Tire problems plagued the second Duel. This will be a problem to keep an eye on during the 2009 Daytona 500. Lets hope that the race is decided on the track in Daytona and not by the research and development team at Goodyear in Akron, OH.
Gatorade Duel #1
The first race was fairly uneventful as drivers already guaranteed a starting spot were playing it safe and those racing their way in were helpless against Tony Stewart and Scott Riggs who raced the entire event comfortably in the top ten.
Pole sitter Martin Truex Jr. had a bit of a scare as he appeared to hit the apron and spun. Fortunately he didn't hit anything and will be able to start that same car from the pole on Sunday.
Terry Labonte took it easy, finished out back and will start 43rd with the Champion's provisional on Sunday.
The Top Five Duel #1:
- Jeff Gordon
- Tony Stewart
- Jimmie Johnson
- Joey Logano
- Aric Almirola
Gatorade Duel #2
The second Duel featured a long green flag run. The long run highlighted a potential tire problem for the Daytona 500. Tires seemed to be blistering and delaminating after a few laps. This is a potential problem which could be a huge problem on Sunday.
Mark Martin lead most of the race but with five laps to go the Joe Gibbs teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin pushed past Martin to the lead. Martin made a run on the last lap but Kyle Busch blocked heavily and held on for the win.
Owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield raced his way into the race along with A.J. Allmendinger.
The Top Five Duel #2:
- Kyle Busch
- Mark Martin
- Brian Vickers
- Juan Montoya
- Denny Hamlin
