Daytona Duels 2022 results: Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher capture Daytona 500 qualifying races

Tom Gatto

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Daytona Duels 2022 results: Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher capture Daytona 500 qualifying races image

NASCAR's distinctive qualifying process for the Daytona 500 was completed Thursday night with the Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona.

The twin 150-mile races at Daytona International Speedway determined where the rest of the drivers in the field would fill in behind front-row drivers Kyle Larson (pole) and Alex Bowman (second). The Hendrick Motorsports teammates earned their respective spots in pole qualifying Wednesday night.

Roush Fenway Keselowski drivers will be right behind them on the second row. Brad Keselowski won Duel 1 to claim the No. 3 starting position. Teammate Chris Buescher hung on after a last-lap crash to win Duel 2. He will start fourth.

The highest drama involved who would fill the open (non-charter) spots in the lineup. Four positions in the 40-car field went to teams that do not have NASCAR charters and thus weren't guaranteed to make the race. Two of those spots were secured by Noah Gragson and Jacques Villeneuve in pole qualifying. Kaz Grala and NASCAR veteran Greg Biffle raced their way into the Daytona 500 with their respective finishes in the Duels.

Sporting News provided live updates and highlights of both Duel races. Read on for complete coverage of the Daytona 500 qualifying races.

MORE: Watch NASCAR races live with fuboTV (free trial)

Daytona 500 starting lineup

Duel 1 results

The first established the inside row for the Daytona 500. Kyle Larson earned the No. 1 starting position during qualifying Wednesday night.

Brad Keselowski won Duel 1, his first Duel victory. He'll start third in the Daytona 500. Austin Cindric, the driver who replaced Keselowski at Team Penske, finished second. But the big story was Kaz Grala passing J.J. Yeley on the final lap to make the race after being down a lap to Yeley for multiple laps.

Unofficial inside row

Starting pos. Driver Car No.
1. Kyle Larson 5
3.  Brad Keselowski 6
5. Austin Cindric 2
7. Ryan Blaney 12
9. Chase Briscoe 14
11. Chase Elliott 9
13. Erik Jones 43
15. Tyler Reddick 8
17. Kurt Busch 45
19. Ross Chastain 1
21. Daniel Suarez 99
23. William Byron 24
25. Justin Haley 31
27. Landon Cassill 77
29. Todd Gilliland 38
31. Cole Custer 41
33.  Daniel Hemric 16
35. Kaz Grala 50
37. BJ McLeod 78
39. Noah Gragson 62

Duel 2 results

The second race established the outside row for the Daytona 500. Alex Bowman earned the No. 2 starting position during qualifying Wednesday night.

The race was decided on the last lap and produced the only wreck of the night. Leader Joey Logano got spun as he tried to block an oncoming Chris Buescher. The front end of Logano's car hit the outside wall hard, and then the rear end took a hard hit from Harrison Burton's car. Buescher was ahead at the time of the caution and declared the winner.

Starting pos. Driver Car No.
2. Alex Bowman 48
4. Chris Buescher 17
6. Michael McDowell 34
8. Harrison Burton 21
10. Kyle Busch 18
12. Christopher Bell 20
14. Martin Truex Jr. 19
16. Bubba Wallace 23
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47
20. Joey Logano 22
22. Kevin Harvick 4
24. Corey LaJoie 7
26. Ty Dillon 42
28. Greg Biffle 44
30. Denny Hamlin 11
32. Cody Ware 51
34. David Ragan 15
36. Austin Dillon 3
38. Aric Almirola 10
40. Jacques Villeneuve 27

Daytona Duels 2022 live updates, highlights

(All times Eastern)

9:35 p.m.: CHECKERED FLAG. And it waves under caution. The first wreck of the night occurs on the final lap of Duel 2. Leader Joey Logano gets spun as he tries to block an oncoming Chris Buescher. The front end of Logano's car hits the outside wall hard, and then the rear end takes a hard hit from Harrison Burton's car. Buescher is ahead at the time of the caution and is declared the winner. RFK cars will be on the second row for the Daytona 500.

