Gatorade Duel 2012: Daytona 500 Creates Intrigue from Start to Finish

Nothing is ever good enough for the Daytona 500, and even setting the field demands an amazing test that really only serves to better entertain the millions of fans that are already captivated. 

The Daytona 500 may be a few days off, but that doesn't mean the Great American Race doesn't have a great deal set up to keep us all fat and happy with entertainment until then. 

It's time to set the field, and that is usually a bore in other races, but that isn't the case here. Daytona is a special place and an amazing time from the start of the week until the last driver crosses on Sunday. 

It's time for the Gatorade Duel, two smaller races that will set the field. Who needs a bunch of time trials when you can fill the track and have half the drivers settle this thing as the racing gods intended?

Two 60-lap, 150-mile races will be run, and it will serve to pique our interests and get us geared into what lay ahead as far as the main event. 

Like relegation in world football, the real action is at the back. ESPN's Terry Blount descries exactly why you should care about this pre-Daytona 500 pair of races. 

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The Duels, the two qualifying races for the Daytona 500, are misnamed considering 39 of the 49 drivers on the 2.5-mile oval already are qualified for Sunday's season-opening event.

But the ones who aren't in the show, the ones who will bang and bash with increasing desperation as the laps tick off, will start at the back of the pack.

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With high hopes and desperate dreams, these drivers will do almost anything to claw their way into the greatest race of the season. 

That's not say that this is all about them and has nothing to do with the rest of the field. As Blount notes, the rest of the qualified drivers have some scouting reports to start writing mentally. 

The Gatorade Duel is a gift of sorts, for those that choose to use it wisely. The feel of the course and the pace of the race on Sunday can be extrapolated from their efforts. 

This is more than just a qualifying race, but a dress rehearsal for some of the best drivers in the world. 

For the fans, it's yet another reason that the Daytona 500, from start to finish, is the best NASCAR event around. 

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