Tony Stewart wins first Gatorade Duel at Daytona 500
Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart took victory in the opening Gatorade Duel race to set the field for Sunday's Daytona 500
As Stewart claimed victory, his Stewart Haas Chevrolet team-mate Danica Patrick suffered a massive shunt on the final lap after making contact with Richard Petty Motorsport's Aric Almirola, as she ran in conservative mode at the back of the pack. Patrick was one of eight drivers who failed to finish the race but she was already qualified for Sunday's event regardless, thanks to a points swap with Tommy Baldwin's outfit ahead of the race.
"We had a great racecar since we got here, especially when I messed up the car for Shootout," said Stewart, who claimed his 17th race win at Daytona, an accolade that puts him second best in the all-time rankings at the famed Speedway. "That all three teams dug in together and got us a car put back together that almost won the Shootout the other night was a testimony to how hard this organisation has worked,"
The first race of the day featured less carnage than Saturday's Budweiser Shootout, as 18 of the 25 participating drivers had their starts in the main race guaranteed. However the first caution period began on lap nine as David Gilliland's Front Row Motorsports Ford was turned around after contact from Michael McDowell, who was apparently being pushed by last year's Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne.
Gilliland turned right and crashed hard into the Chevrolets of Earnhardt Ganassi's Juan Pablo Montoya and Richard Childress Racing's Paul Menard, all of them finishing their races on the spot and being forced into back-up cars for Sunday's event.
Michael Waltrip caused the final caution six laps from the end after losing control of his Toyota while getting back up to speed from his last pitstop. That allowed most of the field to pit for a splash of fuel as some were stretching their mileage in order to make it to the end of the race.
Stewart stayed out under the caution with RCR's Kevin Harvick but it was the reigning champion who eventually managed to remain ahead all the way to the chequered flag, getting a push from Hendrick's Dale Earnhardt Jr before the caution waved for Patrick's crash on the final lap.
McDowell and Robby Gordon got the two transfer spots from the first duel after finishing sixth and ninth respectively.
Results - 60 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 56m34.000s
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet + 0.403s
3. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford + 0.570s
4. Michael McDowell Parsons Ford + 0.811s
5. Robby Gordon Gordon Dodge + 0.906s
6. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 1.507s
7. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 1.642s
8. AJ Allmendinger Penske Dodge + 1.837s
9. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 2.029s
10. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 2.303s
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford + 2.358s
12. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford + 2.369s
13. Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge + 2.908s
14. David Ragan Front Row Ford + 3.644s
15. Aric Almirola Petty Ford + 1m13.690s
Did not finish:
Danica Patrick Baldwin Chevrolet 59 laps
Denny Hamlin Gibbs Toyota 59 laps
Michael Waltrip Waltrip Toyota 51 laps
David Stremme Inception Toyota 27 laps
Mike Wallace Inception Toyota 23 laps
Terry Labonte FAS Lane Ford 12 laps
David Gilliland Front Row Ford 8 laps
Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet 8 laps
Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet 8 laps
Landon Cassill BK Toyota 3 laps
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