Chase Elliott had already won the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500, but Thursday he decided to show off a little.
Elliott won Can-Am Duel No. 1 at Daytona International Speedway, holding off Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick.
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Although the race didn't mean anything for Elliott's starting spot Sunday, the win did earn him 10 points. For the first time since 1971, the Duels are worth points for the top 10 drivers on a 10-to-1 scale, but the winners do not get bonus points to be applied to the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs.
“I just had a lot of steam under the hood, really,” said Elliott, who earned his first win in a Cup Series car. “I think that was the biggest thing. The temperatures tonight being kind of cool, it really suited our car well. Just a great way to start the season. I know it’s just a Duel win. We wished it counted towards the playoffs.
“We would rather it be on Sunday, but at the same time it means a lot to me. It means a lot to our team. It means a lot to NAPA and having this car in NAPA colors tonight. . . . We’re excited about Sunday. I have a great car.”
The results from Can-Am Duel No. 1.
1. Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)
2. Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing)
3. Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing)
4. Brad Keselowski (Team Penske)
5. Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing)
6. Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing)
7. Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing)
8. Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports)
9. Joey Logano (Team Penske)
10. Cole Whitt (TriStar Motorsports)
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing)
12. Daniel Suarez (Joe Gibbs Racing)
13. Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing)
14. Matt DiBenedetto (Go Fas Racing)
15. Chris Buescher (JTG Daugherty Racing
16. Landon Cassill (Front Row Motorsports
17. Joey Gase (BK Racing)
18. Corey LaJoie (BK Racing)
19. Brendan Gaughan (Beard Motorsports)
20. Paul Menard (Richard Childress Racing)
21. Reed Sorenson (Premium Motorsports)
Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start in the front row for the Great American Race, but the Duels determine the rest of the 40-car field with two 150-mile qualifying races. Thirty-six positions go to teams under NASCAR's charter system, leaving four open spots. The highest-finishing, non-chartered team in each Can-Am Duel will join non-chartered drivers Elliott Sadler and Brendan Gaughan in this year's Daytona 500 field. Sadler and Gaughan qualified for the race during pole qualifying on Feb. 19.
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Corey LaJoie clinched a spot in Sunday's race with the highest finish by a non-chartered team in Duel No. 1. D.J. Kennington secured the race's final spot with the highest finish by a non-chartered team in in Duel No. 2.
“That’s amazing. Every kid in a race car dreams of racing in a Daytona 500 and I get to do that on Sunday," LaJoie said. "I really do feel bad about Reed (Sorenson, who was knocked out of the Duel when LaJoie’s car made contact with Sorenson's car and triggered a wreck). I just tried to fill a hole and it was getting down to it and I probably did have position on him, but, man, when I’m trying to get into the Daytona 500, if my mom was in that spot I’d probably wreck her, too. I’m racing on Sunday.”
Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this report.