done,” Harvick said.
“If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.”
PaddockTalk Perspective
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