Bubba Wallace will line up from third place in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, after crossing the checkered flag first in Thursday’s first of two 60-lap duel races.
Wallace, driving the No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing, was able to get himself out in front of the pack courtesy of a push from Tyler Reddick, holding the lead against a pack of hungry challengers.
It’s the first victory in the Daytona Duels for Wallace, and the second for 23XI Racing — who captured its first Duel victory last February with Tyler Reddick.
Additionally, it’s also the first NASCAR Cup Series victory — although it technically doesn’t count — for crew chief Charles Denike, who joined the team at the start of 2025.
“What a good night,” said Wallace. “I didn’t know how it was going to play out, and we got the lead there and my McDonald’s Camry just switched like a light switch to a totally different balance from being in the pack. It was a little bit edgy out front, but luckily, I’ve got some years under my belt that people still trust me. I was lucky to have Tyler (Reddick) behind me – he did a great job pushing me.”
William Byron, who fought the handling on his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet in the closing laps of the event — including a possible mechanical issue showing up on his dashboard — came home second, and will start fifth in Sunday’s 500-mile contest.
Despite a scuff to the outside wall on the race’s final lap, Ty Dillon gathered his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet to finish third in the Duel at Daytona, giving him a career-best qualifying result of seventh for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five in the first of two 50-lap qualifier events. AJ Allmendinger, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Justin Allgaier, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-10.
As the highest finishing unchartered entry, in ninth place, Justin Allgaier secured himself and JR Motorsports a spot in th Daytona 500. It’s the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series starts for the team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
J.J. Yeley and NY Racing Team were very much in contention to race into the Daytona 500, but after Allgaier surged around the outside in the third lane, the No. 44 Chevrolet fell back to 17th, meaning the NASCAR veteran failed to qualify for the event.
Also failing to qualify for the Daytona 500 was Chandler Smith and Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports), who while running inside the top-five, crashed spectacularly with Helio Castroneves, Justin Haley, and others.
Castroneves, making his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Trackhouse Racing with PROJECT91, will have to rely on the Open Exemption Provisional, and will start 41st in Sunday’s 200-lapper.
The other half of the field will now tackle the second Duel at Daytona, another 60-lap race that will decide the outside row starting spots for Sunday’s event.
