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Reddick, Bell win Daytona duel races; Jimmie Johnson races his way in

The winners of the two duel races will start on the second row of the Daytona 500. The front row was set during Wednesday's qualifying.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The field for the Daytona 500 is now set after a pair of last-lap passes decided Thursday's duel races.

Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell won the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday night. Reddick passed Kyle Larson for the win on the final lap in the first duel, meanwhile, Bell got around Denny Hamlin to win the second duel. 

Reddick led just one lap on Thursday -- the only one he needed -- as he stole the win over Larson, who finished ninth after being shuffled out of line on the final turn. Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, and Erik Jones completed the top five. Larson, Jones, Daniel Suárez, and Martin Truex Jr. spent time at the front.

"It's a great way to start the weekend," Reddick said. 

The second duel was highlighted by a 10-car pileup with under 15 laps to go that sent 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney hard into the wall. The crash was triggered by Kyle Busch bumping William Byron a bit too hard, sending the latter driver spinning directly into Blaney and taking out at least five other cars.

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Credit: AP
Ryan Blaney catches fire after crashing with Kyle Busch and William Byron during a Daytona 500 qualifying race, Feb. 15, 2024,(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Bell similarly led just one lap, the final one of the race, en route to his win on Thursday. Hamlin led on the final lap but aggressive moves to block Bell and Austin Cindric were unsuccessful. Cindric, Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek, and Harrison Burton completed the top five.

"We have a running joke that [plate races] are 100 percent luck," Bell said after the win. "It seems like we've been struggling to get to the end of [these races]. It feels good to do everything right today."

The results of the first duel race determine the inside row for Sunday's race, and the second duel determines the outside row. The front row for the Daytona 500 was determined in qualifying on Wednesday, with Joey Logano and Michael McDowell taking those two spots.

The twin 150-mile races also determined which drivers would miss the Daytona 500.  Six drivers competed for four open spots for the Daytona 500. Anthony Alfredo and David Ragan secured their spots in qualifying. 

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson narrowly avoided elimination by passing JJ Yeley on the final lap just a few hundred yards from the finish line. Johnson spent much of the race in position to advance but was involved in a crash with under 10 laps to go that severely hurt his chances.

"I've never been in a position like this before," Johnson said. "It's very stressful... We were just in the right spot at the right time when the checkered flag fell."

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Credit: AP
Jimmie Johnson battles with JJ Yeley during the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Yeley, driving for the small team NY Racing, was barely announced as the driver for the No. 44 on Wednesday and came extremely close to competing in his first Daytona 500 since 2015. Coming out of turn four on the final lap, Yeley was forced out of the draft when Ross Chastain checked up. The loss of momentum allowed Johnson, a month removed from a NASCAR Hall of Fame induction, to pass Yeley to get into the show.

In the second duel, BJ McLeod drove his way into the top five for a few laps and was in position to advance to Sunday's race. He was involved in the big crash on lap 46, opening the door for Kaz Grala to race him for the position.

Grala and McLeod were on opposite ends of a three-wide battle on the final straightaway, with Grala holding a slight advantage to make the show.

"That was so much more stressful than it needed to be for us," Grala said. "This is a big opportunity for me."

Credit: AP
BJ McLeod and Kaz Grala battle during late stages of the second NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying race Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

"Most people would be let down right now but I've seen what this little team can do," McLeod said. "They put this car together with no help of any kind. My guys did an awesome job building an awesome car for the draft."

The Daytona 500 is on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the defending winner.

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