Kenseth holds off Earnhardt Jr. and survives to win bizarre Daytona 500

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Finally, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

In a Daytona 500 that featured the first postponement in its history, a ball of fire from a racecar vs. jet dryer collision under caution and a surfeit of wild action in the closing laps, Matt Kenseth won his second Daytona 500 when the tandem of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle couldn’t catch the race winner in a green-white-checkered-flag finish.

Earnhardt made a slingshot move around Greg Biffle to run second in the 54th running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway. Biffle came home third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton, as a late caution necessitated two extra laps beyond the scheduled 200.
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Stewart, Kenseth Capture Gatorade Duel 150-Mile Qualifying Races

NASCAR Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth claimed their positions on the second row for Sunday’s 54th annual Daytona 500 with wins in their respective Gatorade Duel at Daytona qualifying races at historic Daytona International Speedway.

Stewart’s win in the first Gatorade Duel was his third in the Daytona 500 qualifying races and 17th overall on the 2.5-mile tri-oval moving him ahead of racing legend Bobby Allison to take sole possession of second place on DIS’s all-time victory list. The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. holds the top spot with 34 wins.
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Picking Up Where He Left Off, Edwards Wins the pole for the 54th Daytona 500

NASCAR Sprint Cup

Roush Fenway Racing sweeps the front row

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With a fast lap of 194.738 mph – the fastest qualifying lap at Daytona in over a decade – Carl Edwards put the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford on the pole for the 54th annual Daytona 500 during Sunday’s Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented by Kroger.

Edwards’ time was the fastest since 1999 when Jeff Gordon took the pole for the Daytona 500 at 195.067 mph and Dale Jarrett took the Coke Zero 400 pole at 194.860 mph.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Edwards said. “This is very special. It’s not a driving accomplishment, this is a team accomplishment. There’s a lot of pride in this for everyone. I’m excited to have all the guys back at the shop this week know they sent the best racecars down to Daytona.”
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