2014 Budweiser Duels

The 2014 Budweiser Duels were a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races that were held on February 20, 2014, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both contested over 60 laps, they were the qualifying races for the 2014 Daytona 500. Joe Gibbs Racing swept the Duel races, with Matt Kenseth winning the first race. Kasey Kahne finished second, while Marcos Ambrose, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Josh Wise rounded out the top five. Denny Hamlin won the second race, ahead of Jeff Gordon, while Kurt Busch, Paul Menard, and Brian Scott rounded out the top five.

2014 Budweiser Duels
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
LocationDaytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4 km)
DistanceRace 1:
60 laps, 150 mi (240 km)
Race 2:
60 laps, 150 mi (240 km)
Avg SpeedRace 1:
192.259 mph (309.411 km/h)
Race 2:
192.651 mph (310.042 km/h)
WeatherMostly clear with a temperature of 73 °F (23 °C); wind out of the southeast at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Race 1
Pole positionAustin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
45.914 seconds
Most laps ledMatt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing)
(31)
WinnerMatt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Race 2
Pole positionMartin Truex, Jr. (Furniture Row Racing)
45.953
Most laps ledBrad Keselowski (Team Penske)
(34)
WinnerDenny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Television
NetworkFox Sports 1 & MRN
AnnouncersMike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television)
Joe Moore and Barney Hall (Booth)
Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Jeff Striegle (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings2.0
(3.122 Million)

These were the first Budweiser Duel races to be held in primetime, as the races were previously held in the early afternoon. The Duels were telecast on Fox Sports 1.

Report

Background

Daytona International Speedway, where the races were held.

Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.[9] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[10] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[10]

Practice and qualifying

A. J. Allmendinger was the fastest in the first of two practice sessions for the Duel races with a time of 45.096 and a speed of 199.574 mph (321.183 km/h). Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Dave Blaney, Ryan Truex, Trevor Bayne and Parker Kligerman were involved in a crash on the frontstretch of Daytona during early practice on February 19, that resulted in heavy damage for Logano, Menard, Blaney, Truex, and Kligerman. This forced the teams to set up backup cars for the Duel races the following evening. Workers had to repair two sections of the catch fencing, ending practice early. Brian Vickers and Cole Whitt were also involved in a crash earlier during this practice, forcing Vickers to a backup car while Whitt's team was forced to repair their primary, as Swan Racing's only backup was given to Kligerman. Blaney eventually withdrew from the race after his team could not secure a backup car.[11] Kligerman stated that it was the first flip of his career, and that he "assumed it would be rougher. It was pretty soft. I was up in the fence floating along. Then it just slid over softly".[11] Logano stated that Kenseth had "started making a move to go down" and that he "was making the run, and I was going to fill that hole. He started to come back up and I was there".[11] Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the second of two practice sessions for the Duel races with a time of 45.096 and a speed of 199.574 mph (321.183 km/h).

Race 1

Austin Dillon led the field to the green flag at 7:16 p.m., and after leading the first 14 laps, Dillon lost the lead to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on lap 15. Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 28, and held the lead until lap 37, when he pitted and the lead was passed to Earnhardt, Jr. once again. Earnhardt, Jr. and Kasey Kahne each held the lead for a lap before Kenseth cycled back to the lead with 21 laps to go. On the last lap, Kevin Harvick pulled up alongside Matt Kenseth, while Kahne got to the inside, creating a three-wide photo finish in which Kenseth prevailed. Michael McDowell and Joe Nemechek failed to make the Daytona 500.[12] Kenseth stated that he "was kind of embarrassed to walk in the garage" but felt that his race performance "builds confidence in all of us, makes us feel like you can go out and get the job done if everybody does their jobs and we do everything right".[12] Harvick's car failed post-race inspection because his car exceeded the maximum split on the track bar. He was disqualified, but his speed in qualifying was enough to get him into the Daytona 500.[13] Greg Zipadelli, the competitions director at Harvick's team Stewart-Haas Racing – referred to the infraction as "an adjustment during the race and it was more than it should have been".[13]

Race 2

Martin Truex, Jr. led the field to the green flag at 8:40 p.m., and Brad Keselowski took the lead on lap 2. Keselowski held the race lead for the next portion of the race, holding it until his pit stop on lap 36, which handed the lead to Casey Mears. On his pit stop, Keselowski was deemed to have been speeding while exiting, and had to serve a pass-through penalty. Denny Hamlin took the lead with 23 laps to go, and maintained the race lead until the end of the race, winning under caution.[12]

Coming through turn four on the final lap, Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas, got loose after being tapped in the left corner panel, overcorrected and hit the wall collecting Jamie McMurray in the process. Truex, Jr. had no way to avoid the wreck and rear-ended McMurray. While slowing to avoid the wreck, Clint Bowyer got rear-ended by Ryan Truex, slid to the runoff area taking David Ragan with him. Bowyer flipped over in the air and landed on all four wheels with the only damage being a destroyed drive-train. Ragan and Michael Waltrip were also caught in the wreck and both hit the inside wall head-on. Carl Edwards was caught by McMurray, but sustained minimal damage. McMurray made contact with Johnson again as they continued on into the grass, destroying the front ends of their cars.[12] Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte, who were both 30 seconds behind the leader on the final lap, raced their way into the Daytona 500, at the expense of Eric McClure, Morgan Shepherd and Ryan Truex.[12] Hamlin's team owner, Joe Gibbs, stated Hamlin had "worked extremely hard" for the result, and he thought his team was "all hungry when the year started".[12]

