Hendrick cars might lose front row spots
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – What should have been a tune-up for the Daytona 500 might have cost Hendrick Motorsports the front row for NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl.
Alex Bowman and William Byron were slated to lead the Daytona 500 field to green but that’s in danger following Thursday night’s qualifying races. Bowman had an engine problem in the first 150-mile race and, if his motor needs to be changed, he’ll forfeit Sunday’s pole.
Byron was collected in a crash in the second Duel and it ruined his Chevrolet. He needs to move to a backup car for the 500 and the swap sends him to the back of the field.
“Bummer,” Byron said. “Man the thing was fast.”
Aric Almirola won the first race. After a rain delay pushed the second Duel into a Friday morning finish, Austin Dillon used a cross-over move on Bubba Wallace to beat Wallace to the checkered flag.
Almirola in a Ford is slated to start behind Byron but will slide up to the front row when Byron falls to the back. Dillon in a Chevrolet will wait to see if Hendrick changes Bowman’s engine this weekend.
Hendrick Motorsports spent Friday troubleshooting the engine in Bowman’s car
Chad Knaus, vice president of competition for Hendrick, said the No. 48 team will ideally use Saturday’s final two practice sessions to determine if the engine can make it 500 miles on Sunday.
“We think the engine is OK, but we’re undecided just yet,” said Knaus, who won the NASCAR title seven times as a crew chief. “If we don’t see any issues then we’ll go out and practice and make a decision tomorrow.”
The engine problem developed midway through the first of two 150-mile qualifying races Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway. Bowman brought the car to pit road for his crew to check it because he didn’t want to risk blowing the engine.
Bowman is scheduled to start on the pole for the second time in four years.
Hendrick will now have only one car at the front of the Daytona 500 field – maybe none if Bowman’s engine is deemed too risky not to change.
“It’s always something you weigh when you qualify in the front row – how aggressive do you get in the 150? Do you race hard? Do you not race hard? It’s a balance,” Knaus said. “But the only way to get these guys practice is to legit race. I think (Byron) showed a lot of speed, so I think they made the right call (to race).”
The pole-sitter has not closed out a Daytona 500 victory since Dale Jarrett in 2000.
Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala both earned their first berths into the Daytona 500 by claiming the two available transfer positions in the Duels. Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Garrett Smithley and Noah Gragson all failed to advance.
Smithley and Gragson were racing each other for the transfer spot in the second race when Smithley tried to duck around Gragson. Brad Keselowski on his outside wasn’t expecting Smithley to fill the gap and the two collided, starting a wreck that eliminated both Smithley and Gragson.
Byron also was caught in that crash. Meanwhile, Wallace in his debut for the new 23XI Racing team owned by Michael Jordan flirted with his first win in a Cup car. He was the leader on the final lap of the second Duel until Dillon crossed to Wallace’s inside and inched ahead.
Wallace tried to hold it steady but wobbled after banging doors with Dillon.
“Good debut but nothing to be really happy about myself,” Wallace said. “It’s OK for drivers to be hard on themselves – that’s how we motivate ourselves.”
Cindric and Grala both got into their first Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race. The race had 48 entrants for 40 slots, but all but four were claimed by teams with guaranteed entry.