A last-lap crash in Thursday’s second Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway left Chris Buescher with the win and Joey Logano wrecked.
As the lead pack of Logano, Buescher, Michael McDowell and Harrison Burton rode past a lapped car, Buescher moved inside on Logano for the lead in Turn 2.
Logano moved to block Buescher, but the two made contact and Logano was sent across the track into the backstretch wall.
When the caution came out to freeze the field, Buescher was ahead of McDowell – giving Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing a sweep of Thursday’s Duels after Brad Keselowski’s victory in Duel 1.
“I don’t want to get into [Logano] – just trying to pull down and get in front of the 15 [David Ragan] there,” Buescher explained to Fox Sports. “I don’t want it to happen that way for sure.
“But I am really proud of the effort. Proud of nice, good execution all the way down pit road, and we’re in a good [starting] spot here. That’s exciting.”
Cup rookie Burton made contact with Logano as the latter bounced off the wall, but kept going and finished third. Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
Logano was credited with finishing ninth. Shortly after the race, his No. 22 Team Penske crew unloaded his backup car.
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Greg Biffle raced his way into the Daytona 500 with a 13th-place finish. Biffle, a 19-time race winner in the Cup Series, will make his first start at NASCAR’s top level since 2016. “This was a last minute deal,” Biffle told Fox Sports. “These team guys thrown together, we had trouble getting fuel in the car, I ran out of gas with two laps to go, 25 pounds of fuel pressure – everything happened tonight. But we finished [13th]. You know, I’m glad that maybe that fuel stop wasn’t perfect because I might have been in that wreck.”
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Timmy Hill finished four laps down in 20th and failed to make the Daytona 500. He joins J.J. Yeley in going home.
NOTABLE: This is the first time both Duels have been swept by a single team since 2015 (Hendrick Motorsports – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson).
NEXT: The 64th Daytona 500, Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX
