Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth win Gatorade Duels; will start behind Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle at the start of Daytona 500

Forty-nine cars attempted to qualify for 43 starting spots. Non-automatic-qualifiers who made the race include Michael McDowell, Robby Gordon, Tony Raines, Joe Nemechek, David Stremme and Terry Labonte (Past champion’s provisional).

Two-time Daytona 500-winner Michael Waltrip crashed in Duel #1 and will miss the Daytona 500. It’s the first time since 1976 that a Waltrip will not compete in the Great American Race.

Michael McDowell is one of Speedweek’s most heartwarming stories. He finished third in the 24 Hours at Daytona and on Thursday, raced his way into the Daytona 500.

“It’s amazing,” McDowell said. “It’s hard to be one of the 43 and it’s been a tough road. Opportunities like this show that I belong and hopefully, we’ll have a great Daytona 500.”

Robby Gordon was equally thankful but not as reverential about the team’s opportunity. Gordon felt that Terry Labonte making the race on a past champion’s provisional was unfair to faster teams and made it especially hard for his team to qualify.

“I have a lot of respect for Terry Labonte,” Gordon said. “But there are only eight guys who make the Daytona 500 and he makes it seven. It’s just not right. We’re a small team too. I guess we should have hired Kurt Busch and I could have just put my other car in the show too. Why take a free ride when the rest of us have to bust our butts to get into the 500?”

Gordon conceded that Labonte - who drives for FAS Lane Racing - made the race through a byproduct of the rules and they have to play by them. He even publicly offered to sell Waltrip his seat, if the price was right.

Overshadowed by those who made or missed the field was Stewart and Kenseth’s race victories. Stewart dominated the first Duel and was declared the winner when a caution was dropped on the final lap for Danica Patrick’s hard crash on the backstretch.

Almirola and Patrick made contact on the backstretch and it sent the #10 flying into the inside retaining wall. Patrick was unharmed and Stewart was declared the winner upon talking the yellow and checkered flags.

Greg Biffle dominated the second Duel and was a sitting duck on the final lap when Jimmie Johnson pushed Kenseth past a defenseless Roush-Fenway #16. Biffle made a daring block to the outside but Kenseth darted left to avoid his teammate. Kenseth emerged out of Turn 3 and 4 with the lead and took the checkered flag for Jack Roush’s first victory in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.

“Watching the race, I just knew [Biffle] wasn’t going to stay there,” Roush said. “With this style of racing, the most dominant car is usually a sitting duck. I’m just glad one of our cars was able to come away with it. It’s embarrassing that this is only our first Duel victory but we’ll take it.”

Roush will have three cars in the top four at the start of the Daytona 500.

The complete results and a Daytona 500 starting lineup can be found after the jump.

# = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Average Speed: 159.104 MPH Time of Race: 00 Hrs, 56 Mins, 34 Secs. Margin of Victory: Caution

Lead Changes: 8 among 5 drivers Cautions: 3 for 8 laps Attendance : N/A