Dale Earnhardt Jr. showed the rest of the Daytona 500 field that he will be the driver to beat Sunday after he scored a dominating win in the first of the two Can-Am Duel qualifying races Thursday. Kyle Busch won the second Duel that ended with a wild finish and mangled metal.
Earnhardt started the first Duel second behind Daytona 500 pole winner and rookie Chase Elliott but it took him only three laps to make his presence known as he took the lead from his young teammate. The field soon strung out single file with only Denny Hamlin the only real challenge to Earnhardt. Hamlin took the lead after the races only caution for a solo spin by Cole Whitt on lap 42. Hamlin held the lead until lap 55 of the 60, when Earnhardt made diving move to take the lead and hold on for the win. It was the 17th career Daytona win for Earnhardt and his fifth Duel win.
Joey Logano was second, rookie Ryan Blaney was an impressive third, with Kevin Harvick fourth and Hamlin fifth.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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