NASCAR at Daytona 2015 Results: Pole Winner, Duels Order, Qualifying Highlights

Amid a new-look qualifying format for Sunday's Daytona 500 qualifying session, NASCAR's Jeff Gordon didn't blink at the challenge and took the pole for the final Great American Race of his career.

Even though Gordon is entering the last season of his illustrious career, he showed no problem competing with the best Sunday, with a winning time of 44.711 seconds at 201.293 mph. NASCAR summed up his thoughts on an emotional afternoon:

Finishing right behind Gordon was fellow Hendrick Motorsports star Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second with a 44.746-second time at 201.135 mph.

But Gordon and Johnson's front-row spots are the only two spots secured for next Sunday's running. Third-place finisher Denny Hamlin, along with everyone who qualified behind him, will have his spot decided by Thursday's Budweiser Duels, the starting order of which decided Sunday.

Here's a look at the full order of the qualifying round, as well as a sneak peak at the lineups for the Budweiser Duels:

Pos.	Driver
1	Jeff Gordon
2	Jimmie Johnson
3	Denny Hamlin
4	Matt Kenseth
5	Kyle Busch
6	Kasey Kahne
7	Carl Edwards
8	Ty Dillon
9	Austin Dillon
10	Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11	Jamie McMurray
12	Martin Truex Jr.
13	Johnny Sauter
14	Greg Biffle
15	Trevor Bayne
16	Sam Hornish Jr.
17	Aric Almirola
18	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
19	Brad Keselowski
20	Ryan Blaney
21	Joey Logano
22	Michael Waltrip
23	J.J. Yeley
24	Bobby Labonte
25	Paul Menard
26	Alex Bowman
27	A.J. Allmendinger
28	Ryan Newman
29	Kevin Harvick
30	Kurt Busch
31	Tony Stewart
32	Danica Patrick
33	Casey Mears
34	Brian Scott
35	Michael Annett
36	Justin Allgaier
37	Kyle Larson
38	David Gilliland
39	Michael McDowell
40	Jeb Burton
41	Clint Bowyer
42	Reed Sorenson
43	Justin Marks
44	David Ragan
45	Cole Whitt
46	Josh Wise
47	Landon Cassill
48	Mike Wallace
49	Ron Hornaday Jr.

Pos.	Duel #1	Duel #2
1	Jeff Gordon	Jimmie Johnson
2	Denny Hamlin	Matt Kenseth
3	Kyle Busch	Kasey Kahne
4	Carl Edwards	Ty Dillon
5	Austin Dillon	Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6	Jamie McMurray	Martin Truex Jr.
7	Johnny Sauter	Greg Biffle
8	Trevor Bayne	Sam Hornish Jr.
9	Aric Almirola	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10	Brad Keselowski	Ryan Blaney
11	Joey Logano	Michael Waltrip
12	J.J. Yeley	Bobby Labonte
13	Paul Menard	Alex Bowman
14	A.J. Allmendinger	Ryan Newman
15	Kevin Harvick	Kurt Busch
16	Tony Stewart	Danica Patrick
17	Casey Mears	Brian Scott
18	Michael Annett	Justin Allgaier
19	Kyle Larson	David Gilliland
20	Michael McDowell	Jeb Burton
21	Clint Bowyer	Reed Sorenson
22	Justin Marks	David Ragan
23	Cole Whitt	Josh Wise
24	Landon Cassill	Mike Wallace
25	Ron Hornaday Jr.

While the immediate talk Sunday surrounded positive vibes around Hendrick Motorsports with Gordon's emotional pole victory, the lasting impact from the Daytona 500 qualifying might be a sour one.

brightcove.com/?flashVars='videoId=4055378041001

The group qualifying format was first employed at Talladega last season, and NASCAR opted to apply it to the biggest race of the season. The risks were apparent even then, as an unfortunate wreck had the potential to take a lot out of the drivers' hands.

That weakness in the format exposed itself early, with Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, Denny Hamlin and Bobby Labonte all getting into a pileup in the opening few laps. Hamlin and Labonte were able to recover, but the same couldn't be said of Bowyer.

Jerry Markland/Getty Images

With his chances of even appearing in the Daytona 500 fleeting, Bowyer was livid with NASCAR in a post-race rant, per USA Today's Jeff Gluck: "It's idiotic to be out here doing this anyway. There's no sense in trying to put on some cute show for whatever the hell this is. Then you've got a guy out there in desperation doing this crap like this. There's no reason to be out here."

Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports, who believed Bowyer could have avoided the wreck, offered his own take on Bowyer's comments:

While Bowyer's comments could be perceived as sour grapes, he wasn't the only one to take exception to the new format, per Marty Smith of ESPN:

For those who made it through to the second round with their cars in one piece, it became more of a chess match with strategy than an all-out race. Pairings hung around on pit road in a waiting game, looking for the right time to attack with the five-minute clock ticking.

The final 12 drivers included more than a few capable of threatening Johnson and Gordon at the top, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr.—the reigning Daytona 500 champion. Earnhardt applied his strategy to go a bit early, and it didn't pay off, as he shared in retrospect:

It did pay off, however, for Gordon and Johnson.

The duo waited almost until it was too late to attack, but in the end, they timed it perfectly. Gordon edged his partner by a hair, while Johnson just barely made it through before the clock struck zero.

Team Lowe's Racing noted Johnson's second-place finish:

There might be 47 drivers out there who are far from pleased with the qualifying format after Sunday's dramatics, but it's safe to say there's no ill feelings toward it for Hendrick Motorsports. Its two top drivers are leading the charge, and it couldn't be any more of a storybook beginning to a living legend's final go-around.

So much is left to decide, including which drivers will even make the cut of the final 43 and which leading contenders will be behind Gordon and Johnson at the top. While Gordon knows he has a lot ahead of him in terms of actually winning the race, at least he knows someone will have to take his final Daytona 500 from his grasp.