NASCAR Duels 2018 Results: Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott Win, Daytona Field Set

Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott won the Can-Am Duels Thursday that helped determine the starting order for Sunday's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. 

Alex Bowman, who clocked the fastest qualifying time Feb. 11, is on the pole for The Great American Race in Daytona Beach, Florida. Denny Hamlin will line up beside Bowman in Row 1 after he finished second in qualifying. 

As a reminder, drivers from the first duel will line up behind Bowman on the inside row (odd-numbered positions) based on the order they finished Thursday. Those who raced in the second duel will line up behind Hamlin on the outside in even-numbered posts.  

The top 10 finishers from each duel can be viewed below, with complete results available through NASCAR's website: 

Duel 1

• 1. Ryan Blaney
• 2. Joey Logano
• 3. Darrell Wallace Jr.
• 4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• 5. Kurt Busch
• 6. Ryan Newman
• 7. David Ragan
• 8. Daniel Suarez
• 9. Jamie McMurray
• 10. Chris Buescher

Duel 2

• 1. Chase Elliott
• 2. Kevin Harvick
• 3. Erik Jones
• 4. Clint Bowyer
• 5. Kyle Busch
• 6. Austin Dillon
• 7. Paul Menard
• 8. Trevor Bayne
• 9. Denny Hamlin
• 10. A.J. Allmendinger

In Duel 1, Blaney used a late push to hold off 2015 Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano and solidify his place toward the front of the pack. 

As a result, the No. 12 Ford will be in prime position to contend for a title one year after finishing second behind Kurt Busch. 

Speaking of Busch, the defending champion managed a fifth-place effort to bring the possibility of a repeat into view. 

Busch and Blaney should receive stiff competition from Elliott thanks to his victorious effort in the second duel. 

Elliott, who captured back-to-back Daytona poles in 2016 and 2017, is seeking redemption following 14th- and 37th-place runs the last two years. 

Two of the evening's big losers were Jimmie Johnson and Aric Almirola, who were involved in a wreck on the ninth lap of the first duel. The No. 48 and No. 10 cars suffered significant damage, as Fox NASCAR documented on Twitter, and both drivers were forced to call it a night early: 

According to NBC Sports' Dustin Long, NASCAR rules state Johnson will have to start at the back of the field since he'll operate a backup car. 

Johnson, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, will start outside the top 20 for the third straight Daytona 500. He finished 16th after starting 26th in 2016 and last year managed a 34th-place finish following a start in the 24th position. 

Brad Keselowski will also start Sunday at a disadvantage after he was involved in a crash with three laps to go: 

On the flip side, Bowman played things as safe as possible to avoid a similar outcome. 

With the pole position for Sunday's race wrapped up, Bowman drifted to the back of the pack in the first duel and went the conservative route so his primary car would stay in tip-top shape entering the weekend. 

Bowman, who's captaining Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s old No. 88 Chevy, will search for his first Monster Energy Cup Series win when The Great American Race gets underway Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET on Fox.