Kennington becomes first Canadian since 1988 to earn spot in Daytona 500
For the first time in 29 years, a Canadian will race in the Daytona 500.
D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas, Ont., claimed one of two open slots for this weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway with a 15th-place finish in Thursday night’s 150-mile qualifying race. Corey LaJoie secured the other open slot.
Kennington, 39, is the eighth Canadian to participate in the race and first since Trevor Boys in 1988.
“The most amazing feeling in the world,” Kennington said in a release. “This is one of the biggest moments of my whole life.”
Kennington, who will start from the 30th position on Sunday, is a two-time champion of NASCAR Pinty’s Series and will be making just his second start in NASCAR’s big leagues.
Denny Hamlin charged past Dale Earnhardt Jr. with one lap remaining to deny Earnhardt a victory in the qualifying race that Earnhardt dominated.
Earnhardt led 53 of the 60 laps in the second qualifying duel but couldn’t hold off a Hamlin charge at the end.
Hamlin got a push from Chevrolet driver Austin Dillon to gather the momentum needed to get past Earnhardt. Typically, the Toyota drivers have teamed together to navigate through traffic in restrictor plate races.
In the qualifying race, Hamlin didn’t need his fellow Toyota drivers and even overcame a pit road penalty to get the win.
“I don’t know what I could have done differently to defend that,” Earnhardt said. “Denny is so smart, he knows what he’s doing out there. Any which way I went, I knew he was going to go the other way and probably get by me.”
It was Earnhardt’s first race in his return from a concussion that caused him to miss the second half of last season. He faded to sixth.
Hamlin is the defending Daytona 500 winner and has won a Duel qualifying race three times in his career.
The twin 150-mile races are used to set the field for Sunday’s season-opener, and Hamlin got
this win on the same day he announced a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing and sponsor FedEx.
Chase Elliott won the first qualifier but he had already earned the top starting spot for Sunday’s race based on speed. He and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt will start on the front row in “The Great American Race.”
LaJoie had the harder road to race into the Daytona 500.
He ran into the back of Reed Sorenson, one of the drivers he was racing for the slot in the 500. It caused Sorenson to wreck.
“I know it looked like I meant to do it but I didn’t,” LaJoie said.