Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. win Daytona qualifying races

No, he didn’t grab the checkered flag; actually, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took that while stamping himself as an undeniable favorite at this place yet again.

2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch won the Sprint Cup Series Can-Am Duel No. 2 on Thursday night and will start fourth in Sunday’s season opener Daytona 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Dale Earnhardt spent part of Thursday scrolling through social media and seeing fan tributes to his late father, who died on this date 15 years ago in a final-lap crash of the Daytona 500. The first duel was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while Kyle Busch won the second duel after a massive wreck ended the race. Josh Wise finished 17th in the Duel and also failed to qualify for the Daytona 500.

“It’s another win at Daytona for the Earnhardts, adding to the legacy”, Earnhardt said in victory lane (via the AP). “We’re up here in the 50s now”.

“We are doing things out there that we are trying to prepare ourselves for a good race on Sunday”, Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s obviously still a story were talking about, but for me to go through what all I went through and my family went through and everything, to then be able to enjoy the end of the season and the enjoyment of what all that meant in winning a championship was pretty awesome and very special”.

“This vehicle is something special and I was so nervous today about tearing it up”, he added.

Kenseth than took the lead back, and held it until Lap 40 when Busch retook the lead.

Jamie McMurray’s Chevy became entangled became with Jimmie Johnson’s Chevy on the last lap Thursday night, and carnage ensued.

McMurray and Johnson made contact racing for position as the field entered the first turn and triggered a chain reaction crash that caused severe damage to several cars forcing teams to prepare back-ups for the 500.

Among those who wrecked strong race cars were Scott, Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr., who will all have to go to backup cars for the Daytona 500.

Kenseth now will have to go to a backup auto, which will force him to forfeit his front row starting position.

McMurray finished second, followed by Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Ty Dillon. Toyota has never won a Daytona 500 and has been victorious in only one points-paying race here, coming in July 2008. That left Robert Richardson Jr.as the last driver to get in the race by virtue of his qualifying speed from last Sunday. “I think you can make a case we probably weren’t making a good case for that investment in years past”. Richardson manages hay production as his full-time job at a ranch in Pilot Point, Texas. He dominated the 150-mile race after taking the lead from Denny Hamlin with six laps remaining and from there, Earnhardt cruised his way into the finish line. He led 43 of the 60 laps and earned a third place start for Sunday’s race. They will join 2007 Daytona 500 victor Kevin Harvick in the back of the 22-car field.

The Can-Am Duel determines all but the front-row of the starting grid for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

“It’s so intense. When Blaney had a problem there, we were counting on him racing his way in”, McDowell said. Now that we know what we can bet on, let’s turn our attention to figuring out who has the best chances of winning this year’s Daytona 500 and the long NASCAR Sprint Cup season ahead. The Duel races are fine but he’s more focused on learning because it’s his first time that he will get to work on drafting while in a cup vehicle during a race event.

It’s the third time in seven years that McDowell has raced his way into the 500.