Gatorade Duels Sets Starting Lineup For 2012 Daytona 500

We now know what the starting lineup will look like for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

The twin 150-mile qualifying races held Thursday at Daytona International Speedway determined the full starting grid for NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl, with Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth winning their respective Gatorade Duel races.

Matt Kenseth won a late scramble to the finish line of Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel race by taking advantage of Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle’s ill-timed move.

Biffle tried to cross in front of Kenseth coming to the white-flag lap, but Kenseth turned his wheel to the left and ducked inside to take the lead.

Danica Patrick crashed her car on the final lap of Thursday’s Gatorade Duel race at Daytona International Speedway, marking an unfortunate end to her first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series action.

Patrick was running at the back of the pack and then tried to make a move down low on the white-flag lap. But Jamie McMurray came down the track on the backstretch and made contact with Aric Almirola, who then ran into Patrick.

Tony Stewart won Thursday’s first Gatorade Duel under caution, earning the right to start Sunday’s Daytona 500 in the third position behind pole-sitter Carl Edwards.

It was Stewart’s third Gatorade Duel win, following up victories in 2005 and 2007. The defending Sprint Cup Series champion led for 21 of the 60 laps.

Update: Find complete coverage of the (newly named) Budweiser Duels here.

OK, you’re stuck at work and the Gatorade Duel qualifying races are about to begin at Daytona International Speedway.

When Carl Edwards addressed the NASCAR media on Wednesday, he told reporters that he wasn’t concerned about wrecking his car in this afternoon’s Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway.

“This might sound dumb, but I am not too worried about if we crash the car,” he said. “We have a good backup car and it is identical and should be just as fast.”

It’s Gatorade Duels day at Daytona International Speedway, which means the starting lineup for the 2012 Daytona 500 will be set when this afternoon’s qualifying races are finished.

So far, all we know is that Carl Edwards will start from the pole position and Greg Biffle will start second. The rest of the starting positions are up for grabs.

It’s Gatorade Duels day at Daytona International Speedway. We’ve got the actual race start time and some other facts about today’s Daytona 500 qualifying races for you below.

What time do the Duels start? The first Duel race begins at 2:19 p.m. EST (engines will be fired at 2:07 with a command by Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte), followed by the second Duel at approximately 4:01 p.m. The second Duel start time is approximate because NASCAR officials can’t be sure how long the first Duel will last.

When Thursday’s Gatorade Duel 150-mile races (2:19 p.m. EST, SPEED) take the green flag, drivers will have wildly different goals and strategies.

Of the 39 drivers who are already locked in to Sunday’s Daytona 500, about half seem to plan on playing it safe and avoiding big pack racing – even if it leaves them with a poor starting position for the main event. The other half feel it’s important to drive in race conditions to properly prepare for the 500.

If you didn’t spend every moment of Sunday on Twitter or watching FOX (perhaps you had a job or a family that required some attention), your head might be spinning a bit over Daytona 500 qualifying.

Who is in the field? Who is still on the outside? What’s next?

NASCAR disallowed Clint Bowyer’s Daytona 500 qualifying time on Sunday after his car was found to be too low in the left front.

Bowyer’s team sent the No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota through inspection after the driver posted the 22nd-fastest time of the session, but it flunked the height sticks officials use to make sure cars are within the rules.

Winning the pole position for next Sunday’s running of the Daytona 500 likely won’t do much to take away Carl Edwards’ pain of a close Sprint Cup Series championship loss last season.

But it can’t hurt, either.

Drivers with top 35 owner points will still qualify first (as usual), followed by the drivers who don’t have guaranteed starting spots. That’s where the real drama is today, because three of those drivers (plus a past champion) will be able to lock themselves into the field based on speeds.

No one wants to have to wait until Thursday’s Gatorade Duel to get into the Daytona 500, so today’s session could be huge for drivers without the promise of a starting spot like Trevor Bayne, Michael Waltrip and Kenny Wallace.

Who is going to win the pole for the Daytona 500?

While it may sound like an unanswerable question due to the unpredictability that is restrictor-plate racing, the truth is it’s really not that random.