Daytona 500 Schedule: Complete TV Coverage, Starting Order After Budweiser Duels

Fans of NASCAR were in for a wild ride during the Budweiser Duels, but the field is finally set for the Daytona 500. Thanks to a win from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Thursday night in the first Duel, three cars in the top two rows are from Hendrick Motorsports.

But the final order didn't come without some controversy and surprises. Danica Patrick was nearly knocked out of contention by Denny Hamlin but returned to the track to finish 10th. Several unheralded names such as Cole Whitt and Landon Cassill will start, making Sunday afternoon even more intriguing.

Here's a look at the full starting order, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Row	Inside Position	Outside Position	Reason
1	Jeff Gordon	Jimmie Johnson	Top two qualifiers
2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Kyle Busch	Top 15 from Duels
3	Joey Logano	Carl Edwards	Top 15 from Duels
4	Tony Stewart	Greg Biffle	Top 15 from Duels
5	Clint Bowyer	Martin Truex Jr.	Top 15 from Duels
6	Kevin Harvick	Ryan Blaney	Top 15 from Duels
7	Kasey Kahne	Reed Sorenson	Top 15 from Duels
8	Jamie McMurray	Mike Wallace	Top 15 from Duels
9	Landon Cassill	Justin Allgaier	Top 15 from Duels
10	Cole Whitt	Danica Patrick	Top 15 from Duels
11	Paul Menard	Ryan Newman	Top 15 from Duels
12	Michael McDowell	Kurt Busch	Top 15 from Duels
13	JJ Yeley	David Gilliland	Top 15 from Duels
14	Michael Annett	David Ragan	Top 15 from Duels
15	Kyle Larson	Austin Dillon	Top 15 from Duels
16	Ty Dillon	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Top 15 from Duels
17	Aric Almirola	Michael Waltrip	Fastest qualifiers (Any round)
18	Matt Kenseth	Johnny Sauter	Fastest qualifiers (Any round)
19	Denny Hamlin	Brad Keselowski	Owner Points provisional spots
20	Trevor Bayne	AJ Allmendinger	Owner Points provisional spots
21	Sam Hornish Jr.	Casey Mears	Owner Points provisional spots
22	Bobby Labonte	-----	Past Sprint Cup champion

Daytona 500 Information

Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida

When: Sunday, Feb. 22

Start Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Radio: Motor Racing Network

Yes, that is 50-year-old Bobby Labonte who took the past champion's provisional. He won that title back in 2000, but the rules are the rules. All the power to the legend in the sport.

As for the actual contenders, Earnhardt emerged as a favorite yet again on Thursday night. The defending champion at the track, Junior looked like a man among boys during the first Duel. After starting 25th due to failing a post-qualifying inspection, he raced up to the top 10 in just 10 laps and easily got out front.

Earnhardt expressed his thoughts on the Hendrick machine following the race:

The worst-to-first run by the No. 88 car was shocking enough, but the drivers just behind him made the night even more fun. Out of the first group on the track, multiple shocking faces raced their way into the Daytona 500.

Along with Cassill and Whitt, drivers like Michael Annett and Ty Dillon also made the field for Sunday. Dillon, the younger brother of Austin Dillon, finished 16th in the first Duel, but Gordon's second-place result allowed him to take a provisional spot.

Dustin Long of NBC Sports passed along comments from the younger Dillon:

Dillon remained mostly unscathed throughout the night, but the same couldn't be said for several other drivers.

The aforementioned Patrick and Hamlin accident became the story of the Duels. Not only did the wreck nearly cause a headache for Stewart-Haas Racing, but the altercation afterward was shocking for Patrick.

What follows on Sunday should make for interesting television. Hamlin already forced Patrick to go to a backup car during Wednesday's practice, and he put her in a terrible position on Thursday night. Now, she'll go to her Sprint Unlimited car, which was her second backup, for the Daytona 500.

The fun on Thursday was only an inkling of what's to come on Sunday. With the stage officially set and some of the brightest stars ready to shine, the Daytona 500 promises to be a memorable one for NASCAR fans.

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