We know Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex Bowman will lead the field from the front row in first and second, respectively, to start the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Now it's time to set the rest of the field for the NASCAR Cup Series 2020 season opener.
Thursday night's Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona, the first with a scheduled start time of 7 p.m. ET and the second tentatively scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET, will do just that. As is the case for most of the Cup Series action throughout Daytona Speedweeks in 2020, the TV channel for Thursday's Daytona 500 qualifying races will be FS1.
MORE: Daytona 500 TV, live stream info
The lineups for this year's Daytona Duels were set by the same Sunday qualifying session that put Stenhouse and Bowman on the front row for the Daytona 500. The results of Duel 1 will set the inside row for the Daytona 500, and the results of Duel 2 will set the outside row. So the winner of Duel 1 will start the Daytona 500 third; the driver who finishes second will start fifth; the driver who finishes third will start seventh, and so on. Likewise, the winner of Duel 2 will start the Daytona 500 fourth; the driver who finishes second will start sixth; the driver who finishes third will start eighth, and so on.
Thursday night's duels also will determine the final two spots in the 40-car Daytona 500 field. All but four of the 40 spots in the race are guaranteed to charter teams, and of the the seven non-charter teams that have entered the Daytona 500, Justin Haley (Kaulig Racing) and Brendan Gaughan (Beard Motorsports) have already made the field with their pole qualifying speeds.
Between Reed Sorenson, Daniel Suarez, Chad Finchum, Timmy Hill and J.J. Yeley, two will make the Daytona 500 based on the results of Thursday's Duels.
Below is all you need to know about Thursday's Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona, including the start times, the TV channel and the starting lineups.
Daytona Duels 2020 start times
- Duel 1: 7 p.m. ET
- Duel 2: 8:45 p.m. ET
If Duel 1 plays out in a way that resembles Sunday's crash-filled Busch Clash at Daytona, that 8:45 p.m. ET start time for Duel 2 will be in jeopardy. At least we can count on the green flag for Duel 1 being waved shortly after 7 p.m. ET.
The lineup for Duel 1 is comprised of drivers that qualified in odd-numbered positions, starting with Stenhouse, the Daytona 500 pole winner, and continuing with Chase Elliott (third), Denny Hamlin (fifth) and so on. Likewise, the lineup for Duel 2 is comprised of drivers that qualified in even-numbered positions.
Daytona Duels 2020 TV channel
- TV channel: FS1
- Live stream: Fox Sports Go
With the exception of the Daytona 500 itself, which will broadcast live on Fox, FS1 is the go-to TV channel for all things NASCAR Cup Series (and Xfinity and Truck Series, for that matter) throughout Daytona Speedweeks.
The 2020 season marks the 20th consecutive year Fox has covered the NASCAR Cup Series. Mike Joy, who has been the network's lead Cup announcer ever since Fox began covering the series, is covering his 45th Daytona Speedweeks and will be on the call for Thursday's Duels. Joining him in the broadcast booth will be analyst Jeff Gordon. Larry McReynolds and Jamie McMurray also will provide insight and analysis from Fox's studio during the broadcast.
The radio broadcast of the 2020 Duels at Daytona can be heard on MRN or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Daytona Duels 2020 starting lineups
The starting lineups for Thursday's Duels were set by Sunday's pole qualifying speeds, with the drivers who qualified in odd-numbered positions competing in Duel 1 and the drivers who qualified in even-numbered positions competing in Duel 2.
Below are the starting lineups for Thursday night's Duels at Daytona.
- Duel 1
| Starting Pos. | Driver | Team |
| 1. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 2. | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 3. | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4. | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 5. | Christopher Bell | Leavine Family Racing |
| 6. | Joey Logano | Team Penske |
| 7. | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 8. | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 9. | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 10. | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 11. | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12. | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske |
| 13. | John Hunter Nemechek | Front Row Motorsports |
| 14. | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske |
| 15. | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing |
| 16. | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing |
| 17. | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 18. | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports |
| 19. | Daniel Suarez | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
| 20. | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing |
| 21. | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports |
| 22. | Joey Gase | Petty Ware Racing |
- Duel 2
| Starting Pos. | Driver | Team |
| 1. | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2. | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 3. | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4. | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5. | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6. | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 7. | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 8. | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 9. | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing |
| 10. | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 11. | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 12. | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports |
| 13. | David Ragan | Rick Ware Racing |
| 14. | Ross Chastain | Spire Motorsports |
| 15. | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing |
| 16. | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports |
| 17. | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports |
| 18. | Corey LaJoie | GO FAS Racing |
| 19. | J.J. Yeley | Rick Ware Racing |
| 20. | Brennan Poole | Premium Motorsports |
| 21. | BJ McLeod | Rick Ware Racing |
Daytona 2020 TV schedule
Below is the TV schedule for what's left of Daytona Speedweeks in 2020, including the Truck Series practice sessions that precede Thursday night's Duels.
Cup Series teams will get two practice sessions between the Duels and Sunday's Daytona 500 — one on Friday and one on Saturday.
- Thursday, Feb. 13
| Time | Event | Series | TV channel |
| 4:05 - 4:55 p.m. ET | NextEra Energy 250 practice | Truck Series | FS2 |
| 5:30 - 5:55 p.m. ET | NextEra Energy 250 final practice | Truck Series | FS1 |
| 7 p.m. ET | Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 1 | Cup Series | FS1 |
| 8:45 p.m. ET | Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2 | Cup Series | FS1 |
- Friday, Feb. 14
| Time | Event | Series | TV channel |
| 2:05 - 2:55 p.m. ET | NASCAR Racing Experience 300 practice | Xfinity Series | FS1 |
| 3:10 p.m. ET | NextEra Energy 250 qualifying | Truck Series | FS1 |
| 4:32 - 4:57 p.m. ET | NASCAR Racing Experience 300 final practice | Xfinity Series | FS1 |
| 5:05 - 5:55 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 practice | Cup Series | FS1 |
| 7:30 p.m. ET | NextEra Energy 250 | Truck Series | FS1 |
- Saturday, Feb. 15
| Time | Event | Series | TV channel |
| 11 a.m. ET | NASCAR Racing Experience 300 qualifying | Xfinity Series | FS1 |
| 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 final practice | Cup Series | FS1 |
| 2:30 p.m. ET | NASCAR Racing Experience 300 | Xfinity Series | FS1 |
- Sunday, Feb. 16
| Time | Event | Series | TV channel |
| 2:30 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 | Cup Series | Fox |