Elliott rallies to win a Duel
In the first race at Daytona, the pole-sitter for Sunday’s showdown got off to a shaky start but fought back.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Polesitter Chase Elliott could have taken his lumps, learned his lesson and looked to make a better run from the No. 1 spot during Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Instead, Elliott fought back from a seemingly ruinous start to earn a come-from-behind win during Thursday’s opening Can-Am Duel. In the process, the 21-year-old validated Sunday’s pole position and established himself as one of the drivers to beat on the sport’s biggest stage.
“We would rather it be on Sunday, but at the same time it means a lot to me,” Elliott said. “It means a lot to our team — just a great way to start the season.
“We really earned it tonight to start on the front row Sunday.”
Elliott, the son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, now will look to see how he and his car hold up during a much longer race with a star-studded field, including 2016 Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and two-time winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hamlin and Earnhardt duked it out during the second Can-Am Duel. Hamlin, using a push from Austin Dillon and Kurt Busch, passed Earnhardt with two laps to go. Earnhardt led 53 of 60 laps during the 150-mile race.
“I don’t know if I could have done anything to defend that,” Earnhardt said.
Elliott looked as though he had no chance just a few laps into Thursday’s first race.
Driving the No. 24 car made famous by Jeff Gordon, young Elliott lost his lead during the second lap to former NASCAR Series champion Brad Keselowski and fell deep into the 21-car pack.
When Elliott found himself near the back of the field he could have driven conservatively to ensure he would have his best car on Sunday.
But Elliott determinedly worked his way back into position and overtook Keselowski on Lap 37. Elliott led the rest of the way, holding off 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, 2007 winner Kevin Harvick and Keselowski for the win.
“I definitely was looking in the mirror more than going straight,” Elliott said.
Thursday’s racing was fierce and filled with risk-taking from start to finish.
At one point, McMurray’s car bumped Kyle Busch, who maintained control but lost at least 10 spots and faded to a 12th-place finish.
In a scarier moment, Reed Sorenson lost control of his car with 12 laps to go and had a head-on collision with the same concrete wall near Turn 1 that Busch hit in 2015, when he suffered severe leg injuries.
The results of Thursday’s race helped to set the field on Rows 2 to 20 for Sunday’s race. But even more was at stake this time.
For the first time during the Duels, the winner earned 10 regular-season points in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Drivers raced with a little more purpose and passion than previous Duels, but Elliott would not be denied.
“I thought Chase did an awesome job,” McMurray said. “Everyone raced as hard as they could; I did.”
Elliott now looks to take the next step and contend. The Dawsonville, Ga., native also won the pole in 2016 but finished 37th among the 40-car field.
“We are excited about Sunday,” he said. “We have a great car.”
He was not the only one. Keselowski, a 21-time winner, led 28 of 60 laps.
“We had some good speed. We led a lot of laps,” he said. “More importantly, we took our best care and brought it home in one piece. … We still wanted to win.” Drivers were happy to be racing. Sketchy weather placed the Duels in jeopardy. Intermittent rain showers and gusty winds canceled practice Thursday.
But Air Titan — the high-tech track-dying behemoth — finally took a back seat after a long Thursday and gave way to the race cars.
“Glad we were able to race and stay aggressive and battle those guys,” Elliott said. “Hopefully we can dial it in just a little better Sunday, give it another shot.”