Kurt Busch doubles up with victory in first Duel

Kurt Busch doubles up with victory in first Duel


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—With a strong assist from Regan Smith, Kurt Busch won the first of two Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.
Busch, who doubled up on his victory with last Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout, got a bonus for winning the Duel. Because Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed his pole-winning car during practice on Wednesday, Busch will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday after Earnhardt drops to the rear for the start of the Daytona 500.
The first Duel set the starting order for the inside row (odd-numbered positions) in the 53rd running of NASCAR’s most important race. Smith, who finished second, will start third in the 500. Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne finished third, fourth and fifth and will start fifth, seventh and ninth, respectively, on Sunday.
Bill Elliott and J.J. Yeley claimed the two transfer positions into the Daytona 500, thanks top Duel finishes of 15th and 17th. Because Elliott won’t have to fall back on his qualifying time, Michael Waltrip also will race on Sunday, based on his fourth-best qualifying speed among those not locked into the 500.
After pushing Harvick from a Lap 6 restart until the cars came to pit road together on Lap 45, Kenseth swapped positions with Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet and led the race until Juan Pablo Montoya pushed Kasey Kahne into the lead on Lap 56.
That lead change coincided with the second caution of the race for Michael McDowell’s blown engine. Busch surged into the lead on Lap 61 and held it to the finish, as the race finished with a two-lap dash that took the event to 62 laps, two beyond its scheduled distance.
Note: The 21 lead changes were a record for the Duels since the races were lengthened from 125 to 150 miles in 2005.