Elliott Sadler survived a green-white-checkers finish and won the first Gatorade Duel as Kevin Lepage and Bill Elliott raced their way into the Daytona 500.
The second Gatorade Duel also featured a green-white-checkers finish as the battle for the two transfer spots heated up at the end. Jeff Gordon held on for the win but back in the pack Scott Riggs, Mike Wallace and Kenny Wallace put on a heck of a show for those precious transfer spots.
Robby Gordon was guaranteed a starting spot based on his qualifying speed but got a spot based on his strong tenth place finish. Mike Wallace both raced his way in with a twelfth place effort but Scott Riggs and Kenny Wallace missed the cut and will have to watch the 2006 Daytona 500 from the sidelines.
Questions Answered and New Questions Raised
The new Ford Fusion showed that it can race well in the draft as Sadler and Carl Edwards finished 1-2 in the first Duel. In the second Duel Roush teammates Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin both ran up front in their Ford Fusions and ended up in the top five. There were some doubts as to how the new Ford Fusion might perform in the race but the news seems to be good for the Blue Oval drivers.
Tire problems reared their ugly head again as tires seemed to be blistering and blowing, causing a number of cautions today. Goodyear was the story of the race too often last season and I'd really hate to see that continue into 2006. Lets hope that those problems don't continue this weekend.
The racing today was pretty tame, but there wasn't much on the line for most of the racers. On Sunday the Daytona 500 won't see as much patience. I think we are in for a barnburner finish this weekend I can't wait!
