KESELOWSKI AND BUESCHER SCORE DOUBLE FOR RFK FORDS

The Daytona Duels set the 500’s starting grid and proved hugely successful for the renamed Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford team, which unexpectedly swept both races. Co-owner/ driver Brad Keselowski, who left Penske in the off season, won the opener, and the way he outsmarted former team-mate Ryan Blaney was a sweet way to kickstart his new deal.

Sunday’s pole-winner Kyle Larson led the opening stages, which went single-file by lap eight with a train of Chevys out front. This was the first-ever racing in anger for the Next Gen cars, and the potential for overtaking was clearly there – tempered by a paucity of spares and back-up cars.

This race pivoted on the pitstop cycle. Chevrolet clearly had a manufacturer strategy to change all four tyres – pitstops are much faster with the central-lug wheelnut system – but everyone else took right-sides only, which was worth 4s difference with only a splash of fuel required.

Chevy had shot itself in the foot, but learned a valuable lesson in handing the race to Ford. Blaney, who’d aced his stop, took control ahead of Keselowski, Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric. The sole Chevy (Tyler Reddick) and

Toyota (Kurt Busch) in the lead group quickly lost the draft as the Fords worked together in tandem.

In the closing laps,

Keselowski – who’d bump-drafted Blaney hard

– made his move in the tri-oval with four to go, completely catching Blaney by surprise. Blaney regrouped, but his chance of retaliation dissolved when Keselowski’s Penske replacement Cindric hung him out to dry on the last lap to cheekily gain second. “Brad surprised me with that move so early,” said Blaney through gritted teeth. “Nice move.”

Duel 2 was won by Keselowski’s stablemate Chris Buescher. The Fords again had the upper hand, outpacing the five-car Toyota fleet. That lost key man Denny Hamlin, the three-time 500 winner inexplicably spinning as he entered pitlane.

Joey Logano led until the very last lap, when Buescher made a clean move off Turn 2 and Logano blocked him way too late, effectively wrecking himself as they made contact. Logano later admitted to a “dumb mistake” that forced him to a back-up car for the 500.

Last year’s 500 winner Michael Mcdowell just missed the wreck to finish second, ahead of rookie Harrison Burton, who collected the wall-bound Logano but continued.

Kyle Busch led the Toyota train in fourth.

“‘BRAD SURPRISED ME WITH THAT MOVE SO EARLY,’ SAID BLANEY THROUGH GRITTED TEETH”