DAYTONA BEACH, FL – DAYTONA 500 starting positions will be determined and championship points awarded the top 10 finishers Thursday night in the Gander RV Duels for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway. The lineup for the two 150-mile races was set Sunday in Daytona 500 qualifying when Hendrick Motorsports grabbed the top four spots giving the two fastest cars, driven by William Byron and Alex Bowman, the pole positions. They are the only two drivers locked into their starting spots for the Daytona 500, guaranteed to start on the front row regardless of how they finish the Duels, so long as they don’t wreck and need a backup car – which would put them at the back of Sunday’s starting lineup. There are four teams “on the bubble” in the Duels: Ryan Truex, Parker Kligerman, Brendan Gaughan, and Joey Gase. Two fo these four will go home after the Duels. All the other entries are locked into the 40-car starting field by virtue of team charters and Sunday’s qualifying. Each Duel will be 60-laps for 150 miles areound the 2.5-mile trioval. The Gander RV Duels at Daytona will be broadcast on television by FS1 (TSN in Canada) and on radio by MRN Radio. Coverage starts at 8 p.m. AT (7 p.m. ET).