9:25 p.m.: As in the first Duel, there's a four-car breakaway up front: Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell and Harrison Burton. Down to 11 laps remaining.

9:15 p.m.: Jacques Villeneuve is penalized for being too fast on pit road. He exits the race soon after. Villeneuve was already in the 500 on qualifying speed. The 50-year-old Canadian is a terrific story: He has a Formula One championship (1997), an Indianapolis 500 win (1995) and an IndyCar championship (1995) on his resume. He hasn't raced in NASCAR since 2013, and this will be his first Daytona 500 start.      

9:10 p.m.: Greg Biffle is up to ninth in Duel 2. He is comfortably in the 500 — for now. Only halfway through.

9:05 p.m.: Denny Hamlin skids into pit road for a green-flag stop. He checked up right at the entrance.

9 p.m.: Is there a Roush Fenway Keselowski sweep afoot? Chris Buescher gets a nose in front after 20 laps. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is to his outside in second.  

8:50 p.m.: Alex Bowman and Joey Logano trade the lead during the first 10 laps. Again, clean and green.

8:45 p.m.: Green flag for Duel 2.

8:30 p.m.: Getting ready for Duel 2. Cup veteran Greg Biffle will try to race his way in. 

8:15 p.m.: CHECKERED FLAG. Brad Keselowski wins, his first Duel victory. He'll start third in the Daytona 500. Austin Cindric, the driver who replaced Keselowski at Team Penske, finished second and will start the 500 fourth. But the big story is Kaz Grala passing J.J. Yeley on the final lap to make the race after being down a full lap to Yeley for multiple laps.

8:08 p.m.: Brad Keselowski passes Ryan Blaney with four laps to go. There's a four-car pack up front with Keselowski, Blaney, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe. They'll be mixing it up to the checkered flag. 

8:05 p.m.: Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski still lead the way as Duel 1 goes down to five laps remaining. Keselowski continues to push Blaney and make him work the steering wheel.

8 p.m.: Ryan Blaney leads with 15 laps to go. Still no cautions, although there was an anxious moment when Blaney's former Penske teammate Brad Keselowski got him loose while bump-drafting. 

7:55 p.m.: Grala's lead disappears. First, the lead pack laps him and forces him to drop behind Yeley, and then he's penalized for being too fast off pit road on a green-flag pit stop. The stops were the first where teams changed tires with one lugnut in the middle of the wheel.

7:45 p.m.: Halfway through (30 laps) and the leaders are still staying a respectful distance from each other. It's been clean and green throughout. Kyle Larson still leads. Kaz Grala is still comfortably in the transfer spot for now, but J.J. Yeley is gaining now that he has a drafting partner in BJ McLeod. 

7:36 p.m.: The most important battle is between non-charter drivers who are trying to race their way into the 500. Kaz Grala leads J.J. Yeley by about 14 seconds after 20 laps. Grala would make the race if he finishes Duel 1 in front of Yeley. They're in the back of the field, so they can race without worrying about being bounced around in traffic.  

7:28 p.m.: Ten laps into the 60-lap race, it's single-file racing. Polesitter Kyle Larson still leads.

7:21 p.m.: Green flag for Duel 1. Teams are getting their first live look at the Next Gen car racing in a pack. 

7:05 p.m.: Prerace ceremonies are finished at the track. Time to go racing.

Daytona Duels 2022 start times

  • Duel 1: 7 p.m. ET
  • Duel 2: 8:45 p.m. ET (approx.)

Drivers who finished in odd-numbered positions in qualifying will race in the first Duel race, which has a listed start time of 7 p.m. ET. Kyle Larson will lead the field for that race.

Drivers who finished in even-numbered positions in qualifying will race in the second Duel, which has a listed approximate start time of 8:45 p.m. ET. Alex Bowman will lead the field for that race.

Daytona Duels 2022 TV channel

  • TV networks: FS1 (USA), TSN4 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Fox Sports Go, Fox Sports App, fuboTV

The 2022 Daytona Duels races will be broadcast live on FS1 on Thursday night. You can stream the action on Fox Sports Go and the Fox Sports App or with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

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Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.