Results

Qualifying

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
3Austin Dillon (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet45.914196.0191
16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord45.961195.8182
31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet45.987195.7073
88Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet46.104195.2114
17Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord46.153195.0045
9Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord46.179194.8946
43Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord46.235194.6587
22Joey Logano[N 1]Team PenskeFord46.253194.5828
20Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota46.255194.5749
5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet46.262194.54410
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota46.272194.50211
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet46.291194.42212
10Danica Patrick[N 1]Stewart-Haas RacingChevrolet46.301194.38013
47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet46.366194.10814
36Reed SorensonTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet46.376194.06615
38David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord46.455193.73616
30Parker Kligerman (R)[N 1]Swan RacingToyota46.489193.59417
14Tony Stewart[N 2]Stewart-Haas RacingChevrolet46.544193.36518
55Brian Vickers[N 1]Michael Waltrip RacingToyota46.681192.79819
26Cole Whitt (R)Swan RacingToyota46.744192.53820
95Michael McDowellLeavine Family RacingFord46.804192.29121
98Josh WisePhil Parsons RacingFord46.860192.06122
87Joe NemechekIdentity Ventures RacingToyota47.249190.48023
23Alex Bowman (R)BK RacingToyota47.447189.68524
77Dave Blaney[N 3]Randy Humphrey RacingFordNo timeNo speed25

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Status Led
1 920Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota60Running31
2 105Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet60Running1
3 69Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord60Running
4 488Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet60Running14
5 2298Josh WisePhil Parsons RacingFord60Running
6 743Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord60Running
7 1447A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet60Running
8 1638David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord60Running
9 331Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet60Running
10 1814Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet60Running
11 2026Cole Whitt (R)Swan RacingToyota60Running
12 216Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord60Running
13 1310Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet60Running
14 2423Alex Bowman (R)BK RacingToyota60Running
15 1955Brian VickersMichael Waltrip RacingToyota60Running
16 822Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord60Running
17 1730Parker Kligerman (R)Swan RacingToyota60Running
18 13Austin Dillon (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet60Running14
19 517Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord60Running
20 1118Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota60Running
21 2195Michael McDowellLeavine Family RacingFord59Running
22 2387Joe NemechekIdentity Ventures RacingToyota59Running
23 1536Reed SorensonTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet20Wheel Bearing
24 124Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet60Excluded

Qualifying

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
78Martin Truex, Jr.Furniture Row RacingChevrolet45.953195.8521
99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord45.986195.7122
2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord46.084195.2963
24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet46.144195.0424
27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet46.173194.9195
33Brian ScottRichard Childress RacingChevrolet46.207194.7766
48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet46.240194.6377
13Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet46.253194.5828
7Michael Annett (R)Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet46.255194.5749
15Clint BowyerMichael Waltrip RacingToyota46.267194.52310
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota46.278194.47711
42Kyle Larson (R)Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet46.294194.41012
21Trevor BayneWood Brothers RacingFord46.312194.33413
41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet46.373194.07814
51Justin Allgaier (R)HScott MotorsportsChevrolet46.436193.81515
40Landon CassillHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet46.456193.73216
66Michael WaltripMichael Waltrip RacingToyota46.529193.42817
35Eric McClureFront Row MotorsportsFord46.655192.90518
1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet46.706192.69519
34David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord46.795192.32820
32Terry LabonteGo FAS RacingFord46.842192.13521
52Bobby LabonteHScott MotorsportsChevrolet46.999191.49322
83Ryan Truex (R)BK RacingToyota47.282190.34723
93Morgan ShepherdBK RacingToyota47.483189.54224

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Led
1 1111Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota60Running23
2 424Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet60Running0
3 1441Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet60Running0
4 527Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet60Running0
5 633Brian ScottRichard Childress RacingChevrolet60Running0
6 1321Trevor BayneWood Brothers RacingFord60Running0
7 1242Kyle Larson (R)Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet60Running0
8 178Martin Truex, Jr.Furniture Row RacingChevrolet60Running1
9 1640Landon CassillHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet60Running0
10 1015Clint BowyerMichael Waltrip RacingToyota60Running0
11 191Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet60Running0
12 2132Terry LabonteGo FAS RacingFord60Running0
13 2252Bobby LabonteHScott MotorsportsChevrolet60Running0
14 813Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet60Running2
15 299Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord60Running0
16 748Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet59Accident0
17 2034David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord59Accident0
18 1766Michael WaltripMichael Waltrip RacingToyota59Accident0
19 2383Ryan Truex (R)BK RacingToyota59Running0
20 1551Justin Allgaier (R)HScott MotorsportsChevrolet59Running0
21 97Michael Annett (R)Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet59Running0
22 2493Morgan ShepherdBK RacingToyota59Running0
23 1835Eric McClureFront Row MotorsportsFord57Running0
24 32Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord57Running34

Footnotes

  1. Driver started at the rear of the field, for changing to a backup car post-qualifying.
  2. Tony Stewart started at the rear of the field, for a post-qualifying engine change.
  3. Dave Blaney withdrew from the Daytona 500 after wrecking his primary car in the pre-qualifying practice session. He was unable to secure a backup car.

References

  1. "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  2. "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 17, 2014. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  3. "Budweiser Duel 1 Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  4. "Budweiser Duel 2 Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  5. "Third Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  6. "Fourth Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  7. "Budweiser Duel 1 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  8. "Budweiser Duel 2 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  9. "Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  10. "Daytona International Speedway Track Facts". Daytona International Speedway. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  11. Long, Dustin (February 19, 2014). "Wild Ride for Kligerman". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  12. Long, Dustin (February 20, 2014). "Kenseth, Hamlin Duel Winners". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  13. Long, Dustin (February 20, 2014). "Harvick's Car Fails Inspection". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
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