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A Daytona Duel wreck marred the second qualifying race at Daytona after NASCAR had to delay the second Daytona Duel 2 by almost two hours due to rain. The weather left the 21 drivers anxious to put the pedal to the metal.
Unfortunately for several drivers, the Daytona Duel wreck on Lap 56 took out several competitors fighting for a spot in the Daytona 500
Daytona 500: Starting lineup
The Daytona Duel wreck occurred when 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and driver Garrett Smithley made contact, resulting in Smithley taking out several cars. The victims of the Daytona Duel wreck included Noah Gragson, pole sitter William Byron, Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski, who all suffered significant damage to their cars in the Daytona Duel wreck.
Byron was knocked out of contention in the Daytona Duel wreck, but is locked into his front-row starting spot for the Daytona 500. He will start second alongside Hendrick teammate and pole-sitter Alex Bowman.
Who were Daytona Duel wreck victims?
The Daytona Duel wreck was also a nightmare for Noah Gragson, who had no power to his car and could not qualify for his first NASCAR Cup Series race.
Also Read: Austin Dillon wins Daytona Duel 2
Daytona Duel wreck shakes up starting lineup
The Daytona Duel wreck not only left Gragson with a wrecked race car, it also resulted in him not making the Daytona 500 field. David Regan raced his way into the Great American Race, leaving the last position to be decided between Smithley and Kaz Grala.
Although Smithley was hoping for another chance at making the field, he reported that his steering wheel was off after the Daytona Duel wreck, which made the car undrivable. That gave the final spot in the race to Grala, who made the race on speed despite being in the Daytona Duel wreck.
Also Read: Aric Almirola wins Daytona Duel 1
In the end, the Daytona Duel wreck changed the complexion of the Daytona 500 field. Keselowski will start 24th, while Grala got the last spot in the field, starting 40th.
