Budweiser Duel at Daytona 2015: Format and starting grid

The 2015 Daytona 500 is now just a few days away. But, before the green flag flies Sunday, the drivers will be back on the track competing for a spot in the field and qualifying position. Only two starting spots have been secured -- Jeff Gordon on the pole and Jimmy Johnson in the No. 2 spot -- with the rest set to be decided Thursday night during two Budweiser Duel races.

The twin qualifying races will determine the next 30 starting spots in the 500 with the remaining spots settled by qualifying speeds, owner points or a possible previous Sprint Cup champion exemption. Instead of leaving it to chance and hoping for the best, drivers can lock in their spot by finishing in the top 15 of a Duel race. A total of 49 drivers will participate in the Duels, 25 in the first race and 24 in the second. The field for the Duels are set by the order of finish during group qualifying. Those who finished in an odd position, No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, etc will compete in the first Duel race. The field for the second Duel will consist of the drivers who finished in an even position during qualifying.

Fresh off the second 500 pole of his career, Gordon will headline the first Duel race. While qualifying garnered more attention for its failures with the group setup than the success, Gordon was able to record a lap of 201.293 mph during the final moments of the third knockout stage. That time proved to be good enough to edge Johnson -- his Hendricks Motorsports teammate -- for the pole.

A spot in the race on Sunday isn’t on the line for everyone. In addition to Gordon and Johnson, Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards all secured spots in the field with their qualifying speeds. They will, however, still need to run well Thursday if they want to start near the lead Sunday. For everyone else, the Duel races are a chance to secure a spot in the field -- and possibly even come away with good starting position. That list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin, who had their qualifying times disallowed due to rule violations found on their cars during post qualifying inspection.

Several drivers, including Danica Patrick, will have to rely on a backup car to drive their way into the race. Patrick and Denny Hamlin were among a group of drivers involved in a wreck during practice Thursday. Patrick’s car sustained significant damage forcing the backup car into action.

Both Duel races will consist of 60 laps and cover 150 miles. The top 15 finishers from each will be slotted into spots No. 3 through No. 32 in the 500 starting grid. For drivers who don’t stand much of a chance to qualify based on their earlier qualifying speeds or owner points, the Duel is their last chance to make it into the race on Sunday.

The first Duel is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. The second race will follow with an estimated start time of 8:30 p.m. ET. Here is a look at the field for each race.

Budweiser Duel No. 1

Budweiser Duel No. 2