DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – What should have been a tuning of the Daytona 500 could have cost Hendrick Motorsports the front row of the spectacular opening NASCAR season.
Alex Bowman and William Byron were due to lead the Daytona 500 field on the green flag on Sunday, but that has problems after Thursday night’s qualifying races. Bowman had an engine problem in the first 150-mile race and if the engine needs to be changed, he will lose pole.
Byron was picked up in an accident in the second race that ruined his Chevrolet. He has to move to a spare car for the 500 and the change sends him to the bottom of the field.
Aric Almirola won the first race and, after a rain delay, pushed the second Duel to finish on Friday morning, Austin Dillon made a cross move against Bubba Wallace to beat Wallace on the checkered flag.
Almirola, in a Ford, is scheduled to start behind Byron, but will slip to the front row when Byron falls behind. Dillon, with a Chevrolet, will wait to see if Hendrick changes the Bowman engine this weekend.
Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala got their first beds in the Daytona 500 by claiming the two transfer positions available in the Duels. Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Garrett Smithley and Noah Gragson failed to advance.
Smithley and Gragson were competing with each other for the transfer spot in the second race when Smithley tried to dodge around Gragson. Brad Keselowski, on the outside, didn’t expect Smithley to fill the void and the two collided, starting a wreck that eliminated Smithley and Gragson.
Byron was also caught in that accident.