Budweiser Duels 2015 Results: Winner, Highlights and Reaction
Looking for a quality starting spot in the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson clinched the Budweiser Duels. By virtue of his victory, Earnhardt will start on the second row for the season-opening race.
Since Johnson was already locked into the No. 2 spot, Kyle Busch's second-place finish in the second Duel was good for a spot on the second row along with Earnhardt.
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Earnhardt's win set the stage for the night and was the fourth of his career. He now trails only Jeff Gordon—the 2015 polesitter—in Duel wins with five. It also puts all Hendrick cars in the top three spots with Jimmie Johnson on the front row along with Gordon.
After holding off Joey Logano down the back stretch, Junior was rather nonchalant about the victory, via Nate Ryan of NBC Sports:
The defending Daytona 500 champion didn't have the speed in qualifying to make the field, making Thursday night a pressure-filled one. Thanks to his massive run at the start of the race, he was able to come from the back of the pack all the way to the top.
By the 10th lap in the opening Duel, Junior had already reached sixth place after starting 25th. Prior to the second Duel getting underway, Earnhardt discussed his strategy for the twin race, per Jeff Owens of Sporting News:
"I think the goal is to win the (Duel) race. I've had that sort of discussion going on in my head ever since we got through qualifying. You don’t want to tear the car up but the goal is to go out there and win the race.
It just feels wrong to worry more about keeping the car in one piece than winning an event. You’re in that event to compete and to win.
"
Being a fan favorite, Earnhardt was the biggest story of the night, but Johnson's win was a huge one for Hendrick as well. It was the first Duel victory for him, but it meant very little since he was already on the top row.
Here's a look at the full results from the twin races and the starting order for the 2015 Daytona 500.
| 1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | Kyle Busch |
| 3 | Joey Logano | Carl Edwards |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | Greg Biffle |
| 5 | Clint Bowyer | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | Ryan Blaney |
| 7 | Kasey Kahne | Reed Sorenson |
| 8 | Jamie McMurray | Mike Wallace |
| 9 | Landon Cassill | Justin Allgaier |
| 10 | Cole Whitt | Danica Patrick |
| 11 | Paul Menard | Ryan Newman |
| 12 | Michael McDowell | Kurt Busch |
| 13 | J.J. Yeley | David Gilliland |
| 14 | Michael Annett | David Ragan |
| 15 | Kyle Larson | Austin Dillon |
| 16 | Ty Dillon | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Brian Scott |
| 18 | Justin Marks | Denny Hamlin |
| 19 | Brad Keselowski | Michael Waltrip |
| 20 | Aric Almirola | Bobby Labonte |
| 21 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 22 | Trevor Bayne | Jeb Burton |
| 23 | A.J. Allmendinger | Alex Bowman |
| 24 | Johnny Sauter | Josh Wise |
| 25 | Casey Mears |
| 1 | Jeff Gordon |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 4 | Kyle Busch |
| 5 | Joey Logano |
| 6 | Carl Edwards |
| 7 | Tony Stewart |
| 8 | Greg Biffle |
| 9 | Clint Bowyer |
| 10 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 11 | Kevin Harvick |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 13 | Kasey Kahne |
| 14 | Reed Sorenson |
| 15 | Jamie McMurray |
| 16 | Mike Wallace |
| 17 | Landon Cassill |
| 18 | Justin Allgaier |
| 19 | Cole Whitt |
| 20 | Danica Patrick |
| 21 | Paul Menard |
| 22 | Ryan Newman |
| 23 | Michael McDowell |
| 24 | Kurt Busch |
| 25 | J.J. Yeley |
| 26 | David Gilliland |
| 27 | Michael Annett |
| 28 | David Ragan |
| 29 | Kyle Larson |
| 30 | Austin Dillon |
| 31 | Ty Dillon |
| 32 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 33 | Aric Almirola |
| 34 | Michael Waltrip |
| 35 | Matt Kenseth |
| 36 | Johnny Sauter |
| 37 | Denny Hamlin |
| 38 | Brad Keselowski |
| 39 | Trevor Bayne |
| 40 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 41 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 42 | Casey Mears |
| 43 | Bobby Labonte |
With 49 cars in the field for the Duels, just 43 were able to qualify for NASCAR's Super Bowl. There were no huge surprises thanks to provisional spots and the notable names making their way into the top 15.
One driver who nearly missed out on the illustrious race is Casey Mears. The No. 13 car suffered a blown engine early in the first Duel and had his night come to an abrupt end. Marty Smith of ESPN and GEICO Racing passed along the tough news for Mears:
Jeff Gluck of USA Today also shared Mears' reaction following the unfortunate finish to his night:
Mears' story actually ended much better. He made it into the race on one of the final provisional spots, but he will need to recuperate from Thursday night. After finishing inside the top 10 in both Daytona races last year, he is still a driver to watch.
In the second event of the night, Kyle Busch took a lead early but lost it due to speeding in the pits. That allowed Austin Dillon to take over midway through before falling back in the mix. Busch would not stay near the back for long, however, moving back into the top five before the biggest wreck of the night.
Four cars were involved, including Dillon and Sam Hornish. Neither driver was in immediate danger thanks to owner points, but it would end any chance for Jeb Burton and Alex Bowman. Both young drivers looked solid throughout the week but had their chances come to an abrupt end.
It was a rough way to go out for Burton and Bowman, but it presented an opportunity for David Ragan. He spun out earlier in the race and sustained damage but got back on the lead lap following the wreck, per Gluck:
What followed was one of the most shocking events of the night. Danica Patrick, needing to finish inside the top 15 to solidify a spot, was involved in a wreck that appeared to be started by Denny Hamlin. Patrick was sent up into the wall, collecting Brian Scott and Bobby Labonte.
Patrick voiced her opinion of the accident, per Ryan and Alan Cavanna of Fox Sports:
Due to the other wrecks, all of the cars in the lead pack were essentially guaranteed a spot in the race. Instead, Patrick had to return to the track with serious damage to work her way back up. Ultimately, her and Ragan both fought back to clinch a berth.
Bob Pockrass of ESPN gave a visual of the altercation that took place after the Duel:
Even with the strong night for Earnhardt, Gordon and Johnson still remain on the front row. Earnhardt also put on a show and once again looks like a strong candidate to go back to back. In order for teams like JGR or others to pull out the win, they will need to overcome Hendrick.
A win for Hendrick on Sunday would tie the team with Richard Petty Motorsports for the most 500 wins with nine. Gibbs, on the other hand, is simply hoping to win its second overall and first since 1993.
Coming off of an arduous night for every driver in the field, Sunday will be the culmination of all of the hard work this winter and Speedweeks. Now, the NASCAR world simply waits for the green flag to wave.
Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter. He's got grease under his fingernails.
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